BACKGROUND STORY
As I roamed the Champs De Mars trying to navigate the crowd of tourists trying to take ‘the’ selfie, I saw my wife sitting quietly on an empty bench gazing at the Eiffel Tower, and it struck a chord. Even after knowing her for many years I was unable to understand what she may be thinking, as she sat face to face with one of the wonders of the world? Is she awestruck by the engineering marvel of the 19th century wrought iron structure? Or does she concur with the many French intellectuals and artists who called it the ‘metal monstrosity’ scaring the Paris skyline? Perhaps she is simply enjoying the beautiful sunny Parisian evening, throbbing with energy and life. I may never know her thoughts, but I knew then that I can still freeze the moment – in the perfect evening light through this cityscape. That is why this shot describes the moment and her– ‘The Lady in Black.’
the challenges
I still need to overcome a few challenges to get my shot. Firstly, it was an early evening with the Sun casting an unflattering light and harsh shadows. Secondly, and probably because of the same reason, Champs De Mars was full of tourists making it challenging to make my shot without distractions.
The Technical Decisions
- I used a 14-24 mm lens to get the entire surrounding in the frame to bring out the interaction between my wife and the Eiffel Tower.
- I decided to go for a high-contrast black and white processing to bring out the drama created by the highlights and shadows created by the bright evening sunlight.
- I needed to wait for the correct moment and make multiple shots to avoid and minimize any unwanted distractions from the tourists moving in the background.
