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dcnick96

Run, Forrest, Run

The infamous Forrest Gump shot. Near Monument Valley, UT

The infamous Forrest Gump shot. Near Monument Valley, UT
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OLYMPUS E-M1

settings

Aperture f/9 ISO 200 Shutter 1/500 Focal Length 49/1

upload_date

Nov, 2019

Views

391

Likes

+16

Awards

Legendary Award

2020 Choice Award

Peer Award

Absolute Masterpiece

Superb Composition

Top Choice

Emotions

Impressed

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Behind The Lens

Location

Forrest Gump Point near Monument Valley National Park, Arizona, USA.

Time

About 30 minutes after sunrise.

Lighting

The advertised Golden Hour didn't offer satisfying light that morning to appropriately light the scene, so we hung out a bit. Thankfully, as the sun rose but was still low on the horizon, the lighting seemed to work to light the landscape.

Equipment

Olympus EM-1 Mirrorless with zoom lens and polarizing filter. I chose a zoom lens v. wide for the background to appear closer / larger. Shot at 49 mm (4/3 crop sensor), 1/500, f/9. Ambient light. Set up my camera on a low tripod (about 6 inches off the ground). Had a spotter to watch for cars! :)

Inspiration

If you're a fan of the Forrest Gump movie and are near Monument Valley, stopping at this point is a must! In the movie, this is where he ends his cross-country running adventure and returns home. Such an iconic shot! "I had run for 3 years, 2 months, 14 days, and 16 hours...I'm pretty tired...I think I'll go home now."

Editing

Standard minor edits for landscape. Ensured a good contrast by balancing the highlights and shadows. I little bit of sharpening. Used photoshop to remove a few highway signs and structures in the desert. I purposefully left the Mile Marker 13 post, as that's the indicator for "Forrest Gump Point."

In my camera bag

I have recently switched to a Sony A7III mirrorless camera. I typically carry 2 lenses. A wide angle for landscape and telephoto lens for wildlife. I also carry a tripod, polarizing and ND filters, headlamps and flashlight (light painting) for astrophotography, remote trigger. Always have extra batteries, memory cards, and lens cloth!!!

Feedback

Research beforehand pays off. A simple google search told me exactly where to go. I had a limited amount of time that day, so knowing where to go allowed me more time to shoot. Before this day, I was not aware of using a zoom lens to bring the background in closer. If I had not done research, I would have taken this photo with a wide angle lens, and the background (which makes this scene amazing) would not have been as prominent. Always shoot from multiple angles and different camera settings!

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dcnick96

dcnick96

Run, Forrest, Run

The infamous Forrest Gump shot. Near Monument Valley, UT

Behind The Lens

See more amazing photos, follow dcnick96

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