This week I had the pleasure of meeting Scott Wood and Ken Toney in Charlotte, North Carolina for brief evening photowalk. I have interacted with both of them on Twitter for quite some time but never had the opportunity to personally meet either of them. They are what you would call genuinely great people!
After a quick bite to eat we made our way to a popular overpass overlooking the city skyline. We made several shots from the overpass then went back into the city. Once in downtown, we made our way to the NASCAR Hall of Fame. This is a very modern and artfully designed structure that is beautifully lit at night. What makes the building really stand out are the bands of alternating light built into its sides.
I was fascinated by the colored bands and spent a few minutes trying to come up with a unique way to capture them. I followed the bands around the building until they came to a stop over the ticket booth entrance. The light was reflecting off the other side of the building creating a soft blue and purple glow. At the tip of this intersection was a flood light shining brightly. I had my idea now I just needed to execute it. I used my fisheye lens to exaggerate the curvature of the buildings just enough to mimic the tail of a comet. The fisheye has the added benefit of creating a gorgeous starburst effect around bright lights.
A little time in Lightroom correcting white balance and a trip through Perfect Effects gave me the image I had in mind while standing on the sidewalk mesmerized by the lights.
Gear: Canon EOS 60D, Rokinon 8mm Fisheye
Software: Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 4, Adobe Photoshop CS6, OnOne Software Perfect Effects
9 Comments
Very creative, Curt
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Very cool shot Curt.
What a great shot, Curt. Love it.
That meetup sounded like a wonderful experience and a fun time.
Great image Curt!
Love the composition and colors, excellent use of the fisheye.
Great shot Curt. I knew it was going to be pretty cool when I saw it on your preview screen. The one thing I don’t know is if you made that image before or after I dropped my iPhone5 on the concrete
Had a great time, hope we get to shoot again soon!
Sounds like a great time. Cool shot!
Very cool shot Curt! Awesome pov!
Sounds like a bang-up good time! Nice use of color!