azkatrose

Sunset Roper

Sunset at Roper Lake, AZ. My husband David getting in some last minute fishing from his kayak. Taken August, 2014.

Sunset at Roper Lake, AZ. My husband David getting in some last minute fishing from his kayak. Taken August, 2014.
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NIKON D3100

settings

Aperture f/20 ISO 800 Shutter 10/1000 Focal Length 400/10

upload_date

Jul, 2015

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420

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+18

Awards

Zenith Award

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Absolute Masterpiece

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Outstanding Creativity

Peer Award

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All Star

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Behind The Lens

Location

This photo was taken at Roper Lake in Arizona, during a weekend camping/fishing/hiking visit to that area.

Time

I love to watch for and take photos of sunrises and sunsets, partly due to the various and changing colors during the times they occur. Although there were no clouds in the sky, I realized we WERE going to get some nice colors with the sunset, so I quickly walked to spots by the lake where I hoped to get the best balance of color, reflections, and silhouettes.

Lighting

I took several photos in the moments before and after this one, attempting to capture the peak sunset colors while still having enough light to have some reflections of those colors on the mostly still water, and while trying to decide the best angle or composition of the various elements.

Equipment

This photo was taken with a Nikon 3100 and the standard 18-55mm lens. No tripod or other equipment was used.

Inspiration

The potential for sunset colors reflected on the water first appealed, then I realized the silhouettes of trees and the kayaker were an added bonus.

Editing

The only post-processing I did was to crop a little bit of the photo in order to balance the image a little more, and help the viewer focus on certain specific elements. I don't have or use much software for post-processing, preferring to share the image as I saw it. I DO however sometimes lighten Shadows and/or enhance the overall colors, but didn't do that with this photo.

In my camera bag

I have 2 Nikons and an older Canon, plus some other equipment I occasionally use (various special lens, & "big heavy zoom" - 150-500mm). But currently I mostly carry a Nikon 3400 in my smaller bag or big fanny pack, and with it I usually carry a spare SD card and battery, plus both the Nikon 18-55mm and 70-300mm lenses, a microfiber cloth, and a wireless remote shutter button. I sometimes carry one of my tripods (including a regular unipod that double as a hiking pole, and a tiny foldup tripod that fits in my camera bag). Since I do a lot of hiking I try to keep the bag somewhat light.

Feedback

Prior to this photo, I usually tried to center the sun in sunset/sunrise photos at the middle of the lower 3rd ("Rule of 3rds") of a photo for a sense of "balance" while still showing most of the colorful sky. But, capturing all I wanted to share in this image presented a wonderful learning experience that helped free me from that idea and encouraged me to explore other angles & compositions. My advice - observe surroundings to plan the timing and composition of your shots when you can, but don't be afraid to take lots of photos from various angles, and to play with the settings on your camera as you learn them. One of those "play" photos may turn out to be a favorite!

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azkatrose

azkatrose

Sunset Roper

Sunset at Roper Lake, AZ. My husband David getting in some last minute fishing from his kayak. Taken August, 2014.

Behind The Lens

See more amazing photos, follow azkatrose

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