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vandanjon

Wind in her hair

Photography is an everyday adventure. Even more when trying to shoot something on a shore by windy days.

Photography is an everyday adventure. Even more when trying to shoot something on a shore by windy days.
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Canon EOS 6D

settings

Aperture f/4 ISO 400 Shutter 1/200 Focal Length 24/1

location

La Grande Motte, Languedoc-Roussillon, FR

upload_date

Nov, 2018

Views

663

Likes

+25

Awards

Chatter Award

Zenith Award

Top Shot Award 22

Contest Finalist in Cameras Photo Contest

Absolute Masterpiece

Top Choice

Outstanding Creativity

Peer Award

Superb Composition

Magnificent Capture

All Star

Emotions

Impressed

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Behind The Lens

Location

This photo takes place in south France in Camargue, near the shores of Mediterranean sea in the heart of the natural reserve. It's a hot spot for wild horses, mosquitos and windsurfers... But wild photographers can be found there too ;)

Time

This photo has been taken by a windy (obviously) afternoon of autumn. A dramatic low cloud covering was texturing the sky and the hunger for wild photo took me early that day.

Lighting

Shooting on beaches can always be tricky at some point, because the sand is acting like a reflector, and large open spaces tend to create hard shadows difficult to equilibrate. For this particular day, I took advantage of the low cloud layer acting as a sun filter and flattening the whole atmosphere, allowing this picture to be taken from a lower point without burning the sky behind the character.

Equipment

This picture was taken with a Canon 6D, the classic multipurpose 24-105 F.4 L series lens, and my favorite monopod. I like using monopods in these hiking shooting sessions and generally for "adventure" photography. It gives you the perfect balance between lightweight package and efficient stabilization... and Oh lord you really need stabilization in Camargue, because there is no forest miles around to slow down the heavy wind ! To be honest the 24-105 was slightly broken at the time I shoot this picture, after a series of harsh documentaries in rocky mountains in Spain earlier that year, so it was producing an extra vignette effect and I decided to keep it and use it for composition.

Inspiration

Initially, I was working that year on personal roadtrip series, illustrating ranchers, acrobatic windsurfers and abandoned shipwrecks along this wild shore... It was not a good moment for me, I had Lyme disease and had been struggling with health issues threatening my career, and inducing financial difficulties attached. Suddenly I bumped into this young (wild) lady photographer, just coming back from living in japan and canada. I think the picture you see here figures the moment when I understood I fell in love with her... and she happened to became my wife since.

Editing

I usually post process my RAW pictures, like many, in Adobe lightroom. This is the kind of photo I would not deliver in a professional photoshoot, where I am usually asked to deliver clean, realistic, descriptive pictures. In this photo there is a lot of counter-intuitive features : there is hard vignette, face is blocked by the character's hair, contrast is a bit "too much" , as if it were a HDR treatment, the sand flying everywhere around gives the pic an old fashioned grainy texture and the sky on the right is almost burned, blurring the tall dry grass on top of the sand dune... Nevertheless in this case, the magic sort of happens, and it glues all together with the character's natural posture to create this punchy narrative portrait. Let's call it serendipity.

In my camera bag

I would say my basic kit is not extremely original. While growing old, I tend to reduce my equipment to more and mroe simple things, and then I rent extra features when I need it or just want to try something new. So for me the best backpack is the lightest : a fullframe robust camera body, tropicalized or at least rainproof, and a couple of lenses. Usually a still wide lens and a pro short zoom. Ah, and MANY batteries ! you never know when inspiration kicks in.

Feedback

Go outdoors, where conditions are always a challenge ! Shoot every possible time. Walk towards the unexpected, put yourself in danger (metaphorically speaking of course), go outside of your comfort zone... Challenging places like Camargue create stunning pictures like this one, and maybe even bring you love ;)

See more amazing photos, follow vandanjon

vandanjon

vandanjon

Wind in her hair

Photography is an everyday adventure. Even more when trying to shoot something on a shore by windy days.

Behind The Lens

See more amazing photos, follow vandanjon

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