El Matador
Aug, 2014Views
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SeanAllenPhoto
June 13, 2015
Thank you.
This one started out life as a test shot and it turned out to be the best one out of the bunch.
This one started out life as a test shot and it turned out to be the best one out of the bunch.
Same photographer See allBehind The Lens
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Behind The Lens
Location
This photo was taken at El Matador beach, off the coast of Malibu, CA. I am, for the most, part a self-taught photographer. I have taken a few classes in the past but no formal schooling. Most of what I know has been picked up from friends who shoot or from just messing around with the camera.Time
This photo was taken just before the sun settled below the horizon. El Matador is one of my favorite places along the coast of California to take pictures, or just to enjoy the view. The giant rock formations remind me of the movie The Goonies and being by the ocean makes me feel calm.Lighting
There is a funny story about this photo and the lighting. I brought my fiancee along with me for this shoot, she had never been to El Matador. There wasn't much interesting about the sky, or the lighting this night. It was more just an outing and an excuse to play with my new 14mm f2.8. As we were walking down the beach I was explaining to my fiancee the idea of a 14mm lens and how it gives a feeling of "rushing" into a frame. I wanted to take a picture to show her what I meant so I snapped a quick photo and at first glance I thought it was one of the worst photos I had ever taken. The horizon was slanted, it was too dark, there was nothing interesting in the sky, you couldn't make out any detail, etc. Ironically, after a little post processing, this is what I ended up with. Plain, in regards to content, but one of my favorite photos to date.Equipment
This photo was taken with a Canon 6D and a 14mm f2.8 lensInspiration
As mentioned above, this photo started out life very horribly. It was meant to show my fiancee how a 14mm lends a certain characteristic to a photo.Editing
The post processing is minor, some straightening of the horizon, color correction, clarity, spot removal, and cropping. The rest of the photo remains as it was shot.In my camera bag
I normally have my 6D and my 24-105L, some filters, and some cleaning equipment in my bag. My Benro tripod is usually strapped to the outside. This night I also had a 50mm f1.8 and the newly acquired 14mm f2.8.Feedback
Capturing a great photo usually requires patients and dedication, being familiar with where you're going usually doesn't hurt either. I wasn't planning on this being even a decent photo, it just happened. And in that, I've found that for me, some of my best photos have been accidents. I'm diligent about taking notes while shooting and that helps the learning process for me. Even though it may be a photo I would normally label a "mistake" because I took notes I can set up for a much better photo next time around. So my advice for capturing something similar? Never disregard or discard any photo, you never know what you actually have. Oh, and take notes!!
