An evening view over Lisbon Photo

Photographer’s Note

I took this from a terrace near Largo da Graca, which has a magnificent view over Lisbon. It's a great spot to have a drink and watch the sun go down over the city. Or rather it's a great spot for your girlfriend to have a drink and watch the sun go down over the city, while you mess around with tripods and filters and stuff. Then go and sit down before she gets too annoyed.

A quick update; as Marko asked me quite a few technical questions I thought I'd put the answers here, in case anyone else finds it useful.
I used a neutral density grad filter as the sky was a lot brighter than the rest of the scene. If I hadn't used it the result would have been either a well exposed sky and a very dark city, or a well exposed city and an over-exposed sky. The ND grad filter reduces the brightness of the sky without affecting the colour, enabling the whole of the scene to be recorded correctly.
I can't remember exactly, but I think the shutter speed was about 15 seconds, making a tripod necessary. It was this long because I had the camera set to the lowest ISO setting in order to keep noise at a minimum. I had the camera set to manual focus; I always do when shooting landscapes or cityscapes such as this.

PixelTerror, markogts, JRushen, riclopes, pasternak, leo61, cunejo200, Wanda1, gramma, Mikos, macondo, tcht, banyanman, Manuel1982, nbj trouve(nt) cette note utile

Critiques | Translate

Floydian (30970) 2006-10-06 7:30

Hi Ben,
A fantastic view. High detail, superb colour handling, what else is there to say. just a awesome picture...absolute great work..!!!
Have a nice weekend, Henk

boka (697) 2006-10-06 7:32

beautiful picture. congratulations

markogts (1116) 2006-10-06 7:54

Technically excellent from all points of view. Why did you put on a filter? What exposure time/focus/iso did you use?

fertxu (325) 2006-10-06 8:08

Hello Ben
A fantastic shot, I really like it!!!
TFS
Regards,Fernando

JRushen (398) 2006-10-06 8:13

Excellent well balanced shot taken with a great deal of care. I like it.

sebinho342 (18740) 2006-10-06 8:18

Hi Ben, excellent work there, really great picture, lovely colors, great sharpness, marvelous POV, yes a success this one :)

riclopes (33077) 2006-10-06 8:50

Olá Ben, Graça is one of the best places for views over Lisbon. The result of your shot is a very beautiful image, with a nice placement of the bridge in the background. Thanks for the tecnhical informative note, which I apreciated. (p.s.-I have the same problem with my wife and I beleive most TE members also have it ;-))
Ricardo

AthaPan (0) 2006-10-06 8:54

Hi Ben

An excellent pov and a lovely mood you captured here.
Well done

sakis

ribeiroantonio (21957) 2006-10-06 9:08

This is an exceptionally good picture, full of clear details, superb colours and a very nice POV. Many thanks for explaining the technique you used here. It is very useful and much appreciated. I wish I could see more of this from the experts on TE. Congratulations.
Antonio

pasternak (13488) 2006-10-06 9:34

Oh yes, I see what you mean with ND Grad...:) Really good use of the filter, when i buy a DSLR, I'll buy the filters as well, you convinced me:) Nice view as well, with a lot of details to be explored in the city, and this amazing sky...

Cheers
Alexander

vbl (1402) 2006-10-06 10:13

Hello Ben:
i like your`photo very much.
light and contrast are very good
and the colours are fantastic.
congratulations
regards vanessa

maki (0) 2006-10-06 10:23

Hi Ben,
I know this terrace. Wonderful view, very warm tones of the sunset. This city is unbelievably beautiful wherever You stay and look...
regards,
maki

Budapestman (42462) 2006-10-06 11:12

Dear Ben!
What a picturesque atmosphere and spectacular view! This is a fascinating shot! Beautiful glittering details and gorgeous lights. Excellent composition and very good POV. Super!
Thank you, nice days
George

leo61 (43448) 2006-10-06 14:03

Hi Ben!
I love the beginning of your note!!!,,, and your great shot.Excellent POV with a drink in your hand and a fantastic view over the city at the famous bridge.The colors of the city,the river and the sky are wonderful.Excellent sharpness and many nice and good details.
Regards,Leo

cunejo200 (7201) 2006-10-06 14:50

Hi Ben,
A very lovely composition with excellent tech details. I almost fell off my chair as I read your Note abouty you tinkering with your gadgets before the gf gets annoyed. So funny and so true! I am glad to read about ND grad filter - that sounds like it may be helpful for the type of photography I'm interested. I have no criticisms on this posting - just admiration. Have a good w/e. Greetings from Wash D.C. Danilo

MIG13 (0) 2006-10-06 15:45

Hi, Ben! What a wonderful cityscape, nicely composed, with great light and colours! Well done! TFS! Greetings from Brazil! Miguel.

