Nice is one of the most surreal cities in Europe to live in. Mountains, beaches, the weather, the people, the language, all scream an identity of their own.
The idea
I've captured this city an incalculable amount of times. But, on this evening out, I wanted to capture something new. Something that told the story of a city that lives a mighty life. It's a city known by some, loved by many, but understood by only a few (of which I'm not a part of).
Some time ago, not too far from today, Nice, the city of casinos, was popular among men for its weather, its women, and its betting games, most notably the famous casino on the sea.
All people from around the world, particularly the English, would come here to bathe in the luxurious setting of the world renowned "Côte d'Azur".
I have not had the chance to meet this city, I was presented another. One of less prestige and grandeur. One now known as retirement heaven. We are far from the elegantly sinful palace of debauchery that we are presented in "La baie des anges" (1963, Jacques Demy).
This photo tries to revive the soul of this Bay of angels which glows in a much different tint. Now, the city is famous for its fabulous growth, notably on the international scene, its multicultural cosmos of people, the strong environmental position it has especially on transportation, the investment in some of the most renowned athletic practices in the world (such as Ironman and cycling), and the setting of life which only very few cities profit from.
The sea is like a metallic sheet covering the bay, the light shining upon its surface, creating the illusion of a polished surface. And yet, not perfectly polished.
The technique
I wanted to get a longer exposure, and again I didn't have my tripod, so I used the wall to take stability on. However, my inability to stand perfectly still on the edge of the wall created an impossible situation to solve. I was left trying to get the shot as still as possible, and it didn't come out the way I wanted but, in the end, it was the shot that told the story I wanted.
I pushed the whites and highlights to create the blooming effect from the lights and made the blacks less saturated, characteristic of cameras from the 80s.
To get a very smooth result, I opened the shutter for 25 seconds! Can you imagine what it's like standing still for 25 seconds?! Anyhow, to get a smoother sea, it would have been necessary to use an ND (Neutral Density) filter and keep the shutter open for a few minutes. The ND filter is used when needing to block light going into the sensor, and therefore, when wanting to play around with exposure times, or when trying to get an overexposed shoot.
This shot could have also used a GND (Gradual Neutral Density) filter, which lets some colors pass through, and exposes the photo differently gradually in one direction. Sometimes, the light coming from one side of the frame is too opposite in tone and too strong to the other, and that's where the GND filter comes in handy ; often used in landscapes such as these. It blocks out the colors of the light from one side, to attenuate them, without attenuating the ones on the other side.
Therefore, I could have used an ND filter (maybe 100) to help with the overexposure, then add a GND to darken the top and lower the overexposed effect of the lights with a blue GND. To recreate that blooming 80s effect, the last step would have been to add a bloom filter, which would have diffused the light coming from the poles of the street.
Tools
Camera: Canon 1300D
Lens: 18-55 mm
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