“Play” is the most important four letter word in photography. Taking time to try new ideas, techniques, and/or equipment in a way that welcomes the possibility of failure is a great way to learn. So, on a recent trip to Boston I had the chance to do two of my favorite playful things—Experimenting, with the new Nikon J1 camera, and Exploring, around the hotel where I was staying.

©Reed Hoffmann

We were actually staying in Cambridge, across the Charles River from Boston. I called Bob Watts, a Nikon rep in the area and my go-to-guy for all things photographic in New England, for any location suggestions he had to offer. He said go to the top floor of the hotel for a look at the Boston skyline at sunset. There was an empty ballroom up there with a great view, but reflections on the windows were a problem. By positioning the camera so the lens was flush against the glass, it was easy to eliminate the reflections.

©Bill Durrence

©Bill Durrence

And that was when my camera battery died.  I had just gotten the J1 camera and that is my excuse (and I’m sticking to it) for breaking the cardinal rule to always have a spare battery.  I ran back to my room to grab another camera, the D7000.  Back upstairs in the ballroom I decided to follow the old adage, “When God gives you lemons, you make lemonade.” By carefully choosing the right position for the reflections I was able to make them part of the composition, having them mimic the shape of the tall buildings in the skyline. 

©Bill Durrence

Since I had the D7000 in hand, and there was an interesting half moon in the sky, I used the Multiple Exposure feature of the camera to create a double exposure, first photographing the moon at a -2EV from one end of the ballroom, and then a normal exposure of the buildings at the other end of the room.

©Bill Durrence

The next morning I headed back up to get some early morning light on the same scene, but there was a function in the room and I could not use the space for shooting.  As I was heading back downstairs I noticed another meeting room, two floors down, but with the same view over the river toward Boston.  When I went in I discovered glass doors opening onto a balcony where I could shoot without the problem of windows and reflections. There were early morning boaters out on the water and I played with silhouettes and patterns/textures in the water in the soft pre-dawn light.  

©Bill Durrence

When I turned around and glanced back at the doors—always keep checking behind you when shooting—I saw a different interpretation of the skyline and sunrise, reflected in the glass.

©Bill Durrence

©Bill Durrence

As the sun crested the tall buildings and started hitting the water I set the camera for a -1EV to hold detail in the bright water highlights, and set the White Balance to Shade to add warmth to the color of the scene and shot some of the crews rowing through the light. All in all, a very satisfying and fun morning, with plenty of time to grab breakfast and get to the training classes I was there to teach.

©Bill Durrence