San Diego Marina
Beautiful cloud formation at the San Diego Marina.
Beautiful cloud formation at the San Diego Marina.
Read less
Read less
Feb, 2015Views
1215
Likes
Awards
Fall Award 2020
Superb Composition
Absolute Masterpiece
Top Choice
Peer Award
Outstanding Creativity
All Star
Magnificent Capture
Top Ranks
Top 30 rankTop 20 rank week 1
Top 20 rankTop 20 rank week 1
Top 20 rank
Categories
Same photographer See allBehind The Lens
Discover more photos See all
Behind The Lens
Location
This photo was taken at the San Diego Marina at Seaport Village. The cloud formations were absolutely beautiful that day, so I rushed down there to take this photo.Time
This photo was taken February 19, 2015 at around 11 am. I thought to myself that mid day is not the best time to take photos, but the clouds were covering the sun so it was not too bright. I was also planning on doing HDR photography, and often lighting that is not perfect can be turned into great photos with this approach.Lighting
There was good natural light out there at 11 am, but what makes this picture to me is the sun peeking through the opening in the clouds. It draws your eyes right up there.Equipment
This was shot on a Nikon D7000, with an 8mm fisheye lens on a tripod. I was planning on making this into an HDR (high dynamic range) photo because I love the look of HDR photos, so I set my camera settings to “bracketingâ€, which simply means to shoot the same subject multiple times, slightly varying the exposure settings for each image. Since the images are stacked, a tripod is important to avoid motion blur. I also chose the fisheye because it gives me a super wide angle and I like the distortion it would make for the wall in the foreground, making it round instead of just straight (like it is naturally). It gives you the feeling of being right in the picture.Inspiration
San Diego has some beautiful scenery, but when I saw the cloud formations that day, I knew that taking photos down by the boats and water would make for a terrific photo. We don’t have this kind of clouds very often. I grabbed my camera and tripod and hurried down to the harbor, which is about a 15 minute drive.Editing
Yes, I always run my photos through Adobe Lightroom to adjust white balance if necessary, and to improve clarity and change saturation and vibrancy to my liking. I then uploaded the three bracketed photos into Photomatix directly from Lightroom and merged them to get the HDR photo I was looking for. The whole process might sound daunting for somebody who has not done this yet, but it is actually quite simple, and tons of fun.In my camera bag
I almost always pack my Nikon D7000 and all my five lenses. I like to travel light, but at times in the past when I didn’t bring all my lenses I ended up regretting it, because a certain photo would have turned out much better shot with a different lens. So, I carry my 8mm Rokinon fisheye, my 18-140 mm Nikkor, my 55-300 mm Nikkor, my 11-16 mm Tokina wide angle, and my 50 mm Nikkor prime lens. This way, I am prepared for all eventualities. I always carry a Tiffen variable ND filter, a Tiffen Polarizer filter, and a B&W 10 stop ND filter. If I plan to shoot flowers or small objects, I will pack an external flash and extension tubes, so I can do macro shots (without an expensive macro lens). I also always have my tripod in the car. In case I come across a person that I would like to take a photo of and use that photo in my portfolio, I also have copies of model releases in my bag, just in case I need it. I like to be prepared for every situation.Feedback
Anybody with a DSLR can make HDR photos, so just make yourself familiar with those bracketing settings and you are on your way. For your computer, get an HDR software (there are several out there, I like Photomatix). You can also make HDR photos from single photos, without the bracketing, and they also turn out terrific; like pieces of art. My most important advice is to always have your camera with you, because you never know when you see something beautiful that you want to photograph, or weather conditions such as cloud formations that don’t last very long and that you would miss out on taking a photo of if you didn’t have your camera with you.
