ChrisMinihane

Virginia Farmhouse

An old Farm house lies under a tree full of Fall color in Culpepper, Virginia. HDR

An old Farm house lies under a tree full of Fall color in Culpepper, Virginia. HDR
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NIKON D300

settings

Aperture f/13.0 ISO 200 Shutter 100/200

upload_date

Sep, 2014

Views

134

Likes

+14

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Behind The Lens

Location

This photo was taken in Fauquier County, Virginia. About an hour's drive outside of Washington DC.

Time

Late afternoon/early evening.

Lighting

Luckily the lighting was diffused due to the incoming storm, but I wanted to pick up all the details and a greater range so I made multiple exposures and combined them. I later tone mapped it with HDR software to render the lighting evenly throughout the image.

Equipment

I used a Nikon D300 with a wide angle lens at 12mm and my tripod. I also used my cable release to keep the camera steady in order to maintain sharpness throughout the image with the longer exposures.

Inspiration

I was new to the east coast at that time and was driving down the side roads exploring. The second I saw the abandoned farm house with this incredible tree beside it I turned the car around. It was such a beautiful sight; almost unreal. Being from California and then spending 15 years in Africa, I had never seen this kind of scenery in person, only in photographs. So it was very new to me and very inspiring.

Editing

I combined seven images together in Photoshop, each of different exposures, then ran the finished product through Photomatix for tone mapping and finishing touches. It really brought out all the colors and details. I've been a huge fan of HDR (High Dynamic Range photography) ever since.

In my camera bag

I always have my tripod either with me or in the car. There was a time I never had my camera off the tripod because it was broken and it took several minutes to mount the camera or take it off. So I just always left it on. Buying a new one was difficult since there were no camera stores in Kenya, so I just adapted and made due. As silly as it sounds, I still haven't replaced it because I've become so accustomed to it and we've been through so much together. But with all the hiking I do now, it's too heavy to lug all over the place so I use it only for macro or low light photography landscapes. Other than that, I usually just have my camera and my wide angel lens, plus my neutral density graduated filter. I'm not a big fan of glass over glass and I have paid the price in quality a few times for using it, but there are times when it saves the day as well. I learned that it pays to use quality filters. Otherwise it's like putting a screen in front of your thousand dollar lens. I wish someone had told me that when I was starting out.

Feedback

If you want to try your hand at HDR, then you'll need to have a tripod and a remote cable release so that even the smallest of touches to the camera do not blur the image during a long exposure. You'll also need the software to put it all together. Photomatix for HDR is great to use and it's also pretty easy once you get the hang of it. Also, as laborious as it is, get familiar with your camera's instruction manual. Learn how to take multiple exposures of the same image and use your exposure compensation button. It really makes a difference and shows in your photography. Most of all, get out of the house. Have your camera with you all the time. Even during storms, when it's cold or when it's windy. That's when things get interesting. And if you take a photo on someone's property, mail them a printed copy. You'll make a friend for life.

See more amazing photos, follow ChrisMinihane

ChrisMinihane

ChrisMinihane

Virginia Farmhouse

An old Farm house lies under a tree full of Fall color in Culpepper, Virginia. HDR

Behind The Lens

See more amazing photos, follow ChrisMinihane

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