heatherszarka

xylophone by heather szarka

One of the words for our A to Z photography scavenger hunt was Xylophone. When I saw the word this is the image that immediately popped into my head. Eat the ra...
Read more

One of the words for our A to Z photography scavenger hunt was Xylophone. When I saw the word this is the image that immediately popped into my head. Eat the rainbow!!
Read less

Canon EOS 70D

settings

Aperture f/5.6 ISO 400 Shutter 1/160 Focal Length 18/1

upload_date

Mar, 2020

Views

534

Likes

+25

Awards

Zenith Award

Curator's Selection

Top Shot Award 21

Spring 21 Award

Celebrity Award

Contest Finalist in Image Of The Month Photo Contest Vol 55

Superb Composition

+14

Outstanding Creativity

+12

Absolute Masterpiece

+11

Top Choice

Peer Award

All Star

Emotions

Happy

Top Ranks

Top 20 rank

Top 30 rank week 5

Top 30 rank month 1

Top 30 rank week 3

Top 30 rank week 2

Top 30 rank week 1

Top 10 rank

Top 10 rank week 1

Top 30 rank

Top 10 rank

Top 10 rank week 2

Top 10 rank

Top 10 rank week 1

Top 20 rank

Top 20 rank week 1

Top 10 rank

Top 20 rank

Top 20 rank week 1

Top 10 rank

Top 10 rank week 1

Top 20 rank

Top 20 rank week 2

Top 10 rank week 1

Behind The Lens

Location

This was shot at a friends house where my sister was dog-sitting, it was set up in front of the dining room bay window on two tv trays covered with a white sheet.

Time

It was shot inside in the afternoon using natural light from the bay window. By the time I got it set up, I had to race to shoot before the shadows moved over my setup! I ended up leaving it overnight to reshoot the next day, just in case!

Lighting

I wanted a nice bright image, so used the natural sunlight from the window as well as the on-camera flash set to 2nd curtain at a -1 setting so it would be subtle.

Equipment

This was shot with a Canon 70D with on-camera flash and the kit 18-55 lens, on a broken tripod none the less. (It's now been replaced with a working tripod)

Inspiration

I take place in an online photography scavenger hunt and the 25th anniversary round had 26 words, one for every letter of the alphabet. X was 'xylophone' and this idea popped into my head immediately, kinda an "eat the rainbow" image since I'm an organic farmer also. I scoured my fridge and the fridge and pantry of a friend to get all the 'ingredients' for the shot, then decided to add the kiwi 'mallets' to really set it off!

Editing

I use Lightroom as my go-to editing software, I try to do minimal processing if possible, I wanted this one a bit high key so really made the white pop!

In my camera bag

My gear has changed a lot since I shot this image. I live on the road and do a lot of hiking and camping between farms and went with the Tamron 18-400 so I could hike with one lens. I've got the Tamron wide angle as well and carry it in a shoulder pouch with an extra battery, card and lenspen. If I need to, I carry a Manfrotto Befree tripod, it's great for hiking and sturdy enough for anything I throw at it!

Feedback

Play with your natural light and don't be afraid of your on-camera flash. Yes, they can be harsh but play with the settings and lower the output, they can be a big asset!

See more amazing photos, follow heatherszarka

heatherszarka

heatherszarka

xylophone by heather szarka

One of the words for our A to Z photography scavenger hunt was Xylophone. When I saw the word this is the image that immediately popped into my head. Eat the ra... Read more

Behind The Lens

See more amazing photos, follow heatherszarka

Share photos. Enter contests to win great prizes. Earn coins, get amazing rewards. Join for free.

One of the words for our A to Z photography scavenger hunt was Xylophone. When I saw the word this is the image that immediately popped into my head. Eat the ra...
Read more

Share photos. Enter contests to win great prizes.
Earn coins, get amazing rewards. Join for free.