Sunrise reflection at Nelligen
Oct, 2013Views
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Behind The Lens
Location
This image was taken on the riverfront at Nelligen NSW. We camp for most of our holidays and I love the opportunity to get out with my camera and shoot all the different locations, bush, beach, riverfront. It is a great way to learn as much as I can about different natural lighting and getting the most out of my camera.Time
Heading into winter, it was about 6am. It was so cold I was shaking and getting a sharp image was a challenge, but I still remember the peace and beauty of the moment. Sometimes the best images and the most memorable moments come from the most uncomfortable conditions...its definitely worth it!Lighting
At first I thought the light coming directly over the trees would perhaps be too harsh and I would lose detail, but as I continued to shoot I realised it was a great opportunity to play with shadow. I think the shadow areas create nice contrast to all the light and reflections on the water, this helps balance all the brightness.Equipment
For this shot I used a tripod along with Canon 500D and an 18-55mm lens.Inspiration
I love early morning shoots, the light is so beautiful- and we were camping right near the river so I knew it wouldn't be too hard to roll out of my sleeping bag and head riverside for a nice sunrise shot. I noticed that some locals had anchored their boat in the river so I thought it would make a nice focal point. The duck was pure luck..he just happened across my path at the right time!Editing
Post processing involved a little tweaking with light levels to slightly reduce the brightness across the middle section of the image. This enabled a little more detail to come out in the boat and the mist.In my camera bag
I am a Canon girl, through and through. I actually have two kits- my new and heavier kit that I use for studio shoots or places fairly close to home includes a Canon 5D mark III, a 24-105mm L series lens plus a 70-300mm lens, also a Canon speedlite 430EXII. My second kit is basically my first digital camera and lenses- a Canon 500D with 18-55mm and 55-250mm lens. I find it handy to take the second kit when we camp, our holidays usually involve sand and/or mud and I know I am less likely to freak out if something happens with the older camera. I always have something in my bag to keep my lens clean, spare battery and of course a tripod.Feedback
Any body of water is going to give beautiful reflections with a sunrise photograph, but somewhere that has some interesting feature or objects to give nice shadow play will definitely add interest. Be prepared and set up for your shoot earlier than the sun comes up, and plan to take several shots at different settings as the light changes very rapidly while the sun is rising. Allow for extra light reflection from the water when choosing your camera settings. Above all this, knowing that any and all of the things that you have planned can go wrong and being able to wing it definitely helps. With fllexibility and a relaxed attitude sometimes the best shots happen when you just go with what is happening...I never could have planned that duck :)
