ViewBug community member larrymarshall is based in Carlsbad California. Larry's photography primarily focuses on grand landscapes, long exposure seascapes, and pets. Living on the coast gives him an opportunity to shoot the beautiful Southern California sunsets, beaches, piers, and the rugged rocky coastline. He especially likes shooting long exposures; sharply capturing the stationary elements of a scene while incorporating the moving elements such as clouds and rushing water. The resulting images are breathtaking and surreal. Larry's photography adventures take him to some of the most epic locations on the planet. He is constantly challenging himself to push his creative vision to capture the beauty in life.
Larry has held many important positions including staff photographer for several online and print magazines, and continues his endeavors through freelance work with publications in many well-respected magazines..
Where did you take this photo?
I took this shot in a secluded Aspen grove in Aspen Colorado. I drove for hours looking for "The" spot to shoot, and finally found this composition. Finding a good composition of trees is a lot more difficult than it may seem.
What time of the day?
The best time to shoot is early morning and late in the day as the sun is setting. This image was no exception. I shot it as the sun was setting which illuminated to trees with it's warm golden rays. No artificial light or reflectors were used. When appropriate, I generally like to shoot when the subject is backlit by the sun. This also applies when shooting in a studio. With this photo, the scene was backlit. The brilliant swaths of bright yellow and orange leaves were shimmering in the warm rays of the setting sun. The breeze made the Aspen grove appear to vibrate. It was a breathtaking site. I spent several hours shooting in this particular grove, alone, not saying a word, in awe of the beauty that surrounded me.
What equipment did you use?
Here is a listing of my camera settings and gear that I used to capture this image: Camera: Canon 1DX. Lens: Canon 70-200mm f/2.8.  Aperture: f/13.  ISO: 100. Mode: Manual.  Exposure Time: 2 seconds.  Tripod: Gitzo 5 Series.  Head: Really Right Stuff BH-55 Ball Head and camera L-Bracket. Filter: Singh-Ray LB Color Combo. I now shoot exclusively with Sony gear (A7R II body and fast Sony lenses).
What inspired you to take this photo?
One of the goals that I set for my trip to Aspen was to get a shot inside an Aspen grove. As you would expect, there are hundreds of thousands of Aspen trees in Aspen. However, finding an epic composition to shoot proved extremely difficult. I drove for hours over the course of several days, and walked through countless Aspen groves before I found the spot that I had pictured in my mind: a foreground of small green immature shrubs, tall mature Aspen trees, a backdrop of yellow and orange leaves, and filtered light from the setting sun.
Did you do any post-processing?
Because I always shoot in RAW, I always post process my photos. I use Lightroom and Photoshop CC. My workflow is about 95% Lightroom and about 5% Photoshop. I never blend Images for this workflow is ideal for me. I generally go not use global adjustments. I opt to use Lightroom brushes to enable me to precisely edit each aspect of the image. After all of the adjustments are made, I import the photo into Photoshop where I use a plugin for noise reduction, and content aware to remove any distracting elements in the image.
Any advice for others trying to capture something similar?
Always push yourself to try something different. I took this shot by putting my camera on a tripod with a ball-head. I set the shutter speed to two seconds and adjusted the aperture based on the histogram. I slightly loosened the ball-head, then pressed the shutter while very slowly moving my camera upward. It is important to keep your camera movement vertical and smooth avoid jagged and diagonal lines in the image. It may take several attempts before you are happy with the results. Try different compositions as well because every stand of trees will look different. Also, this technique is not limited to trees; you can try it with any subject.
What equipment do you normally have in your bag?
When I'm shooting locally, I only bring one camera body, one lens, a wide assortment of neutral density and polarizing filters, and a remote shutter release. Of course I bring a tripod with a ball head strapped to the outside of my camera bag. It's east to determine what I need to bring because I know the area and specially what I am going to shoot.
Follow Larry and visit larrymarshall's profile to get inspired!
