Evening Light Rays - AH! The Tropical Life At Sunset
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Mar, 2014Views
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Top 10 rankSame photographer See allBehind The Lens
Behind The Lens
Location
I took this photo along the west beach in Garapan, Saipan, along the edge of Micro Beach, not too far from the Fiesta Resort & Spa, Saipan. I was just wandering the island I had just made my new home. When the setting sun gently slipped just behind the palm fronds, I was ready to take the shot. And take it I did.Time
I'd been walking around for hours and had no idea (and didn't care), what time it was getting to be, so I just kept moving - slowly, camera in hand, tripod and camera bag on my back, waiting for just the right image, idea, concept and time. I captured this palm at around 5-ish, on the western side of the island. You can guess this is a setting sun. Still, it has a mysterious way of drawing you in to it, which can lull you into a very calm state of mind.Lighting
As we are constantly revolving around our sun, I watch, look and learn. There is always something to SEE throughout each day as it relates to lighting. It's ever changing, it never stops and is never the same. Each moment of everyday we take our sunlight for granted. If, for just a brief time, you stopped to watch just how amazing and mystifying these subtle light changes truly are, your images would be far greater than ever before. I don't believe in "golden hour," "blue hour," "this third or that" rules - they were made to be BROKEN! Free yourself and capture what feels right. Move away from BOXES and set yourself free from restraints. Kodak, in the old days, printed books (yes, paper and ink - WOW!), and one in particular had an entire section dedicated to the sun's light spectrum as well as an approximation clock which mathematically calculated which colors, hues, saturation levels and brightness would show through when. I've carried this knowledge with me, and passed it on to my students, colleagues and co-workers through many years of photography. If the lighting isn't right, the mood you wished to impart on the viewer is lost forever.Equipment
My tried and true "Wandering Around" kit includes a pair of Yongnuo Digital Flashes & Remote Transceivers for my Canon EOS T3i. Also packed into my kit are boat loads of AA-Batteries, LP-E8 camera packs, micro-fiber cleaning clothes, plastic bags (for RAIN!), my Dolica Pro Aluminum Tripod, a 17" - 1920x1080 dpi Laptop for remote/timed/night photography, lenses: 18-55mm, 55-250mm, 75-300mm, an autofocus 2x teleconverter and one rubber lens hood as I don't use filters. Exception: a UV-HAZE permanent filter that stays on each lens and ND filters which I rarely use unless the reflecting sun is too bright or glaring for my image. I always shoot in RAW. No other settings are used, except for testing. When my images look like this, I take FULL credit. Shooting RAW, when my images FAIL - I TAKE FULL CREDIT. I can never pass blame on to my equipment. Pass or fail, I am in full control. I also carry black silk/satin material about 2 feet by 2 feet in size (though any solid black material would work), just in case I need to reduce lens flare, unwanted reflections or lens glare that may take away from my final image. For this image, I chose my 18-55mm, no stabilizer, my Dolica tripod and a pair of Yongnuo Canon EOS remote transceivers – one for the camera hot shoe and one for my hand. After that it was all instinct and emotion.Inspiration
Life is inspiration. Nothing can inspire more than moving to a new, tropical home. From the frozen tundra of the northern U.S. to the sun drenched shores of Saipan, Northern Mariana Islands, a U.S. Protectorate, I was truly amazed. I must have been walking for hours just soaking in the sun, taking in the sights and meeting wonderful people from all around the world. My camera wrapped around my shoulder, camera bag firmly pressed into my back, I wandered – everywhere! Along the west side of the island’s beaches, palm trees of every shape and size were running down the shoreline as far as the eye could see clearly. This one stood out. Well, it was standing straight up, actually. I sat down and just admired its defiance. How it dared to NOT be like the other palms stretching out across the sand toward the ocean’s edge. No, it grew UP, not out. It was standing tall, as if to say: “Yes, I’m not following the rules, I’m different!” I set up my camera, tripod and some weight (camera bag hooked to pod), to keep wind vibrations to a minimum. Then, I waited. Camera focused on one spot and one only. Laptop ready, remotes ready, I waited. When the sun had finally begun it’s approach, I readied myself, remote in hand, waiting, there! the sun had just brushed the left edge of the palm fronds. SNAP! that was the first. Wait for it, SNAP! another and another every 3-5 seconds or so, until the sun cleared the right side of the tree completely. WHEW! I captured it. I know, somewhere, in these frames, one image will be like this tree – it too will stand out. You’re enjoying that image. You are so very welcome. We have many more to come.Editing
