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Aug, 2014Views
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VictoriaKCampbell
April 27, 2015
Beautiful capture. So calming. Would love to be walking there right now! Congrats on the award.
Same photographer See allBehind The Lens
Behind The Lens
Location
This photo was taken in the foothills of southern Virginia.Time
The time was approximately 6:45am during the initial stages of what is called the golden hours.Lighting
Like any artist that chooses to use paint on a canvas as their means for creativity; a photographer chooses to paint with shadow and light. Therefore, lighting is highly important because it will always set the mood and ambiance for your photographs. However, the story you're trying to tell will determine which light source you choose to use; whether that is natural light or induced lighting. Both sources have their pros and cons. In order to understand those pros and cons you'll just have to find out for yourself and gain those experiences on your own because experience is the best teacher.Equipment
This photograph was captured with a Nikon D60 using a basic 18-55mm kit lens at an aperture of f3.5 with a shutter speed of 1/1,600. No other devices were used to capture this image.Inspiration
Many photographs were taken that morning and it's always a mystery of what's going to take place when choosing to shoot that early. But that's what inspires you to shoot or to take any photograph for that matter. It's learning to be content with mystery and allowing that process to be organic and not induced. You're just there to document a display of art that is already being painted for you. That's what inspired me to take this photo.Editing
Yes, I always post-process my images because when shooting in RAW format; your images will always be under saturated and have low contrast and need to be corrected in program. The only post-processing done in this particular photograph was upping the exposure and a small boost of saturation. The photograph was shot underexposed so that the sky and clouds weren't blown out. Doing so allowed me to go back in later to properly expose the foreground and boost any color already present to create the mood.In my camera bag
Honestly, I don't have a lot of crazy camera gear. I use a Nikon D90 and a Nikon D60 to capture my images and they all have basic kit lenses on them. I keep a Nikon SB-600 flash on hand and a reflector to pull out if needed. But you really don't need a super duper abundance of camera equipment and a lot of gadgets to create good composition. You just do the best you can with what you have by being knowledgable of the camera you're using with regards to exposure. You also look for the different angles when shooting and if you mix it in with the right lighting you're guaranteed to take some pretty impressive shots.Feedback
For someone wanting to capture a similar image, you're going to want to pick a location that offers good depth of field (foreground, background etc.) You're also going to want to be familiar with the location you're wanting to shoot. Which includes: knowing the time and direction the sun rises in that area and at least having been there once before for its rising so that you're knowledgable on your return. Next, you're going to need to be there the next day bright and early. Hopefully, at least thirty minutes in advance so that you're ready to capture that moment as soon as it begins to break over the ridge. It's important to be there early because you're only going to have a very small window to shoot. That includes anywhere from a ten to fifteen minute window. Once the sun is completely over the ridge, your lighting is going to change dramatically and you're going to have a whole different scene on your hands. Not that that's a bad thing. But you're wanting to catch the initial stages of its rising in order to capture a similar image. Follow such steps and you should have no problem capturing some pretty epic scenery.
