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Don Quixote's Windmills

Spain's La Mancha region is dotted with these old windmills, some of which are still in use today. Just over the hill, out of the picture, sits a centuries...
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Spain's La Mancha region is dotted with these old windmills, some of which are still in use today. Just over the hill, out of the picture, sits a centuries-old ruined castle.

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Canon PowerShot SX20 IS

settings

Aperture f/3.5 ISO 80 Shutter 1/1250 Focal Length 9161/1000

upload_date

Feb, 2018

Views

526

Likes

+45

Awards

Fall Award 2020

Peer Award

+16

Absolute Masterpiece

Superb Composition

Top Choice

Outstanding Creativity

Magnificent Capture

All Star

Genius

Emotions

Impressed

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Behind The Lens

Location

I took this photo in the Castilla-La Mancha region of Spain, during a family RV trip.

Time

It's practically impossible to overstate how NOT a morning person I am. Every so often, however, I'll drag myself up at sunrise for the right shot. This was one of those times. When we arrived in our RV the night before, I went up to the ridge to scope out the windmills and had a feeling they would look really pretty in the early morning light.

Lighting

The line of windmills here sits along an exposed ridge, with deep valleys on both sides and then hills further away. Here, the early sunlight was just coming over the hills, lighting up the windmills. I wanted to take advantage of how rich and warm the light was, and the cool shadows of the windmill blades.

Equipment

This was several years ago, so I was using an old Canon PowerShot, similar to the SX540HS but I'm not certain it was exactly that one. I didn't have my tripod with me, so I used the hood of our RV and then a low stone wall to stabilize the camera.

Inspiration

As we were driving up the ridge in our RV, I saw the line of windmills coming into view and I knew at once I had to photograph them. The La Mancha region is known worldwide for being the setting of Miguel de Cervantes' Don Quixote, including the famous windmill scene. Windmills remain a common sight in the region, and I knew while we were here I wanted to get some good windmill shots.

Editing

This photo has some very minor tweaks to exposure/contrast/color, but was pretty minimally processed.

In my camera bag

I currently shoot with a Canon rebel SL1, which I love because of how small and light it is. This allows me to carry it with me easily anywhere. My favorite lens is a 35mm f2.8 prime lens. I also frequently use a 24mm f2.8 pancake lens, a 70-300mm zoom lens, and an 18-55mm zoom lens. I have a few other lenses as well that I use less often. I also have a Sirui carbon fiber tripod, a little cleaning kit from Pro Optics, some lens filters such as polarizers, and lots of assorted odds and ends.

Feedback

Think about lighting and don't be afraid to return to the same place later to get the same shot with better lighting. Sometimes this means you might have to get up early, but it's worth it! I could have settled for my preliminary shots of the windmills from the night before, but seeing the windmills lit up in the sunrise, the earlier images just couldn't compare.

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harflu

harflu

Don Quixote's Windmills

Spain's La Mancha region is dotted with these old windmills, some of which are still in use today. Just over the hill, out of the picture, sits a centuries... Read more

Behind The Lens

See more amazing photos, follow harflu

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Spain's La Mancha region is dotted with these old windmills, some of which are still in use today. Just over the hill, out of the picture, sits a centuries...
Read more

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