donbenderphotography
FollowA defunct boardwalk adjacent to the old ore dock in Marquette Bay.
A defunct boardwalk adjacent to the old ore dock in Marquette Bay.
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Legendary Award
Contest Finalist in Social Exposure Photo Contest Vol 25
Contest Finalist in Exposures Marketplace Project
Peer Award
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Absolute Masterpiece
Outstanding Creativity
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Magnificent Capture
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Behind The Lens
Location
This photo was taken in downtown Marquette, Michigan. The boardwalk is next to the old ore dock, one of the most iconic spots in Marquette, and I wanted to create an image that emphasized not just the condition of the boardwalk, but the story it exuded.Time
I took the photo in late morning, in partly sunny skies, semi-calm water, and light breezes.Lighting
I wanted the water to be calm and silky in contrast against the staggered and jagged nature of the boardwalk, so I used a long exposure to get that effect. In fact, I combined three 'long exposure bracketed' images to bring out the details and drama in the sky as well as the boardwalk.Equipment
I used my Canon 80D, set up with my Haida M10 Pro filter holder, circular polarizer, and 10-stop ND filter. ISO was 100, with aperture of f/36. The nature of the shot required use of a tripod and remote shutter release.Inspiration
What inspired me was the whole setting around me. In front of me was this broken down old structure that looked as if it was just fighting to stay together, while behind me on shore the bustling activity in the city of Marquette seemed to be totally ignoring the predicament of this structure. I just needed to capture that feeling!Editing
I used Skylum's Aurora HDR software to generate the stack from three exposure bracketed long exposure photos (in RAW format). That JPEG image was then post processed in Luminar 3 to add some drama to the sky, and to add some depth to the colors of the wood.In my camera bag
I typically carry my Canon 80D with my four lenses (50mm f/1.8, 10-18mm wide angle zoom, 18-55mm zoom, and 55-250mm zoom). I also have my Haida M10 pro filter holder with a 10-stop ND and 3-stop GND filter. Of course, I always have my standard accessories like spare batteries, lens hoods, memory cards, etc.Feedback
My advice is always simple...soak up everything about where you are, and feel the story that starts to reveal itself about your subject and your surroundings. I'm always amazed that eventually a compelling story begins to emerge, and my job then becomes how best to capture that story. Sometimes that's easy to do, sometimes it's damn hard, and sometimes I'm not able to do it at all. It's those times that I just enjoy the story and the moment, and then later it drives me to get better at my craft so in the future I can perhaps succeed.