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Awards
Contest Finalist in Virtual Exhibition Project
Contest Finalist in Change Of Seasons Photo Contest
Top Shot Award
Amateur Winner Shades Of Brown Project
Contest Finalist in Shades Of Brown Project
Contest Finalist in I Love Photography Photo Contest
Contest Finalist in The Dirt Road Photo Contest
Contest Finalist in Covered In Dust Photo Contest
Contest Finalist in Climate Change Photo Contest
Peer Award
Absolute Masterpiece
Superb Composition
Top Choice
Outstanding Creativity
Magnificent Capture
All Star
Superior Skill
Genius
Virtuoso
Top Ranks
Spidersilk
February 19, 2016
love the patterns in the foreground. Perfect time of day, lovely lighting
tomwillis
December 05, 2016
Join the conversation. Add a comment or even better, a critique. Let's get better together!
kathyk_abq
January 09, 2019
Stunning image, Gail! Love the play of shadow and light. Congrats on being a finalist! :)
lieberaugust
January 23, 2019
Join the conversation. Add a comment or even better, a critique. Let's get better together!
phillipdelange
January 24, 2019
Beautiful foreground detail and patterns.Handled very well by adding the dust into the image and not cropping it out
tomwillis
February 18, 2022
Congratulations on being a finalist. I enjoyed the "Behind the Lens". I always learn from your images and observations. Thanks for sharing them.
Same photographer See allBehind The Lens
Behind The Lens
Location
Photo was taken on Steptoe Butte, the Palouse farming area of eastern Washington state.Time
Image taken just before sunset. During the wheat harvest, farmers share labor, equipment and other resources. There is a time-crunch when rain is predicted so they all pitch in to beat-the-clock by working into the late evening. It rained the following evening.Lighting
Lighting conditions in this direction were too bright, almost directly into the sun. It required using a 10 stop (Big Stopper) ND filter in order to get the dust trail and contrast of the rolling hills. I did get some lens flare so had to adjust the direction of the shot. Heavy dust in the air created a beautiful golden glow to the land below. ND filters allow you to take longer exposures in bright light that would be difficult to achieve even in post processing.Equipment
Canon 1DX, 70-200mm lens, tripod, 10 stop ND filter, filter holder. Constant dust removal from the lens and filter.Inspiration
The Palouse is what I call the "poor man's Tuscany" in that there are rolling hills with picturesque farms. The lighting drifts over the hills creating amazing undulation of light and shadows. I was especially inspired by the light hitting the dust trails left by the trucks and harvesters. Steptoe Butte is one of the only accessible hills on which to view the farmland below. I'm on my way there shortly to catch spring fields in lush greens.Editing
10 stop ND filters tend to give a slight blue cast so it's necessary to add warm tones in post processing. Also accentuated the highlights in the dust trails. A few distracting bushes/trees were cloned out. Some cropping to balance the image. Most post processing is done in Camera Raw (Photoshop) or NIK.In my camera bag
I use a backpack that my tripod rides on. The camera, 70-200mm lens, 16-35mm lens, a couple ND or polarizing filters , depending on what I am shooting, (long exposure, lighting situations etc.) Usually pack a small, powerful flashlight, lens brush, extra batteries and phone. If I am shooting action like animals or sports, only have room to pack a camera, 300 mm lens and monopod. Most of the time I am close enough to the car to grab the other gear.Feedback
Get there early and scout out the location. Try several different vantage points and settings. Often I see photographers camped in just one location for the entire shoot. I generally chase the changing lighting conditions and look for different features and perspectives, changing settings or focal length.