For the past month I've been concentrating on creating a set of images of Adelaide. Why now? Mostly because I can leave work in time to get a 'blue hour' picture. Which is the hour after sunset (and the hour before sunrise). Sunset is about 6pm right now, so I get to see the city with it's 'glad rags' on. Office blocks, street lights and shops all putting on a light show. And if it's raining I can try my hand at indoor photography. In fact when I moved to Adelaide one of the first places I wanted to photograph was indoors. That place was the Adelaide Arcade.
With it's well preserved period detail the Adelaide Arcade is definitely one of Adelaide's most visited and photographed places. I will not suggest it's a difficult place to photograph. But as a panoramic specialist the Arcade represented a bit of challenge. My preference is 3 to 1 aspect ratio and if anything the Arcade really suits a 1 to 3 vertical pano. Even so I was game to give it a go.
Once I've settled on creating a project I try to give myself the best chances of seeing what's there by going walkabout at different times. If I don't get the image with my carry camera then the key for me is to do some thinking, particularly before I lug any heavy equipment around. None of it is rocket science, but simply taking the time to do some research and some thinking beforehand goes a long way to making my preferred images.
The sort of things I consider are when is it busy or quiet? when can I get in? If daylight do I want long shadows, from which direction and where does the sun need to be? when do they turn the lights on/off?
As it happens I frequently go through the arcade as it's a route I use at lunchtimes to get to Rundle Mall. So I get many chances to take pictures of it.
My first pano inside the arcade was just before ANZAC day. (A remembrance day for Australian and New Zealand armed services) So the arcade was appropriately dressed with flags and poppies. I had the carry camera with me so I was able to grab the chance for the snap. That said the two point perspective didn't quite resolve correctly. Well it was hand held. I decided I'd try to get the arcade in the classic single point perspective, not so easy as the Arcade is quite narrow compared to newer 'malls'.
Over the course of a couple visits with all my dlsr toys (Digital Single Lens Reflex) I didn't get the image I wanted. My first attempt was in the evening after work. The pano worked well but I thought it would be improved if the skylights were another lightsource in the image. So I went back, this time first thing in the morning choosing a lower angle to get a view of the skylights. However I was too close to the walls of the arcade and the resulting panorama (not shown) suffered from immense distortion. But it works well in a square format. It's the middle image below.
At which point the arcade became decked out to promote Mothers Day so I waited for a month until the decorations were taken down. By this time I'd chosen a couple of other viewpoints. Standing at the far end of the arcade works and shows the off the details of both the floor and the skylight, but the far end was almost out of sight. I really wanted a more balanced composition. Luckily there are bridges along the length of the mall. Using one as my viewpoint I could get most the elements I wanted into one image.
Interior photography is a testing discipline, and I'm lucky to have had regular access to the Arcade to practise in. I can't say this is my final image, as I'm now tempted by another composition. Still I shall have to wait as there is another set of decorations in there at the moment. Meanwhile I've discovered Adelaide has a wealth of well preserved period interiors to visit and they like the Arcade seem quite tolerant of photographers. For which I am thankful.