Old House
Forgot my tripod and ended up using a rusty bucket I found in the debris.
Forgot my tripod and ended up using a rusty bucket I found in the debris.
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Feb, 2015Views
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Awards
Zenith Award
Top Shot Award 22
Creative Winter Award
Curator's Selection
Contest Finalist in Cloudy Nights Photo Contest
Featured
Staff Favorite
Peer Award
Superb Composition
Absolute Masterpiece
Top Choice
Outstanding Creativity
Superior Skill
Magnificent Capture
All Star
Genius
Top Ranks
Top 10 rankTop 10 rank week 1
Top 10 rankTop 10 rank week 1
Top 10 rank
Same photographer See allBehind The Lens
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Behind The Lens
Location
This abandoned cabin sits about 100 yards off of Idaho Highway 30 between Lava Hot Springs and Soda Springs. It's nestled into a farmers field, who has insisted on farming around it rather than destroying it. Normally the house is hidden behind a crop of chest high wheat, but during the winter the crop is low enough to catch a shot of the house.Time
This shot was taken on Valentine's day around 10 pm. My wife and I were on a late-night stargazing drive, and knowing we would be passing this house she consented to allowing me to bring my camera.Lighting
Due to the proximity of the house to the highway it was critical to time the window of the shot so that the house wouldn't be lit by any passing cars. The orange glow in the clouds came from a town roughly ten miles away, and even though the color balance could've been corrected I felt that it gave a nice warmth to what could normally be a very cold scene. In artsy fartsy terms, I liked how the warmth of the orange light seemed to contradict traditional perceptions of a winter homescape; where the warm light emits from the home onto a cold landscape. The lighting in this image inverses this trope without making itself to obviously known. Other than that, it's all natural.Equipment
I shot this with a Canon 7D, and a Canon EF-S 18-55mm 3.5-5.6 (Yes, a horrible kit lens, I cringe with you all, but you'll understand my choice in a minute), and a bucket. When I left the house I'd assumed my tripod was in the trunk of the car and it wasn't until I'd arrived that I'd realized my mistake. Not to be deterred I rummaged through some of the debris until I found a half-rusted bucket capable of standing up right. The bottom was still intact, and so I turned it upside down and pushed it down into the dirt until it was stable, and then used a dirt clod to set the lens at the proper angle. Not wanting to possibly damage a nicer lens, this is where I chose to shoot with my kit lens as it would have to sit in the dirt clod to be stable. I set my camera to f/3.5, 30s, 1600 ISO and shot with a 10 second delay on the shutter. I shot for about 15 minutes at various exposures.Inspiration
I drive past this house at least 2 or 3 times a year on my way to Colorado, and every time I drive by the lighting has always seemed superb. Whether it was lit by soft early morning rays, warm sunset glow, or frigid winter night this old abandoned house always seemed to have a steadfast presence to itself, and in many ways it reminded me of an elderly person, who despite having been forgotten and valued of little worth still stands strong with a silent dignity. Each time I drove past I felt like I got to know it a little bit more, and so it continued to moved up on my "to shoot" list. When the opportunity finally presented itself my loving wife was kind enough to allow me to put our evening on pause for half-an-hour. All and all it's a little over romantic of an idea, but what's life without a little romance.Editing
I did my standard post-process routine of color correction and exposure adjustment, but for the most part I left the image as it was in camera.In my camera bag
I shoot with a Canon 7D, and have two kit lens (18-55 and 70-300), and a 50mm and a 24mm prime. When I remember to bring it I use a basic aluminum manfrotto tripod.Feedback
Bring your tripod! I got lucky with this shot, but even then I had to push the ISO much higher than I would've wanted too because I didn't want to risk going beyond 30 seconds. Before I get into technical details I would advise the following 1) know your camera. Know if it shoots a tad dark or a tad light, and know where you can push its limits and where you can't. My camera prior to this was a Canon 1100D, and while a nice little beginner camera it probably would've failed to get the shot without a tripod 2) Take your time to get to know your subject. Even if it's just an abandoned house. My experience with this house was built upon multiple moments gathered over the years where I was able to observe it from multiple angles and lighting scenarios. This allowed me to use a very small window of actual shooting time (about 30 min) to capture this house. While at the same time being prepared for the moment. From a technical perspective you could recreate this shot quite easily. All you need is a camera, a shutter release, a tripod( or bucket), and some patience. Keep your ISO and aperture as low as possible (100 ISO and 2.8-3.5 would be ideal), and then adjust your shutter speed so that your exposure is about -1/2 a stop. If you want to get fancy and do some star trails you could push your exposure time to 2-3 minutes, but do so with caution. I'd also advise getting familiar with the 500 rule. Other than that have at it.
