lesbrown
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Eduardbetz
December 30, 2018
A beautiful image with the swans competing for attention with the tree !
Same photographer See allBehind The Lens
Behind The Lens
Location
Llyn Padarn, a lake in North Wales, in Llanberis. The tree is famous and there is usually a queue of togs all wanting to capture this iconic shot. I had to be patient be because just out of shot was a group of board paddlers, and the swans kept up-ending. At least it was calm. There is a car park just out of shot to the right, this can be cropped out.Time
Probably mid afternoon. Not ideal but I worked with it. It was cloudy so the light was a bit flat.Lighting
A bit flat because it was cloudy. At least that gave interest to the sky.Equipment
I used a Canon 700D with 10-18mm lens, tripod, no filters.Inspiration
I had been looking for the best 'lone tree' locations in North wales. Llanberis is only an hour or so away so off I went. This spot is well known and is marked on maps. I intend to visit it often as the light and colours change throughout the year. I hope there is no more damage to the tree, as there has been some in recent years.Editing
PPd in Lightroom 6. Used a free preset HDR Village Sunset for the basic process. I like the balance of this preset, I do tweak it a bit according to the look I am after, it's a good starting point. I used the graduated filter slider top and bottom to colour sky and mirror it on the water. I cropped out the car park.In my camera bag
Canon 700D, lenses, 10-18mm, 18-55mm, 200mm, 100-400mm (all Canon) Sigma 70-300mm, ND filters, 1.5x converter, ball lens, Manfrotti Element Traveller Tripod, remote release.Feedback
Be prepared to visit this spot multiple times throughout the day and year. Different lighting conditions can change the mood significantly. Be aware there are many togs all wanting space on the shore. The level of the water makes a difference. Be aware also that the lake is used by water sports enthusiasts and you may have to wait some time for them to clear out.