bryankthomas

Early Morning in Tagatay

Mayon volcano in Tagatay, Philippines in early morning mist

Mayon volcano in Tagatay, Philippines in early morning mist
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Canon PowerShot S230

settings

Aperture f/4.0 ISO 3 Shutter 1/400

upload_date

Oct, 2014

Views

276

Likes

+17

Awards

Staff Winter Selection 2015

Top Choice

Superb Composition

Outstanding Creativity

Absolute Masterpiece

All Star

Magnificent Capture

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Top 20 rank

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Behind The Lens

Location

I took this photo in Taal, Philippines. I wanted to capture Lake Taal that surrounds a volcano, and tried to frame it with the flora and it's colors of green and red.

Time

The sun rises early in the Philippines, so I had to wake up at 5 am to capture this landscape before the bright sun filled the sky, before the heat of the sun drove the clouds away. If you notice, the clouds are still hovering over the volcanic mountain peaks in Lake Taal.

Lighting

I love capturing the sunrises and sunsets in the Philippines, but for this shot, I wanted to shoot Lake Taal with the available light of the sun before it had fully risen ... providing a dim, kind of eerie atmosphere, with the clouds still hovering over the volcanic mountain peaks.

Equipment

Nikon D80 with 18-135 mm 1:3.5 Nikon DX wide angle lens - tripod - no flash

Inspiration

For years, I wanted to wake up at the top of Lake Taal and capture a morning shot of the Lake and volcano, surrounded by the beautiful flora ... I was finally able to check it off of my bucket list, but the breathtaking beauty makes me long to return again

Editing

I often do post processing editing, but for this shot, I just wanted to leave the natural light as it was ... although it appeared kind of bluish and eerie, I decided to leave it natural enough to remind me of that morning, just the way it was

In my camera bag

I take my simple Nikon D80 with wide angle 18-135 with me to capture most of what I see, but since I often work in the jungles of South East Asia, hiking on muddy trails, riding on motorcycles, crossing rivers on bamboo rafts, or taking small boats for sea trips, I now have to include a GoPro Hero4 Black and my IPhone for shots that I can't capture with my larger camera.

Feedback

Wake up early and wait for the natural light that you want in order to fully capture the moment. All day, wherever I go, I keep my eyes open to see the beauty or pain of the moment, and try to capture it in a photo. This practice has helped me to practice being present to every moment in my life, and then share it with the fellow members in our community of humanity.

See more amazing photos, follow bryankthomas

bryankthomas

bryankthomas

Early Morning in Tagatay

Mayon volcano in Tagatay, Philippines in early morning mist

Behind The Lens

See more amazing photos, follow bryankthomas

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