Sequoia Nat Park California
Late afternoon on top of Moro Rock
Late afternoon on top of Moro Rock
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Nov, 2014Views
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Awards
Zenith Award
Creative Winter Award
Curator's Selection
Staff Winter Selection 2015
Outstanding
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Behind The Lens
Location
I captured this photo on top of Moro Rock in the Sequoia National Park in California. I was facing southwest towards the town of Tulare and beyond that was San Luis Obispo.Time
The timing of this photo was in the late afternoon. With the sun beginning to set towards the right side of the frame, it produced these silhouettes of the mountains.Lighting
I was hoping that with the sun setting, I would get an effect with the mountain silhouettes getting brighter and brighter as they got further away. In the end, it came out how I had hoped. Use the sun to your advantage, and whatever effects it produces for landscapes, make best with what you get. Late afternoon and early morning (the golden hours) are the key best times. Do some research in advance to know what direction the sun will be shining from, what the weather might be like and also there are apps (Sun Seeker) that can help you know what direction the sun will be shining from certain times of the day and what time it will set.Equipment
For this photo, I believe I used my Nikon D700, a Tamron 24-70 VR F2.8 Lens, and an Induro tripod. Sometimes the simplest set up can capture an image better than expected.Inspiration
I had seen other photographers produce images where you could see the mountain lines disappear as you looked farther and farther away closer to the horizon. I always thought it was mesmerizing how the natural light works showing this separation of mountains in nature. Each treeline of a mountain top is darker than what you see of the next distant mountain beyond it. When I saw these mountains, I had to sit down and enjoy the beauty of nature for a moment to myself before clicking away on my shutter. Ansel Adams and his beautiful control of the zone system of black and white photography was my main inspiration for this photo. When I took this image, I could not wait to see how it would come out in black and white.Editing
Normally I use Photoshop to do any work at all on my images. Not too long before this trip, I had found the Nik Software plug-ins for Photoshop. My favorite plug-in of the software was the Silver Efex Pro one. The easy controls of this plug-in gives you endless possibilities. After some experimenting of sliders and such, I managed to produce something I felt happy with showing contrast, beauty, and vastness of nature in black and white.In my camera bag
My F-stop Gear bag carries at least 15 pounds of gear. Fist off, I have my Nikon D700 dslr and my Mamiya 645 PRO TL Film back camera. I travel with a Tamron 24-70 VR F2.8 lens and a Nikon VRII 70-200 F2.8 lens as well as a Mamiya Sekor 45 F2.8 lens. I also make sure to take a couple speedlights with red, orange, and blue gels in case I encounter the situation where I need a quick flash of light. Besides all that, I have a light meter, lens cleaning gear, plastic bags for the camera in case I shoot in the rain, a 10 stop Lee Filter and a .9 hard graduated Lee filter, head lamp, memory cards, extra batteries, film, a water bottle, a couple clif bars and a jacket.Feedback
You never know what sort of conditions you will encounter when photographing nature. I was once told by a close friend of mine who is also a professional photographer, "On average, 1 out of every 5 nature photos might come out good enough to use for a portfolio or have in a gallery. You have to be patient and understand things do not always work the way you want." Thats half the fun of photographing nature. You never know how things will turn out. Its like a child opening presents on Christmas morning. Youre eager and dying to get that one photo you are hoping for but arent sure if it will work out. Not every photo will come out how you hoped. But that will make you be even more eager and excited to make the next shoot a success. Patience is also something you have to accept if you are going to photograph nature. The world doesnt work according to your schedule. You have to accept what you get and wait for that perfect moment. Be prepared for any sort of diversity in nature. The key moments to shoot landscapes are during dawn and dusk, but daylight conditions and weather changes can make things work out well in between those times of day sometimes. Plan ahead and do your research for the area you will be shooting. Let someone know where you will be in case something wrong happens. And most of all, HAVE FUN! Enjoy every moment of the trip because it will never be the same again.
