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The blue light of pre-dawn permeates the mist as I set up my camera and tripod at the eastern end of of Stowe Pool in Lichfield, Staffordshire.
I'm here very early in the morning to photograph Lichfield cathedral, having seen a similar image during a tour of the cathedral the previous day (but without the mist), and been amazed that such a beautiful scene could be found in the middle of quite a busy city.
So with the morning rush hour traffic starting to build on the road behind me I give some thought as to how best to photograph this scene.
I want to maximise the ethereal nature of the view in front of me, so first of all I choose a composition that removes everything from the frame except the cathedral and a lone tree.
Then, in order to soften and increase the density of the mist, I set up a very long exposure using my newly aquired Lee Filters Little Stopper ND filter, which turns what would have been a one second exposure into a full minute's worth and gives me my desired effect.
I continue to shoot for few minutes more, but as the sun rises the and the air warms the mist dissipates and the cool blue light changes to a more neutral shade, so it's time to head back to our holiday flat and my still sleeping wife, ready to face the more normal activities that the day brings.
Filename - lichfield cathedral 01.jpg
Camera - Canon 6D
Lens - 24-105mm zoom @67mm
Exposure - 60secs @ f16, ISO100
Location - Lichfield, Staffordshire
This image - 800x640px JPEG
Original - XXXXxXXXXpx RAW
Conversion - Adobe Lightroom
Comments - 6 stop ND filter used to extend exposure time.
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