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behind the lens badge
cameraNIKON D7000

settings Aperture f/6.3 ISO 280 Shutter 1/500 

upload_dateJan, 2015

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Contest Finalist in Ice And Snow Photo Contest
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3 Comments |
JDLifeshots
 
JDLifeshots January 14, 2015
Amazing capture!
TheoShilton
TheoShilton January 14, 2015
Thanks a lot JD! :D
Goodie
 
Goodie August 20, 2015
Fantastic Photo!!!!
TheoShilton
TheoShilton August 21, 2015
Thanks Noa!
Weirdos_United235
 
Weirdos_United235 April 21, 2019
There is so much emotion radiating from this picture; amazing job! Keep it up XD!

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Behind The Lens

Location

I took this photo at the natural hot springs in the Snow Monkey National Park Near Nagano in northern Japan. An hours bullet train ride from Tokyo through the mountains brings you to Nagano city and from theres it around a 45 minute standard train ride to Yudanaka the town nearest the park itself. Depending which end of town you stay in the snow monkey park is about a 10 minute car journey to reach followed by a 20 -25 minute trek through the woods. Its a lot of effort but in terms of scenery, and the monkeys themselves its worth every minute.

Time

It was around midday so the light was perfect although theres was a bit of a blizzard heaving down. In the long run I feel that it made the environment more magical having the snow than being there on a clear day. I particularly liked the contrast of the steam from the spring meeting the snow falling from the sky.

Lighting

Although it was snowing a lot there was a reasonable amount of clear sky in the area whilst I was shooting so I was able to use all natural light for the images. I also don't like using a flash for wildlife shots as it can create some discomfort for the subject when it fires.

Equipment

I used a Nikon D7000 and a 150-500mm sigma lens. This gave me great flexibility on location as I was able to shoot subjects from one spot all over the area of the hot spring. Close us were particularly what I was going for in an almost portrait style so the limit of 500mm was perfect for this situation. All the shots I have taken on this shoot were handheld as there are a lot of other people and photographer by the spring making lugging a tripod around fairly impractical.

Inspiration

Its hard not to be inspired at this location or by the monkeys themselves. The fairly isolated location (you have to trek about half an hour through a frozen wood) and the character of the monkeys all make for an excellent environment to shoot wildlife. Probably the best location I have been the place is almost magical!

Editing

I used a minor adjustment in photoshop with the curves tool to raise the brightness slightly and then imported the file into Lightroom. From here in slightly increased the contrast, clarity, sharpness and highlights to create a slightly more clearer image with a bit of punch to it!

In my camera bag

This shot was taken using a Nikon D7000 body and a sigma 150-500mm lens. I really like the flexibility you get with the large focal range and I didn't find myself wanting at any point during the shoot. I didn't use flash as I wanted to avoid startling any of the monkeys so I found a large aperture was the best way to go. All of these shot were handheld, which is no mean feat when lugging around a 150-500mm lens. My arms definitely got a good work out on this one! On a day to day basis I carry an 18-300mm lens for street and people photography. This gives me a lot of flexibility when shooting street scenes and people. I have a 10-20mm lens for architecture use, both interior and exterior as well as an 8mm and a 6.5mm fish eye when 10mm leaves me wanting. I also have a 4.5mm circular fish eye for surreal shots although it doesn't get as much use as the other lenses.

Feedback

Be patient and be prepared to wait around in cold temperatures. In winter Nagano is extremely cold so dress well for the shoot. I had 4 layers on and still felt the cold. Follow one subject at a time and wait before firing the shutter. You will miss a lot of shots if you move the lens around around a lot and with the unpredictability of wildlife you maximise your chances of capturing that perfect moment by following one subject at a time. In terms of settings I advise using a fast shutter speed of at least 1/125 and a wide aperture of at least 5.6 (preferable, 3.5) and a low ISO of between 100 and 320. This will ensure you don't get any motion blur in your image and should not jeopardise the clarity of your shot. Good luck and if you are ever fortunate enough to go to Japan I cannot recommend this place enough!

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