EG-Keith
FollowClose up of a cocktail glass garnished with leaves of mint, a lemon edge and shredded ice. The glass rests on a wooden table, outside, with a natural grassy bac...
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Close up of a cocktail glass garnished with leaves of mint, a lemon edge and shredded ice. The glass rests on a wooden table, outside, with a natural grassy background.
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Awards
Contest Finalist in I Love My Food Photo Contest
Peer Award
Outstanding Creativity
Top Choice
Superb Composition
Absolute Masterpiece
Superior Skill
All Star
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Same photographer See allBehind The Lens
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Behind The Lens
Location
This photo was taken a few months ago in the side yard of our (my husband's and mine) house in Byers, Colorado. Byers is a tiny town (actually not even a town) situated in a rural area along the I-70 Corridor, east of Denver. What seems to be a rustic wooden table is actually a number of weathered loosen boards from a fallen fence that I arranged on top of a plastic table. The background is the grown dry grass (we live in a very dry area) next to the back boundary of our property.Time
It was late afternoon/evening, not sure what time, but something between 4:30 and 5:00, I guess, since at that time the sun was setting quite early here. I was counting on the golden hour to capture beautifully lit images.Lighting
As I mentioned above, I was counting on the golden hour for my photo shoot but, to my disappointment, the sun hid behind the clouds when I was all set, and the light was actually quite dull. Since I had a deadline to submit the picture and also had everything already set up, I decided to go ahead with the shooting and brought my large reflector, which has a golden side. I didn't have anybody to help me, so I clipped the reflector to a flash stand pole, facing the sun (or where it should be) and my object as well. With the addition of some post-processing, I think I succeeded in getting a little bit of a golden-hour effect.Equipment
My camera is a Nikon D750, and I used the lens that came with the kit since I haven't had the means to buy a better full frame lens so far. The lens is an AF-S NIKKOR 24-120mm 1:4 G ED VR. I did use a tripod because the light wasn't as bright as I expected. No flash (I still couldn't afford an external flash, either), but, as I said before, I used a golden reflector clipped to a flash stand pole.Inspiration
I have a free subscription to a website where people post requests for images and specify what they are looking for. In this case, they were looking for a picture of a bourbon cocktail in a clear glass, preferably like a stemware, with lots of ice, in a rustic setting. I submitted a few of the pictures from the shooting but didn't sell any (actually, they ended up not buying any picture, regardless of having a large number of images to choose from, submitted by many other photographers).Editing
Yes, I almost always do some cropping and add a bit of a tone curve, at least. In this case, I also played with light and color to add a bit more of "sun" to the image.In my camera bag
I am not a professional (though trying to become one) so I don't carry a lot with me when I travel or just drive around. My Nikon D750 and the 24-120mm I mentioned above. Four other lenses I had for my previous Nikon: AF-S NIKKOR 50mm 1:8 G (the only other full frame I have; the D750 is full frame); AF-S NIKKOR 18-55mm 1:3.5-5.6 G; AF-S NIKKOR 55-200MM 1:4-5.6 G ED; AF-S NIKKOR 18-105mm 1:35-5.6 G ED. Lenses hoods. Polarized filter (I already have a UV attached to my main lens and one to a smaller lens). Tripod. Small reflector that folds into a portable size that fits inside the bag. Rain protector cover for the camera. Little bag with cleaning cloths and brushes. Camera manual. I also used to carry my old camera, a Nikon D80 (which, amazingly, used to take better landscape pictures than my D750), but, sadly, I broke it a few months ago when I forgot it was in automatic mode (which I rarely use) and tried to change the aperture!Feedback
Above all, be creative. I didn't have a rustic table for my picture, so I created one from some old junk from our backyard. Also, be prepared for sudden changes in light and weather conditions so that you don't feel too frustrated. I really know what I'm talking about, believe me! A few years ago, I finally went to Paris, after a whole life dreaming of doing it, and it rained the whole five days I stayed there! I mean, it RAINED! Cats and dogs! There wasn't much I could do, other than protecting my camera and myself (not totally necessary, actually, since almost all pictures needed to be taken from inside a taxi cab). I had the plastic cover for the camera with me, as well as a large plastic poncho. I was really happy I had decided to pack those!