Peaceful evening
Oct, 2012Views
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Same photographer See allBehind The Lens
Behind The Lens
Location
This was shot tin Topeka, KS at Lake Shawnee on Christmas Eve, 2011.Time
Sunset was around 6pm.Lighting
Nothing special about the lighting with the exception of being in the right place at the right time.Equipment
Nikon D5000, with an AF Nikkor 18-55mm 1:3.5-5.6G lens. No other equipment was necessary.Inspiration
In May of 2011, our son who was 21 at the time, was diagnosed with Stage 3 Lymphoma. Needless to say, it was a shock and such things put life into perspective. His chemo treatments were to end in November of that same year. In October, we were shocked to learn that 2 of my sisters-in-law in Kansas were diagnosed with breast cancer. Finding this out, there was no question that we'd be traveling from Michigan to spend the holidays with our family. Mixed feelings were felt as we celebrated our son's final treatment, (he is now in remission) and supporting our extended family as they were beginning walking out their own journeys. This particular day, a group of us wanted to take advantage of the 'warmer' weather and spent some time at Lake Shawnee skipping stones. In fact, one of my favorite shots from our little adventure, was the one where I was able to capture my husband and one of his sisters skipping stones together. But I digress. This shot, while pleasing to the eye in its own right, reminds me to pause & reflect on the things we all hold most dear, our family & our health and that just like every single day, the good, the bad, & the ugly passes and each day brings new opportunities.Editing
For me, photography is a treasure hunt. I tend to look for shots that I know will look great without a significant amount of processing or editing. However, after seeing the composition of this particular shot in iPhoto, I merely cropped it in a little tighter, hit the sepia button & boosted the color just a hint. For me, sepia just accentuated the beauty of the sunset.In my camera bag
My Nikon D5000, with an AF Nikkor 18-55mm, as well as, an AF-S Nikkor 55-200mm lens. A tripod is at the ready, but rarely used.Feedback
What brings me the most satisfaction in my photography is keeping my eyes open for the simple things that so many of us are too busy to notice. I've always enjoyed capturing life as it is, not setting it up for that 'just right' shot; there's a simplicity in that, I believe. It allows us to see & experience life as it is, not how we think it should appear.
