ddeckman

Creek of Tranquility

COOLPIX P90

settings

Aperture f/3.5 ISO 171 Shutter 1/73

upload_date

Apr, 2013

Views

586

Likes

Awards

Zenith Award

Thumbs Up

Absolute Masterpiece

+21

Top Choice

+10

Superb Composition

Outstanding Creativity

Exceptional Contrast

Peer Award

Top Ranks

Top 10 rank

Top 10 rank week 1

Top 10 rank

Top 10 rank week 1

Top 10 rank

Top 10 rank week 1

Top 20 rank week 1

Top 20 rank

Behind The Lens

Location

I took this photo in the Formal Gardens behind the Lilly House at the Indianapolis Museum of Art. I absolutely love shooting at the IMA. The grounds are beautiful and very well kept. All the art everywhere and beautiful landscaping makes the grounds a photographer's dream! The grounds of the IMA are perfect for anyone wanting inspiration. Part of the property is listed on the National Register of Historic Places so of course the groundskeepers are going to pay meticulous attention to the property to ensure that it is absolutely beautiful. The entire property is 152 acres between its Art and Nature Park, (which is 100 acres alone!) Oldfields Lilly House and Gardens, to the museum proper. So there is something for everyone

Time

I shot this, if I recall correctly, mid morning to early afternoon. I was doing a couples shoot for one of my friends and her now husband. It had rained earlier that morning.

Lighting

This was shot under natural daylight. One thing I am not a fan of is artificial studio lighting. If I can, I will shoot outside all the time. Especially on a cloudy day that way there aren't really any weird shadows cast if I'm photographing people.

Equipment

All I used for this was a Nikon P90 Coolpix. There was no fancy equipment involved. Just my trusty Nikon and I!

Inspiration

I'm not really sure if there was an actual inspiration. We were walking around going from one location to the next along the canal towpath, and I saw this area for the millionth time. I saw this spot everyday since I used to work at the IMA, but that particular day, there was just something different about it, and it clicked. I thought, this looks really cool today, I'm not sure if it was the wet looks of the rocks or if the plant life around it was looking particularly vibrant from the rains earlier that day, but like I said previously, it just clicked and I pulled the camera up and took a few shots. That's what I love about the IMA, the artsy atmosphere on every inch of the grounds is more than enough to inspire some quick inspiration.

Editing

I actually didn't do a lot of post processing. All I really did was bring out the intensity of the colors a little bit, made the greens a little greener, and brightened the overall photo up. That's why I love shooting outside so much. I don't really have to do a lot of post processing to get the look and feel that I want in my photos

In my camera bag

I have since invested in a new camera since I took this photo. I now have my best friend, my Nikon D3300, an 18-55mm lens, a 55-200mm lens, a battery charger and backup battery and more memory cards than I can count.

Feedback

I don't have any special advice for others trying to capture something similar. The best advice I have is to grab your camera and go. I have found inspiration in everything from a beautiful sunset or well kept landscape, down to a raindrop on a flower petal. Don't plan it, don't go out looking for inspiration. Some of my best shots have been from me just picking up camera bag and throwing it on my back on my way out the door to go do something completely unrelated. Those would have to be my favorite ones too. That feeling of spontaneity and everything falling into place to make the picture perfect is probably one of my favorite feelings.

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ddeckman

ddeckman

Creek of Tranquility

Behind The Lens

See more amazing photos, follow ddeckman

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