sundilion_pe (Large)
Sep, 2014Views
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Same photographer See allBehind The Lens
Behind The Lens
Location
i took this photo whilst out walking with my dog along the banks of the river Trent in Lincolnshire uk, the bank was quite steep so it allowed me to lay on the grass and position myself and camera at a nice steep angle and compose everything to get a good central shot of the sun setting behind the dandelion.Time
this was shot in the evening as the sun was setting, I had no tripod but there was just enough natural light to keep the settings on my camera to a usable hand held shot. I didn't want to use the pop up flash as personally I think they can sometimes ruin an image, I just wanted the shot to be as natural as possible.Lighting
natural lighting can be a photographers best friend or worst enemy, if the clouds are over the sun and you need the light wait for the clouds to pass, what's 30 minutes of your life for the perfect shot you can be proud of. carry a pocket torch to illuminate the subject (you can move the torch to light the areas you need) it works for me as I try to use flash as little as possibleEquipment
for this shot I used a canon t2i (550D) and a canon kit lens 18-55mm which I brought second hand from a web store, I have heard so many people say about the 550D about how its only an entry level camera and shots will never amount to anything spectacular, and time after time I prove them wrong. it takes more than a good camera and expensive lenses to create a fantastic shot.Inspiration
I was actually trying to capture dragonflies I had seen the day before but they where no where to be seen, I started to descend down the banking and turned round to look for my dog when I saw the sun setting really fast and spotted a lone dandelion at the top of the banking, the colours in the sky were fantastic and that's how this shot was born. they say the best shots are the least planned or unexpected.Editing
I adjusted the contrast by +3 and vibrancy by about +5 and levelled the shot due to the angle of the steep banking I was laid on nothing dramatic as the camera settings were pretty much how I wanted them.In my camera bag
I pack 2 cameras and they are the canon 550D sometimes I swap the canon 550D with the Nikon D200 and the Nikon D7100 with a few lenses, sigma 28-70mm EX F2.8 sigma 70-300mm F4-6.8 apo and the canon 50mm F1.8 assortment of filters 2 flash guns with off camera flash triggers, nothing expensive as I like to work for my shots rather than trust an expensive camera and lens set upFeedback
wait for the right moment, don't rush into the shot as you will only leave disappointed, look for the best angle and carefully compose the shot. spend a minute or too setting your camera settings trying them out and waiting for the right moment (what works one day might disappoint another day), it sometimes pays to use Manuel focus as the backlight can confuse the camera to focus on the light rather than the subject. try taking a table top tripod out on your journeys or a small bean bag to rest your camera on as the standard tripods are about 18" from the floor when closed, this could prove to high for a near ground level shot. above all be patient and keep trying.
