koronalacasse
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Behind The Lens
Location
One of the things we enjoy as a family is visiting what is affectionately known as the Duck Pond at Stronach Park in Kingston, Nova Scotia.. After feeding the ducks for a bit, we decided to go for a walk as the sun began to set. We should have known better! It was unusually quiet in the park when we set out and we didn't get very far before the mosquitoes attacked us; we were probably their first meal of the evening. I did manage to fire off a few shots before we all turned and ran out of the park.Time
This shot was taken as we started our walk; just as the sun was setting and the bugs were apparently very 'hangry'. We didn't really plan to go into the woods, so we didn't have bug repellent with us. Needless to say, bug spray is now a permanent part of my must-have summer photography kit list.Lighting
In heavily wooded areas, you still get streaks of light coming through, so waiting for my husband and son to hit the right spot was key. Also, because we didn't get very far into the woods there were open areas that allowed for natural light to help light the scene. I didn't want harsh shadows, but at the same time, I didn't see the need for a flash.Equipment
I used my Nikon D800 body with an AF-S NIKKOR 24-70mm 2.8G ED lens to capture this particular image.Inspiration
Not only did I take this photo to add to my portfolio, but also because my husband is just as elusive as I am in photos. It was Father's Day and I am currently collecting images for a photo book I'm putting together for Christmas gifts to my family living far away. The other reason I took this photo is because it exemplified the bond between father and child to me. I also prefer candid or lifestyle images over posed subjects.Editing
The post-process for this image included temperature, contrast, highlight/shadow, vibrance, lens corrections in Lightroom. Then I opened the image in Photoshop to give it more of a tilt-shift or miniaturization feel and a hued vignette. For the final look, I used a series of masks to blur out the background in degrees while leaving some of the foliage and trees near the subjects in focus. It's almost like a graduated blur.In my camera bag
I'm a grab-and-go photographer, so I never leave home without my trusty Nikon D800 body and at least two NIKKOR lens. My go-to lens is the 24-70mm f/2.8 lens. Depending on what I'm doing, I'll also take my 70-200mm f/2.8 GII ED (perfect for outdoor portraits for children who prefer to run free) or the 105mm f/2.8 macro which is also great for portraits. I can't forget about the wonderful 50mm f/1.4 for low-light portraits and general photos. I also have a 10-24mm f/3.5 wide-angle lens. These lens give me so many options and allows me to be creative and use them in ways you normally wouldn't. I also have two Nikon Speedlights (SB-900 and SB-910) for on and off-camera lighting.Feedback
To me, this shot was simple...how it has been processed in post to achieve the tilt-shift or miniaturization look is where the 'magic' begins. I used the Tilt-Shift blur tool in Photoshop's Blur Gallery on several layers. There are many tutorials that can be found online to get the look. You have to be comfortable enough with masks in Photoshop and I've heard from some that it can be very daunting, however, if you need to start somewhere and the more you play with your images, the better you will become.