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Location
I took this photo on a trip to the Grand Tetons and Yellowstone NP last year. This was taken at a place called Mormon's Row, just out of the town of Jackson which sits in the shadows of the Tetons. Mormons Row is a series of heritage listed barns and out buildings. Much photographed because of the amazing backdrop of the craggy mountains.
Time
This image was taken at sunrise, which in May is very early! My alarm went off at 5am and I stubbled out into the just appearing light to drive the 20 minute trip to Mormon's Row. I had scouted the spot where I wanted to take my image the day before so I knew just where to set up. I mounted my camera on my tripod and waited for the light. Sometimes its hard to get out of a warm bed but it is worth it to watch the day appear in front of you and know that you have captured the beauty of that place.
Lighting
Early morning and late afternoon into evening are my favorite times to shoot. I wanted the low angled first rays of the sun to hit the barn to bring out its weathered crusty face. The sun was already hitting the mountains but I had to wait for it to reach the barn. Once the barn was lit I took couple of different exposures as the suns rays intensified.
Equipment
My Nikon D600 with a Nikkor f2.8 80-200mm lense were securely fastened to my Manfrotto Tripod. I used a 2 sec. time delay on the camera to avoid camera shake as my shutter speed was still quite slow given I was using a telephoto lense.200th sec @ F8, ISO was set to 200.
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Inspiration
I had seen these buildings many times in photos and had wanted to have a go at getting my own shot of them. Now I have this one I want to go back and try a night shot!
Editing
I process my landscape images in Lightroom initially doing basic raw processing. For this shot I also adjusted saturation and used the brush to bring some more detail into the barn. I then switched over to Photoshop for sharpening and web preparation.
In my camera bag
My bag consists of 2 Nikon bodies. A D700 and a D600. I have a Nikkor f2.8 80-200mm Zoom, usually attached to the D600 because of the extra megapixels I can crop shots to get closer and still retain good image quality. My f2.8 17-35mm is usually attached to my D700 which I love for landscape images. I also have my trusty Nikkor f1.4 50mm, I love the selective depth of field I get from this lense. I also have a remote shutter release and a manfrotto Tripod strapped the back. Oh and my must have is my trusty head lamp with charged batteries! Its a bit of weight for this 5ft 3'' frame to lug around but worth it for the results!
Feedback
If you are wanting to get this type of image I highly recommend to scout the location beforehand. Get familiar with the different viewpoints and know where you are going to set up. Most times you will be setting up in the dark so it is essential to have some idea of where you want to be. Once the light starts to happen begin taking a frame every 30 secs or so. The light changes quickly at this time of day so be ready to adjust your exposures often. You will come away with more than you need but better that than to have missed the perfect light. Also exposure blending Photoshop could give you the perfect image using 2 different exposures.
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