Escape
Sep, 2013Views
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Summer 2020
Absolute Masterpiece
Superior Skill
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Same photographer See allBehind The Lens
Behind The Lens
Location
I took this photo on Jaffa Beach in Tel Aviv. It was my first visit to the Middle East and I was absolutely stunned by the beauty and the action on the beaches. It was an amazing sight to see modern athletes performing on the waves with a 2,000 year old city as a backdrop. A visit should be on everyone's bucket-list!Time
It was late afternoon, early evening. The sun would've been too harsh but a nice mist was coming off the Mediterranean which diffused the light like a giant light box.Lighting
The haze in the atmosphere bummed me out at first, until I realized I could take care of what I needed in during post process. Once I changed my attitude about the light, I started to use it to my advantage in what would otherwise have been very harsh sun light. The kite surfers were taking advantage of great afternoon winds and I wanted to make sure I photographed a moment that really captured the spirit of their movement. Given the angle of the lighting I thought a mild silhouette would do the trick.Equipment
Shot with a Konica Minolta 5D--a dinosaur by today's standards. No other equipment with me. In today's pixel-peeping, gotta-have-more-functions camera market this photo reminded me to slow down and focus on the most important aspect of photography--light and subject.Inspiration
Inspiration for this photo was somewhat accidental. I had just purchased a used 5D from a friend, my first DSLR. I was shooting anything and everything I could trying to learn the camera. However, I also understood that getting to travel to such an impressive place in the world might be a once in a lifetime trip so I better get some shots that show not only historical perspectives of Israel, but modern life as well.Editing
At the time, I was brand new to DSLR and going as budget as possible. I used GIMP to perform some minor color adjustment, lower some of the atmospheric haze, adjust my white balance and cropping. I've since switched over to Lightroom and Photoshop for a much easier workflow.In my camera bag
I travel pretty lean unless I'm doing a scheduled shoot. My favorite type of shoot is typically action and sports so I lean on the Sony SLT-65A. I love the fact that I can use old Minolta glass so I have a 50mm 2.8 that almost never comes off. I have a great Sigma 70-300mm for telephoto use. A few gels, couple filters and my new favorite Yongnuo 560 ii flash with a hotshoe adapter and I'm ready to go!Feedback
The key to solid sports/action shots is to learn the action. Watch the action. Take in the action before even grabbing your camera. This will help you anticipate where "the moment" is going to happen. The approach is no guarantee, but it certainly ups your percentage chance of getting a great shot.
