jimpainter

watson lake 5

Canon EOS REBEL T3i

settings

Aperture f/9 ISO 100 Shutter 1/50 Focal Length 16/1

upload_date

Feb, 2016

Views

240

Likes

+12

Awards

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Behind The Lens

Location

This photo was taken at Watson Lake in the Granite Dells in Prescott, Arizona.

Time

Watson Lake is a Prescott city park and has a great hiking trail along the lake. The city waives admission fees on Wednesdays so I frequently took my camera and headed there on Wednesday mornings. This was probably taken around 10 a.m.

Lighting

Natural light.

Equipment

I used a handheld Canon T3i set on HDR mode.The lens was an 11-16 mm Tokina set at 16 mm. I used a low angle, with the lens just a few inches above the water.

Inspiration

The Granite Dells in Prescott is one of my favorite places to shoot because it has a rugged alien landscape and other-worldly beauty. The giant boulders create interesting shapes that change with the lighting at various times of the day. With this particular photo, I was fascinated by the the reflections in the water and the patterns created by the ripples. I especially enjoy creating images that have a surreal quality to them.

Editing

I used the HDR processing tools in Photoshop Bridge to bring out the colors and maximize the tones in the highlight and shadow areas.

In my camera bag

I always have my Canon T3i, the Tokina 11-16 mm wide angle, a 75-300 zoom and an 18-55 zoom. I almost always carry a Hoya infrared filter as well but use it only when I have my tripod with me.

Feedback

Until recently, I lived very close to the Granite Dells — a 10-minute drive from my house. I generally like dramatic weather conditions when shooting scenics such as this one. I thought this was a rather bland day (by my standards) with a bright blue cloudless sky. I think this image might have been enhanced if it were taken in late afternoon or early evening with the dramatic lighting of an approaching Arizona monsoon. So, my advice is if you find an interesting subject, visit it often at various times of day and in various weather conditions.

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watson lake 5

Behind The Lens

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