Like all large metropolitan cities, Miami is filled with unique and interesting views and perspectives that often go undiscovered. Many of these places can only be reached if you have connections to these locations and can access them to make the perfect composition. This image is a perfect example of having the right connections. This image was taken from Brickell Key and faces towards the west as Brickell key Drive (SW 8th Avenue) merges deep into downtown Miami. Using a low shutter speed allowed me to smooth out the water under the bridge and also create the wonderful streaks of light from the the cars' front and rear lamps as they passed back and forth on the bridge. Unfortunately I only had a polarizing filter with me and was therefore unable to use a sharper f-stop such as f/11 or f/16; I had to use f/20 to get the water to cooperate. But it turns out that this aperture still gave me sufficient sharpness at the center and around the edges to make it a successful image.
I feel many more composition opportunities are possible from this location. I hope I can revisit this spot with more interesting clouds, perhaps even a nice storm, in the horizon.
Image Details
- Canon EOS 1D-X
- f/20 at 88 seconds with a polarizing filter to reduce glare and light
- ISO 100
- 24-105mm Lens at 55mm focal length
Also, I would like to mention that this image was among the top 10 best images in the 2016 CityScapes Art Exhibition – Overall Category and also received 5th place in the Photography & Digital Category at the Light Space and Time Online Gallery. From a group of over 450 entries to this online exhibition, I feel immensely grateful for the opportunity to be counted among such fine artists. I also want to thank Diana Mendez for giving me the idea and opportunity to capture this scene.