I think I'll always remember this day. It was in Bergamo, Italy, and the world was skidding to a halt because of Covid-19. This was the last day we could go out, and all of the people I had come to Italy with had left. I was alone. Alone back at home, but also alone in the streets.
The idea
Bergamo is a beautiful city that profits from its historic city towering over the newer city center. As I arrived in Bergamo, I was left a bit disappointed by this modern architecture that really doesn't transpire much humanity. No cute shops, alleys, or boulevards to go down. Only this big and intimidating road going from the train station to the feet of the mount.
Below the city, I was stunned that there was no one there to tell me if there were funiculars available to go up, until I finally found someone that informed me that, because of the situation, no funiculars would bring me up. I think going up these medieval streets alone genuinely helped me get in the creative mood as I imagined all the people that have walked the same paths throughout the history of the citadel. Once all the way up there, without a sound to be heard, I was left in awe of the spectacle in front of me. A blanket of fog draped over the city below accentuated the feeling of "end of the world". I knew this would be a black and white photo because I wanted to overstate the feeling of emptiness I felt at that moment, conveyed by the white drape flowing over the city.
It looks as though the city is never ending, and yet that it's so small compared to the vastness of the sky crushing it.
Coming back down, I had this image in my head, and once I was there in the streets that seemed so small to me minutes ago, I couldn't stop thinking of how insignificant we all are and all of this is.
I took one last look at the medieval city and came to the realization that to those that stand up above the rest, people like us look like tiny ants scrambling around a world they truly cannot understand. But also that the way back down is always much effortless than the way up.
The technique
For this photo, I did what you shouldn't do. Which is to open the aperture to f 5.0 and shoot at 1/100. The contrast is great, but the details are lost in the photo. The bokeh, the lack of detail and the jitter of the photo gives, in my view, a sense of surrealism. That this isn't reality. The photo is better viewed from a distance no matter, because of the vision of grandeur it gives.
Tools
Camera: Canon 1300D
Lens: 18-55 mm
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