IMG_1538-Edit
Jul, 2014Views
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Top 30 rank week 1Same photographer See allBehind The Lens
Behind The Lens
Location
This photograph was taken at my parents' home out in the country, 40 miles from the city. It is always wonderful to visit them because it could not be more different from the city. No sirens, highways or even other people. Instead of skyscrapers and stoplights, we have acres upon acres of trees and red brush.Time
When I visit my parents I never pass up a chance to do some target shooting with my dad, a tradition as old as I can remember. After visiting with my mom and sister for a few minutes, it's out back to the target range. We spend a good 2 hours testing our speed and accuracy with a number of friendly competitions. This was taken in the mid-afternoon, as we were cleaning up, just about 3:00 pm.Lighting
It was a very sunny April afternoon, which always presents a challenge when it comes to portraits. However, I think this challenge becomes a stylistic opportunity with the right subject. While there is a large amount sunlight raining down from above, there was just enough light bouncing back up off of the metal targets to fill in some of the really dark areas. This lighting accentuated the wrinkles and character of the face with strong shadows and bright highlights, while still maintaining a solid exposure.Equipment
I used my Canon EOS REBEL T2i with a Tamron AF 70-300mm f/4.0-5.6 SP Di. With it being such a bright day, I was able to shoot at a low ISO, 200, with a somewhat slow aperture of f8 and a shutter speed of 1/200 (keeping to the rule of at least 1/"focal length" to reduce camera shake). I was still able to achieve a nice clean bokeh even at f8 because I was shooting at 163mm, pulling my subject away from the background.Inspiration
I have always admired and respected my dad and every year that goes by, I witness myself becoming more and more like him, in both character and appearance. Capturing candid moments like this allows me to capture my future before it happens, which I always find fascinating. It's like I'm taking a picture of my reflection in a mirror that I have yet to look into.Editing
I always do post-processing in Lightroom 5, even if it is a single adjustment on a single slider. For this one, I shot in RAW and used the Black and White color processing in the Develop panel. Because his shirt was fairly dark, I brought the green and blue sliders (grass and sky) toward the white side, to set him apart from his surroundings a bit more. I also bumped up the clarity to +25 to increase the contrast and intensity of the facial features.In my camera bag
I no longer have the camera or the lens I used for this shot. I have upgraded to a Canon 7D body and a reduced my lens count from 5 to 3. I have a full backpack with a top-load feature for easy camera access and a smaller over-the-shoulder bag big enough for one body and one lens (my travel bag). In my backpack is my Canon 7D, a Canon Thrifty 50, a Sigma 18-250 3.5/6.3 (my only lens for traveling), and my new favorite lens, a Sigma 28-70 2.8, which takes beautiful portraits. The bag is also stuffed with 2 Yongnuo YN 560 III flash guns and a boat-load of batteries. SD cards, random cables, and strange parts that have no home round out the rest of the line-up. I just started carrying a FujiFilms X30 point-and-shoot as well, for less obtrusive street photography.Feedback
I think this shot works really well, not just because of the lighting and his facial characteristics, but also the shapes and shadows created by his gestures and body position. Waiting for interesting gestures, postures and moments is key, but you don't always know when they will happen, so I shoot a lot of frames. With 32GB cards, why not. Most of them will be duds, but you only need one good one. If you are shooting in single frame drive mode, you are going to have a much harder time capturing that 'unique moment' because you will be constantly resetting the trigger, refocusing and recomposing. Specifically, for this photo and shots like it, people are very similar to wild animals; if you make short, loud noises, they are likely to stop what they are doing and stare at you for a at least a second. It works with family and friends, and is very fun with strangers on the street or on the subway.
