(This is the first post in a series where I give background about photographs I consider to be my best ever.)
Shutter Speed: 1/400, Aperture: F/4, ISO: 500, Focal Length: 27mm
This photograph was taken back in December 2016 in Prague, Czech Republic during the winter break of my freshman year in college. I was depressed after a difficult fall which manifested itself in dark, murky themes in my shooting. Color had no meaning to me- I was looking for tension, contrast between light and dark, and silhouettes of people. By some stroke of luck, I managed to capture all three in one image.
I was squatting down on the shores of the Vltava River at a place where people gather to feed swans. Usually there is a picturesque view across the river of Karluv Most (Charles Bridge) and the old town, but a deep fog settled down on the city, not unlike the gloom I was feeling at the time.
One swan had ventured out of the water and we were looking at each other inquisitively. Almost as if in a trance, I inched closer and closer, holding my breath and my finger on the shutter. At one point I must’ve trespassed across an invisible line because the swan started hissing and perched its wings back in what seemed to be a display of dominance.
I quickly brought the viewfinder up to my eye just as a man in a small motorized boat emerged out of the fog on the water behind the swan. I waited a few precious seconds for the boat move into the upper left corner of the frame, before pressing the shutter and retreating.
The swan in the foreground appears ready to attack, creating tension. It's dark gray feathers contrast those of the white-feathered swans in the water, and the silhouette of the man piloting the motorboat in the background adds to the feeling of mystery.