Photographer's Note
There's some implicit voyeurism in overlooking a downtown area after dark. I've tried to control that here -- allowing a peek into the hidden courtyard of the restaurant without rising to the level of surveillance.
LaPaz -- like all cities in Mexico and throughout Latin America -- comes alive at night. That is partially due to the legacy of the Spanish culture, but it is reinforced here by the climate, which is uncomfortably warm in the mid-afternoon. Of course, the Iberian climate is responsible for the siesta culture in the first place, so the tradition survives in an appropriate place.
The camera recorded the shutter speed here as 76,923,076/100,000,000; I'm gonna round that to 3/4 of a second. This file got some dodging, a little burning, but mostly I dialed OUT much of the saturation. I generally adore the way color saturates a long-exposure night shot, but here it looked unreal. This is a fairly accurate representation of what you might see, sitting on a rooftop in downtown LaPaz around midnight.
Critiques | Translate
saxo042
(38078) 2013-04-30 8:35
Hi Russ,
This is a very fine capture of a warm night with people enjoying themselves at an outdoor restaurant and also a glimpse of the town around them. A beautifully illuminated church and some interesting buildings further away. The only thing I miss here is the inevitable Mexican music, that must be heard here as well. This is a very pleasant picture.
Kind regards
Gunnar
PS Did you miss my latest upload?
ACL1978
(7511) 2013-04-30 13:56
Hi Russ - It really is true that Spanish speaking countries operate at a much later schedule; I recall when my wife and I traveled to Chile and Argentina this past summer and were amazed at the number of restaurants that didn't even open until 8 or 9 at night! This is a good shot 'above it all' here, with plenty of interesting light and great sharpness. Good timing on this, and well processed. Thanks!
Andrew
No_One
(4) 2013-05-01 7:58
Hi Russ
Great point of view, to capture not only the relaxing people, but also the lights of the city beyond. Really like the well lit church on the right side, a great secondary focal point in your shot. Nicely seen!
Cheers from Ireland
Noel
rigoletto
(34279) 2013-05-08 14:18
Hi Russ,
I laughed out loud reading the sentence "The camera recorded the shutter speed here as 76,923,076/100,000,000; I'm gonna round that to 3/4 of a second" :))
Well, some cameras really remind you that they are actually nothing more than a computer.
About the photo: i always like low light photography and how this genre offers you loads of light&shade plays. Here, with the help of this play, everything, every corner and detail seem more volumed and discreet, even mysterious. Btw, you should be a shy and humble person, i would never think of this opportunity as an implicit voyeurism.
Best wishes,
Deniz
aguilarjlr
(288) 2013-06-01 16:14
Hola EstudioChispa,
Me parece muy intersante tu foto aunque me hubiera gustado ver m疽 qu sucede dentro de ese pequeo restaurante. A mi tambi駭 me gusta saturar las zonas oscuras aunque en esta foto hubiera preferido un poco menos de contraste. Un abrazo.
Photo Information
-
Copyright: Russ Ham (EstudioChispa)
(2182)
- Genre: 場所
- Medium: カラー
- Date Taken: 2011-05-06
- Categories: 日常生活
- Camera: Nikon D5000, Nikkor 18-55mm AF-S 1:3.5-5.6G VR
- Exposure: f/3.5
- More Photo Info: view
- Photo Version: Original Version
- Date Submitted: 2013-04-30 8:15
Discussions
- To saxo042: Oh, my! What an honor! THANK YOU! (1)
by EstudioChispa, last updated 2013-04-30 08:43 - To ACL1978: Too late for us -- maybe we're getting OLD! (1)
by EstudioChispa, last updated 2013-04-30 07:08 - To rigoletto: Wonderful to Share a Laugh around the World! (2)
by EstudioChispa, last updated 2013-05-08 03:09