The best picture I ever took

Out of all pictures I ever took, this is probably the one I like the most, as well as the one that took me most effort to get right. Here it is:

A black and white picture of a tall symmetrical building of international style. The building is covered by a thin veil and a layer of graffiti. White clouds drift across the dark sky above the building.

It depicts a rundown building in the center of the city I live in. Here are some technical details:

Aperture

f/11.0

Exposure

179s

Focal Length

25.0 (35mm film), 17.0mm (lens)

ISO

100

As you can see, this is a long-exposure shot. It took me quite a while to get this to work. First of all, I needed a 10-step filter so that I could increase the exposure time without blowing the highlights. Those things are expansive. I highly recommend Lee Filters' products if you’re looking for a step filter.

The weather didn’t help too. For this shot to work I needed some cloud coverage: just the right amount so that I could get the white clouds flowing through the dark background. Not too much clouds, not too little clouds. It took me about six attempts to get the weather I was hoping for.

I think the effort payed off. I quite like this picture and I’m very proud of it. Here’s a making-of of sorts:

You can check out some other pictures of mine at photos.pablopie.xyz.