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Contest Finalist in Covers Photo Contest Volume7
Contest Finalist in The Clouds And The Sunlight Photo Contest
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lawrencenicoll
January 05, 2019
a perfect capture of the light, exposure to isolate the tree by minimizing the water is perfect
bluespanishsteel02
February 28, 2022
WOW!!!! this has to be put on an album / cd or something...like something from a dream land!!! Beautiful capture!
Same photographer See allBehind The Lens
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Behind The Lens
Location
I took this photo at Lake Wanaka in the South Island of New Zealand. People come from all around the world to photograph this stunning tree.Time
I woke at 4.30am and headed straight to Wanaka Lake. It was very cold and dark, but the air was fresh and clean. I set up my tripod and camera by the torchlight. The sky was full of stars, hidden here and there by the scattering of clouds. It was exciting waiting for that first glimpse of sunlight on the horizon.Lighting
As the sun broke the horizon, the tree and clouds were outlined with a warm glow. It really set the scene.Equipment
I used a Canon EOS 700D with a Variable Density filter. My camera settings were ISO 100, f22, Focal length 19mm and exposure time 8 seconds.Inspiration
I had been to New Zealand the year before on holiday and visited Wanaka, though never heard of the "Wanaka Tree". I was told about it back in Australia later in the year and how popular it was with photographers. I looked it up and was impressed by how amazing this lone tree and how beautiful it could be captured when photographed well. So the following year, on another two week trip to New Zealand I went to see the tree with the purpose of photographing it.Editing
I didn't do much post-processing. Just some light adjustments and cropping. At that stage I was still taking photos in JPEG not RAW, so there wasn't much to do.In my camera bag
I have learnt it's wise to pack equipment that I may not expect to use but it will be there if and when I need it. I usually take spare batteries, a variable density filter and a circular polariser filter. A lens cleaning cloth is essential. When setting out to take landscape photography I will take my Canon EF16-35mm lens, Canon EFS18-135 lens and Canon EF24-70mm lens. I never used to take my tripod because of it being more to carry, but I have learnt what a vital piece of equipment a tripod is. I have accumulated four cameras over the last few years. Canon 700D, Canon 5D Mark ll, Canon 7D Mark ll and a Canon 750D. I will take one or two cameras depending on what type of photography I am using them for.Feedback
My advice for taking landscape photography would be get to your location early. Give yourself time to find and set up in the position you feel is best for the scene you want to capture. Getting the lighting right is so important, so for sunrise or sunset photos it's best to get there and set up and wait for it to happen. Don't be shy about how many photos you take, keep clicking away as the light changes so you don't miss the moment you were waiting for. It's better to take too many photos than less and wish you had more more after the fact. Also monitor your settings, as the lighting changes you will need to adjust your settings to suit. Also, don't forget to enjoy the moment, take in the scene and all it's beauty as well as capturing it with your camera. Most of all enjoy the experience of capturing the beauty and moments experienced by being a photographer.