Deep-Pupil
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Behind The Lens
Location
This was taken in Yellowknife along a path that encircles Frame Lake. It is a path that I have walked often over the past few years and it continually presents itself in new ways to me, each time I walk along it.Time
This was at night in January and it was pretty cold; temperatures were probably between minus 25 to minus 35 degrees Celsius, if I remember correctly. I was walking home from work and was enjoying the beauty of these snow covered trees. As the growing season is relatively short in Yellowknife, so are most of the trees. The conifers, in particular, are usually not that tall, as exemplified by the one in the photo.Lighting
I worked with the lights along the path and adjusted my settings to get the exposure that I had wanted. I was aiming for a fairly high contrast to make the trees appear somewhat luminescent. I had found it a bit challenging to work with a white subject and a (mostly) white background. Thankfully, some of the shadows from the lamp along the path had provided enough contrast to get the shot that I was after.Equipment
I used my Canon SL1, probably with my nifty 50, given the aperture setting (f/3.2). I had used my tripod, since I wasn't sure that I could keep my hands steady in that cold weather. It is amazing how quickly one's fingers freeze in those temperatures. I was using a fairly slow shutter speed, as well, so I did not want to risk losing a crisp image.Inspiration
I walk along this path very often, when I am in Yellowknife, and am fortunate to have seen its many faces throughout many changes of season. I had found that, on this particular night, the setting was just right, from the amount of snow on the branches and the ground, to the way that the light was cast upon everything, to the colour of the night sky, in the background. This was the shot that I had been waiting for, although I had not known it until it had presented itself to me.Editing
I had not done any post-processing. I am still learning my way around the camera, itself, and am still working at capturing the best images, textures, and atmospheres that I can before I start working with any post-processing software.In my camera bag
I have a pretty modest set up with my Canon SL1 and kit lens (18-55mm). I had invested a bit in a couple of pancake lenses, such as the Canon 50mm and the 24mm. I am still playing around with these to get more familiar with the different framing and shallow depth of field that both of these offer. I also have a Canon 55-250mm zoom lens, to try to get me a little bit closer to some of the wildlife that I am lucky to see. Finally, I have a Canon 28-105mm lens when I am not sure how close or far I am going to be. It is an older lens that I had got from my mother when she was done with it and it is interesting to compare its framing with the kit and zoom lenses. I keep a tripod handy for when my hands aren't steady enough for the shot I want to take and I always keep a spare SD card, just in case I happen to get too snap-happy and run out of space. Other than that, I carry a Zoom audio recorder to capture some of the ambient audio from different places I visit, to use as sound sources for some of my musical compositions or to trigger memories of the places I have been.Feedback
I am not the type to plan ahead, so I just keep my eyes and ears open, explore new routes, but also try to see the same old routes in a fresh way, and as much as possible, keep my camera at the ready. I walk slowly and often back up and walk over a certain spot a few times, if something looks kind of interesting. I also spend a fair bit of time trying to figure out what angle most appeals to me for capturing the image. I am still figuring out what works and what doesn't so I try the same shot from different angles and viewpoints. I also try to leave a bit of time before I review my shots afterward on the computer, so that I see if I am as moved by the capture as I was by the actual scene. If not, then I know that I still have to keep learning and trying to get at what I am after.