Ball of Fire
Aug, 2012Views
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Behind The Lens
Location
I took this photo in Lancaster, California, which is located on the western edge of the Mojave Desert. It is pointed toward the convergence of the Sierra Pelona Mountains to the southwest and the Tehachapi Mountains to the northeast.Time
I was coming home from work on a Thursday afternoon in late fall, just a few weeks before the winter solstice. It was my regular drive through the desert from my job out on the dry lake bed an hour away. I was used to not really paying attention to my surroundings; it was the same view, day in and day out that I had become accustomed to for the past 4 years. For whatever reason, I decided to look around me, when I saw this huge, flaming ball of a sun coming slowly down over the horizon. The sky was lit up in fiery reds and burnt oranges, probably the most beautiful, cloudless sunset I had ever seen. I always carry at least one camera with me, so I quickly pulled over to the side of the road and snapped the photo as fast as I could before the sun dipped behind the mountains. This was taken on Thursday, December 1, 2011, at 4:27 p.m., Pacific Standard Time.Lighting
It was just the natural lighting of the sun beginning its descent into nighttime. It made the sky appear to be on fire.Equipment
This was shot on a Canon PowerShot SX210 IS; focal length: 70mm; ISO-80, f/5.9, 1/400. I did not use any other equipment.Inspiration
I am not normally inspired by the desert here where I live. It is the same drab, beige and brown landscape every single day. I tend to not find much beauty, only boredom. However, this day, I happened to pay more attention to my surroundings that usual and saw that ball of fire just lighting up the sky in colors I had never really seen before. It was one of those gorgeous, cloudless skies that are so rare out here. I just had to capture this beauty on film.Editing
Whenever I used my Canon PowerShot SX210 IS, I always run images through Adobe Photoshop (in this case, CS4) to auto adjust contrast, tone, and color. (Sometimes I do manual corrections if the auto adjustments do not produce favorable results.) I also added a sharpening filter at the end, plus my watermark.In my camera bag
I'm pretty sure I carry the entire Canon store in my camera bag - way more stuff than I need, but I always like to be prepared for any time of shoot. My main camera body is the Canon 1Ds Mark II, and I have the Canon Rebel G film SLR as a backup. My go-to lens is the Canon EF 28-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM (with lens hood). It's a very versatile lens and I use it the most. I also have the EF 28-90mm f/4-5.6, EF 28-105mm f/3.5-4.5 II USM, EF 15mm f/2.8 Fisheye, and the Lensbaby Control Freak for Canon Mount. Other items in my bag include 4 batteries for the digital camera, and 2 sets of batteries for the film camera; Canon PowerShot SX210 IS and battery charger; two 16gb CF cards; one 32gb SD card; film of varying speeds; all-in-one memory card reader; Sekonic Flashmate L-308S light meter; remotes for both cameras; off-camera shoe cord; LED flash light; cleaning cloth; air blower; misc. filters; plastic zipper bags and trash bags; pens and Sharpies; manuals for my digital camera and light meter; and of course, my business cards... because you never know when an opportunity might pop up.Feedback
Stay in the moment. Remove any unnecessary distractions, or ignore them if you can't get rid of them. Always be prepared - have your camera ready and general settings in place (ISO, shutter speed, aperture). Sunsets happen quickly, and just when you think the sky looks perfect to capture, if you take too long in setting things up, that perfect sky will disappear into thin air, forever lost. Know how to make those subtle changes in your camera settings right as the action takes place. If you hesitate or stumble, you'll miss the shot. Also, pay attention to composition. My composition in this photo is a bit off in this photo because I was so caught up in the moment that I forgot one of the most basic tenets of photography. But also remember, sometimes it is okay to break the rules and not follow convention. As long as it is a compelling image, what does it matter?
