Find light, wait, and hope (part 2)…

I found this amazing edge of light at the Kucek Ayasofya Mosque in Istanbul. The light shining through a window nicely illuminated the beautiful archway. The architecture of the scene was already wonderful, but I wanted even more. I watched as people rushed up and down the stairs with their heads bowed down. The scene I wanted was one where the person in it was aware of the world around them, not just ascending or descending the stairs. I constructed this image in my mind and I waited. Then I waited. Then I waited a bit more. Finally, a woman rushed down the stairs, turned, and glanced right at me. She continued on, throwing her scarf behind her as she went.

It took patience to capture this scene. I felt like there was a moment just waiting to happen. The light was there. People were there. Here look and gesture were the reward for my time.

In post processing I pulled down the tones curve to make the image a bit darker, which cast my subject into darkness. By using a layer, I was able to mask out parts of the scene so that she and the beautiful shaft of light stood out.

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