"Forgotten"
While on a landscape photography workshop along the California coast, we came across this abandoned boat. Upon viewing this scene, my thoughts wandered to what...
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While on a landscape photography workshop along the California coast, we came across this abandoned boat. Upon viewing this scene, my thoughts wandered to what is was like to be on this crew, "somewhere in time." I processed this image to reflect my creative vision on how this scene made me feel.
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Feb, 2014Views
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Awards
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Contest Finalist in Abandoned Places Photo Contest
Peer Award
Superb Composition
Absolute Masterpiece
Top Choice
Outstanding Creativity
All Star
Magnificent Capture
Superior Skill
Jaw Dropping
Genius
Emotions
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Behind The Lens
Location
I captured this image in Inverness, California; along the Central Coast, during a photography workshop. This one of many stops along our route but this was one of my favorites as it stirred up so much emotion and tranquility within me.Time
I captured this image just after noon and normally, mid-afternoon is not the ideal time for a lot of photography due to the sun being straight up, but this overcast day made this moment perfect for me.Lighting
This skies were ideal for me in regards to what I wanted to do with this image. The clouds acted like one big softbox softening the light on the boat and surrounding landscape but at the same time, allowing enough sunlight to filter in to cast the wonderful reflections of the boat and the surrounding vegetation upon the water.Equipment
I captured this image using a Nikon D7100 cropped sensor camera with a 18-55 Nikon kit lens and with the use of a tripod...that's it.Inspiration
Even though this boat was pointed out to me as a photo subject, I wanted to compose the image in such a way as to captured the reflection of the boat in its entirety upon the water with the stormy skies and the rolling hills as a backdrop. I feel that the backdrop in this image is nearly as important as the image of the boat as they together, gives the image a feeling of drama and I think, an eerie sense of serenity. If the skies were clear, the sun out, and the hills in the background were brightly lit, this image would not be the same.Editing
I processed this image in a RAW format but all I did was adjust the contrast and color saturation a tad bit in post...nothing else. For the most part, what you see is what I saw through the lens of my camera...truly breathtaking. I also saw it my creative mind a slightly more dramatic image I wanted to create but didn't want to drastically change the image from what was seen to what I created. So when I adjusted the contrast and color in the image in post, I was mindful of the balance between what I wanted to create but at the same time, being true to what was seen out of the camera.In my camera bag
Since this image, I upgraded to a full-frame Nikon D750 camera with a variety of lenses to go with it. I absolutely love this camera and now I fully understand why it won camera of the year for several years in a row by a variety of photography magazines and reviews. In regards to lenses, I have several favorites I take with me whenever I head out to someplace I suspect I may have photographic opportunities. My all around lens is my Nikkor 24-70, my wildlife and sports lens is my Nikkor 200-400 lens with a Teleconverter TC-14E II that I was able to capture some awe-inspiring images at the Special Olympics World Games 2015---this is a beast of a lens, and my third lens I always take with me is Nikkor 70-200 lens for a variety of reasons. I have several other lenses I take on occasion should they meet the type of photography I am seeking out: my Nikkor 14-24mm for landscape, and my Tokina 100mm f/2.8 Macro Lens, which is a tack sharp and awesome lens.Feedback
Whenever I view a subject for a possible photo, be it a person, animal, landscape, or object, I contemplate what I want to convey with the image I ultimately want to capture and share in a photo. Most of the time this contemplation takes the form of an image in my head rather quickly after looking upon the subject and surroundings. I also get a sense of the mood of the image as I view upon it be it a joyous moment, a "moving" moment, and triumphant moment, etc. So with this all in mind, I chose the composition, backdrop, whether or not I will use natural light and the such as to recreate what I see in my head and what I felt at the moments. As I stood before this image of the boat among the backdrop of the landscape, I did my best to recreate what I felt at the moment and what I envisioned in my head, which ultimately assisted me in naming the image, "Forgotten" - I think the title fits what I was trying to convey both visually and emotionally with the image. So my advice for anyone desiring to share a story or a moment in time by capturing a photo, I would say truly think about what you want to "say" and/or what emotion you desire to convey through your image. Picture it in your head before you even touch your camera, and when you "see it" and "feel it", then compose the image to match what you see in your head but at the same time, being mindful of the type of lens you'd like to use as this will affect the composition too. It takes patience and practice to recreate what you "see" and "feel" with what you create out of your camera. Trust me when I say this as when I first started several years ago, I would be overcome with so much frustration because the images that came out of my camera were no where near close to what I saw in my head as I lacked the experience and technically knowledge and skills at that time. I have become better at closing the gap between my creative mind and my technical skills but I still get frustrated at times but have learned patience and perseverance...so should you if you desire to have your camera "speak" for you as mine does for me.
