TammyCook

Eye Of The Storm

NIKON D7100

settings

Aperture 35/10 ISO 400 Shutter 100/10 Focal Length 180/10

upload_date

Jul, 2016

Views

2243

Likes

+497

Awards

Contest Finalist in Cloudy Nights Photo Contest

Featured

Contest Finalist in Monthly Pro Vol 23 Photo Contest

Peer Award

+198

Absolute Masterpiece

+30

Superb Composition

+28

Top Choice

+27

Magnificent Capture

Outstanding Creativity

Superior Skill

Genius

All Star

Jaw Dropping

Virtuoso

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Behind The Lens

Location

This photo was taken at a golf course near by my house in Canton, GA

Time

This image was taken around midnight

Lighting

I wanted to capture just how amazing the clouds were on this stormy night. As you know it is hard to shoot in camera, what is actually visual seen, especially when it comes to capturing a storm at night. I knew i wanted to include the fabulous view in this image, the lights in the distance was just enough to give me what i needed. Because the lightning was more in the clouds, I choose to take a 3 bracket shot in hopes to capture every element i needed. By my doing this i was able to capture the whole valley, the clouds, and a small bolt of lightning, the end result created the mood of this image. Most important was pretty close to what i actually was seeing.

Equipment

This shot was taken with the Nikon D7100 with 18-300mm/f3.5 lens. Tripod-Vanguard sbh 100

Inspiration

In our spare time my husband and I love to storm chase. Living in Georgia it can be a challenge due to all the trees and mountains. As luck would have it we live close by a golf course that happens to have a spectacular view of the valley. It is a perfect place to capture any storm coming from any direction. On this night around 11:00pm, we were getting ready for bed and heard thunder, the radar showed a good sized storm coming in, so we got dressed, grabbed our gear and off we went. By the time we got to our location the lightning had died down, but the clouds were amazing, added bonus was the moon was setting to the west. It was one of those magical moments of capturing the beauty of nature, especially with my husband by my side.

Editing

This image was processed thru PS, by adding the three different exposure, I was able to mask out what i didn't need, bring back in the elements that i wanted. The dodging tool was used to enhance the highlights in the sky. Finishing touches was ran thru Color Efex Pro 4, " levels and curve tool". This is one of my favorite tools to use. It can add just the right amount of pop needed for an image.

In my camera bag

Since my husband and i shoot togethar we have 2 bags. I have my everyday messenger bag, which i absolutely love;)its fits my Nikon D750 perfectly. lens i shoot with are 50mm / f1.8, Nikon24-120mm f/4g,Nikon 105 mm f/2.8. I also have a Nikon D7100 with a 18-300mmf/3.5 len. flash light, several ND filters, 10 stop filter Of course, i never leave home without a bag of M&M's ;)

Feedback

I discovered my passion for photography just a few years ago after my husband gave me a camera for my birthday. Since that time, i have not put my camera down. I have spent countless hours trying to learn everything about my camera,, Landscapes, portraits , lighting, the list goes on and on. A few things i have learned along the way is to have a good sturdy tripod, most importantly, know every aspect of your tripod, so you can quickly make the adjustments needed . Nothing worse than missing a great shot, because you were stumbling around trying to figure out how to adjust your tripod. Yep, i have done that a few times.lolol Dont leave home without your flashlight, a must have for doing any nighttime shots. When doing this type of shot I put my focus on infinity, there is a few other methods , but for me this works best. I did not take me long to learn to always carry a remote shutter release, another must have. One of the most important lessons i have learned along the way is to not to be hard on myself when I don't get the shot you wanted, especially when chasing storms, most times i walk away with nothing, but i keep going back for more. Truthfully that is the best part of photography, its the thrill of the getting the shot, the unknown and expected that keeps you on your toes.

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TammyCook

TammyCook

Eye Of The Storm

Behind The Lens

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