Night at Crater Lake
Crater Lake Oregon at about 1am PST
Crater Lake Oregon at about 1am PST
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Dec, 2014Views
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Behind The Lens
Location
This image was captured at Crater Lake National Park in Klamath County, Oregon. This night was the first time using a technique known as light painting. I've used a flashlight in the past to illuminate a subject, but this was my actual first time light painting.Time
This was my first attempt at capturing night photography at Crater Lake. Knowing that Crater Lake is an iconic location in our world that draws photographers from around the world I wanted to make my attempt. I've made several visits since to capture more images. A late rising moon and mild cloud cover provided a great deal of light to this shot. This image was captured at 1:20am PST on September 13th, 2014Lighting
The lighting for this scene was much relied on the stars and moon in the sky. Additionally I used a technique known as light painting. I had virtually no experience performing light painting at the time but did have an understanding of light and exposure. Knowing what the scene looked like without the addition of light painting I decided on specific elements in the frame to light.Equipment
It's quite amazing that there are so many out there that believe you must have the best of the best to capture great images. I created this photograph using Nikon's entry level DSLR, the D3100 and an 18-55mm f/3.5 kit lens. The image was shot at 18mm, f/3.5, ISO 800, and for a duration of 20 seconds.Inspiration
So many things catch my eye that I decide to photograph. What compelled for me to capture this particular image was based on what's not captured at Crater Lake very often. Typically when someone visits the deepest lake in the United States most are drawn to photograph the portion of the lake with Wizard Island or the Phantom Ship rock formation. I decided to shoot in an opposite direction.Editing
I did process this image. However, my ways to working in post pretty much consists of only working with the basics. I use clarity, shadows, contrast, etc... I'm not very fond of "photoshopping" my images. That doesn't mean I'm against creating composites or stacking. Perhaps one day I will create one. I honestly just get frustrated at times when people will create a composite and try claiming it was a single image.In my camera bag
Since creating this image I've upgraded to the Nikon D610. It's a great camera with amazing abilities that easily surpass my D3100. Nowadays I typically pack around my Pelican backpack that contains all of my lenses minus my 500mm Tamaron, filters I rarely use, batteries and various cables. It's quite the chore really when I go out on photo excursions. I carry so much on my excursions because I just never know what I'll end up shooting. Even when I go out on a planned shot I'll find myself capturing additional content. For example, I set out to capture a "Holy Grail" timelapse of Mt. Shasta in northern California. As my shutter was clicking away I dug out my D3100 and captured a few other shots using various glass.Feedback
There are so many people that are unsure of how to capture long exposures. As long as you have an understanding of how exposure works you can find a way to get amazing images. As I said, for this image I used a Nikon D3100 with a kit 18-55mm lens. In fact, if memory serves I didn't even have a cable release at the time. When I didn't have a cable release I used the onboard timer at 2 seconds. This allowed the camera and tripod to settle before exposing the sensor. The only other thing I had was a cheap flashlight I got from Home Depot. I think I spend like $5 or so for it. You must remember, when exposing a sensor for a long time it will gather an incredible amount of light. When it came to the painting part of the exposure I would open the shutter and then sweep up and down while turning the light off between areas. It's a bit of trial and error. However, if you give it a go you will find that you can accomplish these types of shots as well!
