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agolden

Feather Weather

Life is full of happy accidents.

Life is full of happy accidents.
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Mar, 2013

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110

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Cool Capture

Behind The Lens

Location

One afternoon I was out for a walk at my parent's farmhouse, and was immediately drawn to this feather after finding it.

Time

This photo was taken one summer afternoon in August 2006.

Lighting

Ambient light is what really makes this picture. I was lucky to find this gem near a treeline one afternoon, so there is a soft quality to what otherwise could have been harsh summer light. The uniform glow to the moss and dirt creates amazing texture that showcases the space in the photo and really pops against the feather.

Equipment

This photo is from my early days, and was taken with my first camera - an Olympus SP350 point and shoot. No flash, no lens attachments. The SP350 is easily the best point and shoot camera I have worked with, although I have since upgraded to a Nikon DSLR. Don't be afraid to get down and dirty! This image wouldn't have been possible without physically placing my camera on the ground!

Inspiration

I am obsessed with the texture in this photo, and the interplay between the delicate, clean white feather and the various components in the mud. This photograph was one of the first I had taken, and at this point I was interested in recording the minute details in things I would often otherwise have overlooked. When I first started playing around with cameras, I used photography almost as a mindfulness exercise to see what surrounded me by recording them.

Editing

I typically do very little post-processing outside of adjustments to contrast, brightness, or fixing the color balance. At this point (about eight years ago) everything I was doing was in Adobe Photoshop Elements, and therefore somewhat limited.

In my camera bag

Nowadays, I don't leave home without my Nikon D80. I always have my Nikon 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 lens with me, and seldom go exploring without my Nikon 28-85mm f/3.5-4.5 lens that has a macro mode. In addition to some lens filters, and a camera bag, I own very little other equipment. I would love to buy more varied lenses and some lighting equipment, but since I am currently a full time college student (not majoring or minoring in art), and most of my time and finances are invested in school. Hopefully this will change in the spring after I graduate! I also have a Minolta X-700 film camera and a few lenses, but have had very little time to devote to shooting film.

Feedback

For me, it is all about looking at other people's work, learning everything that you can, and becoming familiar with your equipment. I am mostly self-taught, and if I didn't spend time looking at photography, and learning about how other people were able to achieve different shots, I don't think I would have been able to cultivate my own taste in images, let alone start creating them. I consider my work equal parts work, skill, and opportunity. Everyone has a unique aesthetic, and it takes work to create and maintain your own!

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agolden

agolden

Feather Weather

Life is full of happy accidents.

Behind The Lens

See more amazing photos, follow agolden

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