andrewcroucher
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Behind The Lens
Location
This image was taken at a secluded beach in the Royal National Park named, Garie beach. Located on the east coast of New South Wales of Australia.Time
I headed out with a fellow photographer at 3:30am and drove an hour so that we could scout the area and capture some pre-dawn images. This image was later on toward the end of the shoot, as you can see the sun is higher up from the horizon behind the brewing clouds in the distance creating some interesting lighting. The clouds brewed heavily and it rained an hour later!Lighting
I love the warm morning sun bouncing off the water and subtly lighting up the cliff-face and rocks. It is interesting to see the balance of the warm tones with the cool blue tones of the cold morning. the clouds really helped to spread that warm sun and add some drama and movement to the image.Equipment
Using a Lee Big Stopper on my Tokina 11-16 wide angle lens, I was able to significantly slow the shutter down to get some movement in the water and clouds. To keep the camera stable a tripod is vital, my Benro Carbon fiber Tripod with a super heavy ball head mount weight down by my backpack kept itself from blowing away in the wind and reduced any vibrations from the running water and sometime waves! The camera of choice at the time this shot was taken was a Canon 50D, a fantastic camera at the time. These days I am using the Canon 6D and 70D, both of which I am really enjoying.Inspiration
This was one of the last photos from my visit that morning, I had good idea of the location and already snapped the pre-dawn shot, sun rise photo, and had experimented with composition. The clouds and the environment had been fantastic all morning so I wanted to see what the image would look like through the mystical lens of the Big Stopper and get creative, capturing more movement in the clouds and water.Editing
After snapping 2 images to capture a wider scene, they were stitched together in Photoshop and then edited on there. It suffered some distortion and some tweaking of the corners and edges were required so that the perspective was brought back to normal. Curves adjustments helped me bring out the tones and hues of the scene. And some rock texture was added under the water to improve the scene. Sharpening was then applied to the overall image and then masked away on the water and sky.In my camera bag
In the past I would be like a tank and carry all my gear to a landscape shoot so I have a few options in lens choices. These days I tend to travel light since I purchased a Canon 24-70mm f4L for my 6D, its been easier have that kit with me most of the time. Sometimes I will take the Canon 70-200 f2.8L IS if the shoot requires it. I leave the Lee filter holder and Lee Circular Polariser in my bag too along with a cleaning kit and at least 1 spare battery.Feedback
Feel the moment, be present and try to see the image in your minds-eye when snapping these, visualise the image and how you will achieve the look with the gear and post-processing before the shoot or even while you are at the location in real-time. Think quick because the sun rises and sets so quickly, your window of opportunity is limited, most times you have to visualise a new scene while jogging to the next location to setup another scene.