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WileKyK
North Cascades
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North Cascades



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cameraDSC-T100

settings Aperture f/5.6 ISO 100 Shutter 1/500 

upload_dateApr, 2014

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1 Comment |
Flanerie66
 
Flanerie66 June 01, 2014
Beautiful BW image!

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Behind The Lens

Location

I took this picture while hiking in the North Cascades, near the small, picturesque, town of Stehekin, Washington. This was a viewpoint just off the northern portion of the Pacific Crest Trail.

Time

This was taken at mid-day in the middle of summer; perhaps the worst time of day to make a picture.

Lighting

As I mentioned, it was the middle of the day, so the sun was directly above me. It is unusual in northern Washington state to have a cloudless day, and this was one of those rare days. So, it was very contrasty lighting to make a photo

Equipment

Perhaps this is a good reminder to all of us: You don't need expensive equipment to make great photos. This is one of my most awarded and viewed shots and it was taken with a point and shoot...a very simple camera. It was a Sony Cyber-shot. I used the camera default settings for landscapes.

Inspiration

The scenery in this part of the world is stunning. We hiked for several hours to get to this viewpoint and I wanted to be sure to capture the scene.

Editing

I did a lot of manipulation to this shot. It was shot in color. I changed it to black and white (obviously), adjusted the exposure, cropped it and played with contrast until it felt right. Because the lighting wasn't ideal, I kept the high-contrast, and in black in white, it worked.

In my camera bag

I am generally a Canon shooter, although I do still have that Sony, which comes in handy when I don't want to carry around a lot of gear. My primary camera is the Canon 5D Mark III. I also have a 7D and a Rebel SL-1. My go-to lens is the 24-105, which is a great all-around shooter. I also like the 100 f2.8 for both macros and portraits.

Feedback

Light matters. If you can, try to get to your viewpoint at a time of day when the light rays are long. In this situation, I corrected for the time of day in post, but that doesn't always work. Be thoughtful about your composition. I read once that the mark of a well-made photo is one that causes the eye to be in constant motion. I think that one reason this shot works so well is the foreground, which draws your eye up to the mountain top. The peaks carry the eye to the sky, then down the ridge to the left. The semi-circular hill in the middle ground brings your eye back to the base of the mountains, which draws the eye back to the peak.

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