jamesallenstewart
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Contest Finalist in Spring Photo Contest 2017
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lancekozlowski
July 15, 2014
Fun idea... now that I realize that is someone else's hand reaching up.
akhtarkhan
August 25, 2014
Beautiful and atmospheric.....wonderful capture. Congrats on the feature.
Same photographer See allBehind The Lens
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Behind The Lens
Location
I took it outside of Odense on some beautiful hills that overlook the entire city. Every evening the sun shines throughout the wild nature, giving everything an unearthly glow. Camera or not, this place will leave a memory.Time
As a fellow photographer, I am sure you have guessed that it was the golden hour ;) This was taken in June, meaning the time must've been around 9-10 pm, just when the sun start to set. We have been out there for some time, waiting for that special moment, and it was all worth itLighting
I am a natural light photographer and I am a sucker for backlighting as well. The sun was out of the frame to the right, which is why all the plants have that glow to them, outlining their leaves. Sometimes it can be hard to find the right balance between fill light and backlight, but if you wait for it, it will happen at some point. Patience is a photographers best friend!Equipment
Back at that time I only had my Canon 600D, a camera worth around 600 dollars, and my all-time favorite 85mm f1.8 lens for around 500 dollars, which just proves that you don't need expensive equipment for great pictures. I've stuck with that lens ever since, treasuring the lovely bokeh it gives and the great mix between a narrow line of view and background.Inspiration
I always look at the girl to be inspired. This girl was someone I randomly saw on a social media site. I wrote to her, explained that I wanted to take some pictures of her, she refused at first because she was convinced she had nothing to offer, I assured her that 90% of the girls I pick are amateurs and it's gone great, and she finally agreed to travel the 2 hour ride to my town. She had the most wonderful smile and laugh, even though she hated it (girls, pff) so I wanted to catch something natural. This was an inbetween shot before she had the time to pose, which is why it turned out so great.Editing
I really just added a lot of toning to the image. I took all the green and changed the hue to yellow (which is a great way to turn any outdoor image to something cool (I'm serious, try it out)) in lightroom, put some vignette on it, a lot of purple in the shadows and red in the highlights, I changed the whole sky to another sunset shot I took the same evening, so in a way you might call this an HDR photo.In my camera bag
I had my Canon 600D, Canon 85mm f1.8 lens, and a flash. Now I have a Canon 6D, and a 24mm f2.8 as well.Feedback
There is one advice that I would like everyone to pay close attention to: In order to get the best and most magical images; enjoy yourself. Have a good time, connect with the person you're shooting with, make them laugh, make them relax, show them that there's nothing to worry about, and they will at some point forget that you're taking pictures of them, and THAT is where magic happens. I actually ended up dating this girl for quite a while after that photo-session, so that's a good prof of how much you should connect with your model :D I'm just kidding. And of course, keep shooting. Even between poses, while you're walking to a new location, at all weird moments. It takes out the best in everything. Stay gold!