tillowlglass

Road into faerie

Scan of print from 35mm color film. This place gave me the idea for my novel "Seladienna". Dunedin, New Zealand.

Scan of print from 35mm color film. This place gave me the idea for my novel "Seladienna". Dunedin, New Zealand.
Read less

Jun, 2015

Views

526

Likes

+23

Awards

Superb Composition

Top Choice

Outstanding Creativity

Absolute Masterpiece

Superior Skill

Peer Award

Top Ranks

Top 20 rank

Top 30 rank

Top 30 rank week 2

Top 10 rank

Top 10 rank week 2

Top 10 rank week 1

Top 10 rank

Top 10 rank week 1

See all

Same photographer See all Behind The Lens

Sometimes one really, really wishes one would have had a hi-res camera at the time of taking certain pictures. This is definitely one of them.

The camera info for this image is incorrect. This is a photo digitized from a medium format film negative using a Nikon D3200 on in a home-made digiti

If you scout around in my collection you'll find the source of this image. ;)

Scan of a print. Original taken with a vintage Ashai Pentax Spotmatic.

A foggy, cold, wet morning and the spiders were busy overnight. Luckily this one hadn't caught anything, so the web was intact, weighed down heavily b

My wife, one daughter and a friend looking out over the Pacific in Lima, Peru. Nikon D3200.

One of those random shots that I never thought would come to anything. Sony Cybershot DSCP200.

I couldn't believe that everything lined up just so. Nikon D3200. 35mm.

One of those rare shots that happens when you track the subject and hold the shutter release down, hoping for the best. No blurring, and even the wate

Didn't have my super-wide angle lens, so had to do with the crummy kit-set zoom. Thought I'd give it a tilt to give it an Escheresque air.

Behind The Lens

Location

This photo was taken on the Otago Peninsula, which is a part of Dunedin, a small city on the South Island of New Zealand. We're inside small, maybe one-acre, copse of Monterrey Cypress trees, known in New Zealand as 'Macrocarpas'.

Time

When we used to live in Dunedin, we went there often, as the path through the trees led through sheep-studded farmland beyond to a spectacular seaside chasm known as 'Lover's Leap'. It's too long ago—going on to 20 years I'd say—to remember what time of day it was, but given the light, I suspect it was well before noon. Probably autumn, as lots mists linger over the hills of the peninsula at that time of year.

Lighting

The light was soft and magical. Something you'd expect in Ireland of Scotland. The mists were dispersing; quite quickly, and I hurried to get inside the trees to catch it all before the mist was burned away.

Equipment

In those days I used an old Ashai Pentax Spotmatic. This picture was taken with a Takumar 1.8 50mm. The film was probably something from Ilford (my favorite brand), ISO 400 (my favorite ISO). (Been trying to find the negative for some time. Who knows where it went? I'll keep looking.)

Inspiration

Inspiration not needed! You can't walk through this place without "Wow!" and needing to take a picture. And I've taken lots in that place. All sorts of angles and places. When I took up digital (part-time!) I tried to capture something similar with a DSCP 200 Canon Cybershot (7 Mpx), but it never turned out quite the same. Still intending to return to that place and try again using my current equipment. I know I can, and I'm determined to do it—even though nowadays we don't live there anymore, but in Australia, where the light is sharp, and so are the shadows. Speaking of inspiration though... This place inspired at least one scene in one of my novels, Seladiënna, where it featured as a transition point into another universe.

Editing

I scanned a high quality print with a good scanner and processed it using Photoshop to get it as close to original print. Didn't quite get there, but it is what it is.

In my camera bag

If I leave the house to drive anywhere, my backpack with the photo gear weighs close to 20 pounds. Most of that stays in the car, but the following always go with me: Nikon D610 with either a 1990s Nikkor 35-70 1:2.8D AF, or a Nikkor 70-210 1:2.8-5.6D AF—depending on what to expect. Or, more often I take both lenses. If I want to do real 'wide angle' of landscapes, I tend to do hand-held panoramas and sitch them in Adobe Camera RAW. If I want to travel really light and I know I'm going somewhere with lots of ambient illumination, I may take just a Nikon D3200 with the kit-lens, maybe a tele-zoom, and often a Tokina SD 11-16 F2.8 DX II wide angle zoom. That can be used for FX sensors as well, at the 16mm setting, without serious vignetting. DX you say? Well, the 3200's DX sensor at 24 Mpx does a superb-job; but, let's face it, FX does better, especially when the light levels drop or there's a lot of light and shadow contrasts, as is the case most of the time almost everywhere in Australia.

Feedback

Find the place—or discover it by chance maybe. If you didn't come at what looks like the 'right' time, and you think things might be more as you like them earlier or later, make a note of that. And most importantly DO go back to that place (if this is at all practicable and the shot is something you really want to get) when you think you ought to, even if it doesn't fit into your current daily schedule. Most photographers, or those who call themselves 'photographers', in the end don't replace intent by action. It's not intent, but carrying it out, that gets the picture. And remember that with these kinds of pictures time can be critical—on the order of minutes! Same applies to all images where transient natural conditions (fog burning off, sun rising or setting in that critical spot, and all the shadows 'just so') determine what you'll capture. Last, but not least, never go anywhere without a decent camera. Many of my images only exist because the camera was there. Be an opportunist, because you can seldom predict what nature will serve you up on a platter. BTW, late model iPhones are pretty good if nothing else is available, but you can't beat an FX sensor DSLR!

See more amazing photos, follow tillowlglass

tillowlglass

tillowlglass

Road into faerie

Scan of print from 35mm color film. This place gave me the idea for my novel "Seladienna". Dunedin, New Zealand.

Behind The Lens

See more amazing photos, follow tillowlglass

Share photos. Enter contests to win great prizes. Earn coins, get amazing rewards. Join for free.

Share photos. Enter contests to win great prizes.
Earn coins, get amazing rewards. Join for free.