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Sonya_Katrice
Fear Breaker
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Fear Breaker



behind the lens badge
cameraCanon EOS 5D Mark III

settings Aperture f/6.3 ISO 320 Shutter 1/200 Focal Length 15/1 

upload_dateMar, 2015

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3 Comments |
danamarshall
 
danamarshall April 23, 2015
Join the conversation. Add a comment or even better, a critique.
danamarshall
 
danamarshall April 23, 2015
Absolutely Stunning!!
ninahawk
 
ninahawk May 21, 2015
This is gorgeous Sonya!

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Behind The Lens

Location

I am a self taught photographer who has a weakness for sunset landscape photos. Lake Michigan hosts an array of beautiful sunsets since you cannot see to the other side of the lake giving images the mysterious ocean feel. This image was taken on frozen Lake Michigan in Grand Haven, Michigan.

Time

This image is one of my personal favorites with its deserted arctic feel and beautiful sunset to match. This image was taken March 7, 2015 at 6:00 pm.

Lighting

I watched the sunset closely, and really analyzed where the sun was hitting the ice making the pieces shine. I used a natural light approach since I didn't have any of my speedlite flashes with me. I wanted to incorporate the look of some of the ice appearing to be lit up, making the beautiful designs within the large pieces more visible with an equally beautiful background.

Equipment

This image was taken with the Canon 5D Mark III, and the Canon 15mm Fisheye 2.8 lens.

Inspiration

Fear inspired me to take this photo. I had developed a fear of falling on the ice from a previous accident the year prior, so I had avoided any sort of situation that could put me in danger where I could slip. I decided to break my fear by walking on a whole lot of ice to get this shot. People do not mention that fear gives us a false idea of control. Fear tells us that if we just don't put ourselves in danger, then nothing bad can happen. What fear doesn't tell us is if you continually live with fear, you never really live. In capturing this image I told fear "Enough is enough," and I'm so happy I did.

Editing

Yes, I did two curves adjustments by adding two different layers to my image in Photoshop. The first curve adjustment added some contrast into the sunset and some of the ice closest to the sky, which made the colors more vibrant and the shadows darker within the ice pieces. The second curve adjustment brightened the ice in the very front of the image, to enhance the brightness of the ice being lit up from the sunset.

In my camera bag

I always have my Canon 5D Mark III as my camera. I am in love with being able to fine tune my focus with so many focal points to be able to choose from when shooting manual. I also always have my Canon 70-200mm f2.8 IS II, which is a heavy beast but it's a super fast zoom lens that never disappoints. The Canon 85mm f1.2 lens, since it can give me the most bokeh out of the lenses in my bag. My incredible Canon 15mm Fisheye f2.8 for those tricky instances where you need a creative perspective with a very large wide perspective. The Canon 100mm Macro f2.8 IS for close up detail shots and my Canon 24-70mm f2.8 lens for a situation requiring a closer zoom. I also have two Canon 600 EX-RT speedlites for those times when you need some strobes, and a tripod. I believe the best camera and lens though to have are the ones you're packing at the moment for that perfect shot, even if all you have is your cell phone.

Feedback

The best piece of advice I have is to truly shoot what you are passionate about and from your heart. If you can create an image that means something to you, and portray that feeling within your image, others will feel something too. For this image in particular, I try to find a nook where not many people are present in my landscape images. I enjoy the feeling of being the only one in the scene. I also always arrive a half hour early to a sunset, so I can scout the best locations, have all my manual settings figured out for my camera for the lighting, and I always shoot with a high shutter speed to counter act a shaky hand since I often shoot handheld.

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