Kiva1
Apr, 2014Views
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Same photographer See allBehind The Lens
Behind The Lens
Location
The Southwestern US has an abundance of photo opportunities. I like historical subjects and areas wherever my travels take me. This shot was one of several I took at the Pecos National Monument near Las Vegas, NM, in an underground Kiva, built by Pueblo Indians during the early history of this area. The area is East of Santa Fe just off I-25.Time
Usually I am out earlier than when this photo was taken. I was somewhat late, as I like to try to be out just after sunrise. This day was a slow start, but it worked out just fine. The sun was higher than I like to work in, but as it shined through the entrance from above, it cast a nice shine on the wall and highlighted the entry ladder well. The post to the right was silohouetted well enough to add some depth to the shot.Lighting
Struggles with light are always an issue with me. I constantly work to get just the right amount or angle of where the sun is on my subject. This time it worked just right. It is one of my favorite shots.Equipment
This time i used a Canon SX500. I'm not much on technology and feel like one can get a good shot on anything even if it is a cell phone. I didn't want flash to wash out the shot in this case. Most of the time I try to use natural light, I think you get more realistic pictures and sometimes you get surprised as I did in this shot. I have upgraded to a Canon EOS t5, but I'm not sure if it was really worth the amount of money spent.Inspiration
Historical locations are always a passion of mine. I love to hear the stories of why and how people inhabited the Southwestern United States, especially. I had been taking some photos around the grounds and had to wait a while as others were in and out of the Kiva. I knew it was going to be somewhat dark below and as I walked around in the structure, I backed up to the far wall and studied for a moment as to how this shot would look in a Photograph. When I looked through the viewfinder, I didn't think it would come out as it did. So I learned to be patient and take more shots. This was one of 10 and this was the best.Editing
Some minor exposure edits were done on the photo, but mostly "what you see is what you get" on most of my stuff. I did convert this one from color to BW because I thought it would bring out the contrasts much more.In my camera bag
My camera bag is pretty simple. I usually have a long lens, and a short one. Like I said before, I'm not into technology that much. When I go out to shoot, I am more concerned about the subject and how it would look in a photograph and not so much as to the focal length, aperature, and all of that. I like the digital world where the camera figures it out for you. Sometimes I do take a tripod if I know it will be low light and I can't hand hold the camera without blur.Feedback
Wherever you reside, there is a world to photograph. I don't get to do as much as I would like. Try to get out of the house and walk in a park. When I travel, my camera is with me. I look for the not so obvious. The little things that catch my eye are sometimes the best photos I capture. Walk around the area you are going to shoot, there may be an angle or light that will inspire what you want to portray. I always look behind me. Sometimes you get surprised.