Wanda1 (11015) 2006-10-06 16:03

Hi Ben,
A fantastic city scape with such great details throughtout, there really is plenty to look at. I love the colours and the composition with the bridge with its two points balancing everything.
Regards
Wanda

gramma (3519) 2006-10-07 3:32

Hello Ben,

very beautiful night shot ! Colors are simply splendid. Congratulations !

Christophe

PixelTerror (86494) 2006-10-07 5:00

Hi Ben,
This elevated PoV allow a comprehensive view of this city part including the well known bridge landmark, the evening mood is excellent as are the glowing hot touches from the buildings, maybe a bit too much sky ?
Have a nice week end,
Jean-Yves

Andrzej_HHH (2558) 2006-10-07 6:06

Fantastic overvwiev of the city. Beautiful colors, nice composition with the bridge in the background. Good picture! Best regards! Andrzej

vincz (19043) 2006-10-07 11:05

You got so beautiful colours here. This fantastic view at sunset with the lights in the city is absolutely remarkable. Congratulations for an excellen work.

Graal (58403) 2006-10-09 2:14

Hi Ben,
great landscape, beautiful Lisboa at night. Good POV, pleasant warm colours. I like it. Good job.
Gr., Aleksander

Mikos (4324) 2006-10-09 12:16

Hi Ben

If someone is not sure of the beauty of the portuguese capital,with pictures like these ones, one can be sure about that.
Great great night picture, you point your attention on one of the highlights in Lisbon, to one of the most recognisable spots there.
Great job in terms of light, pov, and the rest of the elements, in my oppinion nothing is left.

Great job

Take care ;-)
Miguel

macondo (13205) 2006-10-10 4:38

Hi Ben. Marvellous evening shot. Superb compo with those buildings bottom left, and your expertise with the exposure and filter is brilliant - thanks for those notes! The sky has turned out wonderfully, and the clarity is exceptional. Well done with this very atmospheric shot.
Regards,
Andrew

harras2000 (708) 2006-10-11 9:33

Hello Ben!
Beautifull sunset over Lisbon. I specially like the ND gray filter you used. Which type of ND you used for it?

Greatings,
Daniel

ryno (4615) 2006-10-14 15:48

Hi Ben, this is a great panoramic view of Lisbon. Great light and colour contribute to a dramatic mood here. One of your most impressive photos, I think. Cheers,
Ryno

tcht (7298) 2006-10-18 4:35

Hi Ben
Beautiful symmetry of the bridge. The colour of the sky is great. The time you took this is excellent, with little lights dotted over the frame contrasting the dim (not dark) sky. Pleasant warm tones too. Gd job.
Cheers
CheukHin

craiggc (2507) 2006-10-27 4:47

Just returned to TE and found this stunner Ben. Excellent exposure of the city, full of colour and contrast. How many gulps of wine did you get down in the 15 second exposure :-)
Nice work
Craig

banyanman (7716) 2006-10-30 10:35

Good use of the grad ND filter, Ben, and superb sharpness for such a long exposure. Saturation and contrast is just right too for this exposure. A really nice addition to the Lisbon gallery. Cheers . . . David

Manuel1982 (942) 2006-11-01 16:54

Hi Ben,
this shot is incredible with a lot of details and very well exposed. You note about using a grad filter aroused my curiosity. Sorry for my probably stupid question, but what is a grad filter and how does it work ? In your case it worked very well without question ;-)
Congratulation for your professional photo.
TFS
Best regards from Germany
Manuel

aralda (1240) 2006-11-02 5:51

Hi Ben,
You did a great job with the exposure and the ND filter. Also smart to use a low ISO -- your image is noise-free.
The view is really nice, especially as you have a few well-lit buildings and the bridge in the distance.
Raluca

nbj (1871) 2006-11-25 6:30

amazingly clear and sharp image, great view and really good colors. well done!

nana

scalerman (25783) 2006-11-26 16:54

Ben: of your cityscapes this one really jumps from the screen. Great exposure and pleasant hues. regards, c

ahmetgedikli (22010) 2006-12-05 4:51

Hi Ben,
Wonderful night shot! Fantastic colours, lighting and very good point of view. Nice work. Have a good day.
Ahmet