May 3, 2009

In & Out


We just had finished an excellent dinner in this rue Saint-Louis en l'Île, Paris restaurant. While my wife was fiddling with her gloves, I stepped across the street just to take a souvenir snapshot of the place. Only later, behind the computer, I realized that much more was going on in this picture.

First I noticed how the light is playing across the frame. There's a spotlight nicely illuminating from above the head and hands (the rest mysteriously stays in the dark). Then there's the scene inside, a lively dinner party still going on (you can see a raised bottle and glass if you look carefully). Such a contrast with the silence of the empty street...

There wasn't any significant cropping, I prefer to get the composition right in camera whenever possible. I brightened a few shadow areas to reveal structure and detail, and also brought up the light behind the window.
Finally, I decided to desaturate the colors, so the image reflects the quiet atmosphere I experienced when taking the shot.
Et voilà...


More images from this Paris weekend here.

Gear notes: D700, AF-D 35/2.0

Click on the image(s) to see a larger version

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