From the Bat Cave at Cathedral Rock
Nov, 2014Views
314
Likes
Awards
Creative Winter Award
Curator's Selection
Staff Winter Selection 2015
Superb Composition
Top Choice
Absolute Masterpiece
Outstanding Creativity
All Star
Magnificent Capture
Top Ranks
Top 20 rank
Top 20 rankTop 20 rank week 2
Same photographer See allBehind The Lens
Behind The Lens
Location
This photo is taken from a very small cave looking over Cathedral Rocks NSW Australia.Time
I calculated the time of year that the sun would rise adjacent the monolith from the cave and when the tides would be low. This rare opportunity required a scramble across the jagged rocks and into the cave as the water receded. The waves on these rocks requires good timing to jump down into the crevice and position yourself on the limited higher gravel at the rear of the cave before the next wave washes in to the cave.Lighting
When you are depending on whatever the weather throws at you in these specific dates and time slots, you have to work with what you get. The low clouds and the rising sun produced a magnificent golden tone in the sky, which is more luck than good management.Equipment
The difficulty of this shot is the lighting in the cave. I used two Speedlight's synced together to lighten up the foreground without overexposing for the sunrise. Mounting the camera on a low tripod to keep the aspect as close to the water level as possible, whilst avoiding the incoming water washing across the rocks in front.Inspiration
I had seen a similar photo of this rock from the cave and wanted to get a better perspective. It is difficult to make a shot like this your own when it has been photographed hundreds of times by as many photographers. When I read about how a photographer spent days hiking to a spot at a specific time of year and day to capture the perfect photograph, I can appreciate the dedication taken to do it. This was not quiet that difficult, but it did require good timing and getting out of bed at a ridiculous hour.Editing
I wish I could say it was straight out of camera, but unfortunately the speedlights didn't give me an even light on the cave walls. Using Lightroom, I lifted the shadows and brushed the exposure up in the places that were dark to get the look I won't. It was a choice to either leave it natural or give it a distinct look, so I choose the latter. The sky was the colour you see with a little saturation to make it sing. I look at this photo and think that I might have over processed it a little bit, but I have had lots of positive comments, so I guess it is acceptable.In my camera bag
This photo was taken with a Canon 6D which I have since destroyed taking pictures of humpback whales. I now use a Canon 5DRS at 50 megapixels gives me very sharp results. Generally I use a stock lens (24-105mm f4-5.6 IS STM) for many of these shots, very rarely using my 16-35mm f4L IS USM.Feedback
To get a picture similar, don't open your lens too much as the depth of field will be lost from front to back. I used F13 as this is around the middle of my lens aperture settings and 400 ISO allowed the light of the cave to be captured without loosing detail, whilst not burning out the sky. This camera is one of the best dark sky cameras on the market and has great sensitivity and dynamic range regardless of what they say. It is one of the most under rated cameras on the market, and a reasonable price. The only advice I can give is to get out and try to find that unusual angle or subject. Take advantage of the golden hour in the morning or better still in the evening. It won't be perfect every time, but the day it is, make sure you have your camera.