After all is said and done, the RAW pics are stuffed into the BIG BOY computer. Our (15th Parallel Photography & This Is Saipan), super modified AMD beast. This was built for video & image editing ONLY! This is not a toy for teens and social networking.... Once they're all saved, they're cataloged in Lightroom. We use only the INSTALL versions. Think TROPICAL STORMS..... NO POWER. NO iNET. Once our images are cataloged, saved/backed up and the RAW files are saved elsewhere, editing them begins. Since most of the work is performed "in-camera" we have very little to do. If it's too dark, increase brightness a little. Too bright, down. Sharpness is added as is clarity. Never more than 15% for any image. That's it. If it fails to meet our expectations, it's trashed - PERIOD. Having been a military and crime scene photographer - TRUTH in all of our photos is a REQUIREMENT. Photographers that add loads of filters, colors, saturation, hues and other junk, well, these are NOT PHOTOGRAPHERS. Their images are LIARS. There is a very simple philosophy which we follow always. It goes like this: If your image is bad, editing the crap out of it does NOT make it better, good or great. It just makes BAD look less bad.In my camera bag
My full carry bag and kit includes: Multiple Yongnuo Digital Flashes & Remote Transceivers for my Canon T3i and any remote flashes I set up for the given situation or circumstance. Also packed into my kit: countless batteries, LP-E8 camera packs, micro-fiber cleaning clothes, plastic bags (for RAIN!), my Dolica Pro Aluminum Tripod, a 17” – 1920x1080 dpi Laptop for remote/timed/night photography, lenses: 18-55mm, 55-250mm, 75-300mm, an autofocus 2x teleconverter and one rubber lens hood as I don't use filters. Exception: a UV-HAZE permanent filter that stays on each lens and ND filters which I rarely use unless the reflecting sun is too bright or glaring for my image. Also, in separate bags: Umbrellas, soft boxes, light/umbrella stands, a beauty dish, small wind weights, cables, cords, power packs, tools and accs. These are our "normal" bag pieces of equipment when doing a full on location shoot or just sitting alone, in the dark, waiting for the right moment to get some truly outrageous NIGHT imagery.Feedback
If anyone wants to capture images like this one, it's really not that hard. You'll need a dependable camera with 12MP or more and wireless remotes. A steady tripod, an assortment of lenses, a place to take the photo away from normal traffic (foot or otherwise), a TREE - DUH! A western setting sun, time and patience. Get there at least 1 hour ahead of time, set up all equipment and wait. Make sure your tripod mounted camera has the lens image stabilizer function turned OFF. Yes, I said OFF! Image stabilizing is for VIBRATION. Since we're using a tripod that's NOT vibrating, it isn't needed. In fact, stabilization can and often does, interfere with the capturing process. All lens stabilizers micro-move, adjust and search for vibrations, thereby moving your NON-moving set up and adding potential blur or color fringe/ghosting to the final image. Edges of leaves, flower petals, etc. are extremely vulnerable to these vibrations and thus a false diagnosis of having a "cheap" or "bad lens occurs. Rather than place blame on your equipment, look in a mirror and FIND where the real blame fits! Set your lens a little wide, say 24-35mm and shoot. Or try 50-75mm. Something that captures the actual image you want and a little extra, not too much, to trim in post processing. Set your f-stop between f8 and f32. The longer it takes to capture, the more natural color, saturation and depth you’ll receive in your final image. Once you’ve completed these steps, sit back and make sure your wireless remotes and camera batteries are fully charged, in hand and ready to start shooting. Begin shooting as the sun just touches the edges of the outer most branches (or fronds), and keep shooting every few seconds until the sun has past beyond the opposite edges by at least 5 seconds. Your capturing times will vary as it's all up to you. For us, clear blue skies with a few scattered "puffy" clouds floating gently behind works best. Some may prefer a clear color filled sky and others something entirely different. It's your image, be creative and use your imagination, not boxed up rules!
