carisheriffsanders
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Behind The Lens
Location
This photo was taken at one of my favorite historical locations- a historic location; on the big southern style front porch of one of the houses.Time
This photo was taken just as the sun was setting behind the foothills of the Smokey Mountains, casting a beautiful golden light upon valley. Sometime after 8pm; just as nature was beginning to slow down and the hot summer day was cooling down.Lighting
I was enjoying the evening capturing the wildlife and just enjoying another gorgeous summer night next to the Smokies. I love golden hour, when the sun is softly saying goodnight, and warming nature with a blanket of soft golden light. I noticed it appeared as though the sun was particularly fond of this beautiful flower, as was I.Equipment
This was shot using a Nikon D3, with a 50mm Lens. No other equipment was used.Inspiration
I was spending the evening just enjoying nature and shooting what I wanted. In the midst of a heavily booked stream of paid sessions, I decided I needed to shoot "just for fun", so I did. I picked a location that I adore, and a nice quiet evening and just sat on the big porch, walked the nature trails and enjoyed the beautiful earth and quiet bliss of nature. As the sun was setting, I decided to sit and let nature happen around me. The sun drew my attention to this flower, it seemed as though it was personally telling it goodbye, a natural spotlight showing the simplistic beauty. I couldn't not take it's portrait.Editing
I simply cropped in a bit a closer and adjusted the white balance for this image, nature did the rest.In my camera bag
I am a prime lens junkie, so typically alongside my Nikon D3 (and smaller necessities like extra cards, OCF, batteries, triggers etc) I also make sure to have my 50mm, 85mm, and 35mm lenses.Feedback
Assuming you first know how to use your camera in manual mode and have the equipment to do so, all you need is nature and observation- both of which are completely free. It doesn't hurt if you live in a spectacular location like I have been blessed to. The Smoky Mountains offer some of the most exquisite photo opportunities, once in a lifetime views and rare, precious moments- you just have to be willing to appreciate them!