IMG_7251_UnderTheTuscanSunset-wide
Nov, 2014Views
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Winner in Evening colours Photo Challenge
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Same photographer See allBehind The Lens
Behind The Lens
Location
This photo was taken from the Castello Di Velona in Montalcino, Tuscany, Italy overlooking the Val d'Orcia. It's a gorgeous hotel in a restored 11th century fortress that has a commanding view of the Val d'Orcia - the perfect location for a fortress!Time
It's pretty obvious this was taken at Sunset while having dinner at the hotel. The outdoor seating for breakfast is on the east side to get a good view of sunrise while dinner seating is on the west side with a perfect view of the setting sun. I took this on the 1st night and figured I'd have two more chances at similar sunsets but, the 2nd two sunsets were pretty bland.Lighting
It was sunset so, clearly I had to expose for the setting sun and the only real option was to have the hills be in silhouette which I think worked perfectly for the shot.Equipment
The picture was taken on a mini foldable plastic tripod with a Canon 70D and a 70-300 f/4-5.6 L lens at 300mm at ISO 100, 1/500th, @f/8.0.Inspiration
What inspired me to take the photo?? It was an unforgettable sunset that went from a beautiful yellow sky to a pale pink and finally a deep red. I know it looks less than realistic but, that's what it really looked like!Editing
As usual with a sunset, the image was overexposed and didn't match what I saw. It only took a little post processing to lower the exposure and bring back the vibrant red I remembered.In my camera bag
I'm a Canon shooter so I always have a Canon DSLR (70D when I took this picture but, now an 80D) and some combination of my Sigma 8-16, Canon EFS-18-135, and either a 70-300L or an EFS 55-250 depending on where we're going and how much weight I can comfortably carry. I usually have my mini foldable tripod too, though it only gets occasional use and of course, an extra battery and SD cards. I also bring an SL1 in my suitcase as a backup body that I hope to only use when out and expecting to take nothing more than a few snapshots in the evening but, want to have a real camera in case there's something unexpected.Feedback
Whenever possible, I take plenty of pictures with different exposures and settings as well as at various focal lengths as no amount of viewing on the camera's little screen can tell you what the image will really look best once you're home and viewing it on a decent sized monitor.Of course, the sun in this picture only "sat" on the tip of the hill for a few moments so, I went with the settings and composition that looked best for the previous few pictures.
