History

I am in the city of Utrecht, which is generally thought to have been founded around 50 AD. And tonight I walked around a little in the dark. And, as you would expect of me, I brought my camera.

To do this, I used a wide angle lens – the 16-35 (on a full frame camera, so it would be the 10-200 for you).

Why wide angle?

  • For the composition;
  • So that I can shoot at 1/15th second handheld (no tripod);
  • So that I can shoot at f/2.8 while still getting extended DOF.

I needed 3200 ISO or more to achieve that, but that is fine with a modern camera like my Canon 1Dx.

What do you look for? Local things. Typical local things. Like the car above, or this lingerie shop window:

And things that show context and age, like the cobbled stones. With angles that emphasize your subject:

And light, like the lit Dom church tower (which since a tornade in the 1600s is separate from the main body of the church):

Even on a short walk through town you can come home with some nice pictures – provided that you bring a camera and use your knowledge of aperture, shutter, and ISO (and perhaps, unlike me, bring a tripod).

And do remember to, when in The Netherlands, shoot pink bicycles.

 

2 thoughts on “History

  1. I think you mean 10-20mm or 10-22mm! Though 10-200mm would be a useful lens if it was sharp.
    Fast primes work very well at night in the city, too. No tripod needed. With a 50mm f/1.8 and ISO 1600, you can probably get good results with 1/60th or even 1/90th, fast enough for easy shots with no tripod.

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