Love
Mar, 2015Views
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Awards
Zenith Award
Top Shot Award 22
Creative Winter Award
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Contest Finalist in justlove Photo Contest
Peer Award
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Superb Composition
Outstanding Creativity
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Magnificent Capture
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Behind The Lens
Location
This photo was taken at a nature park near the Mississippi River in Minneapolis, MN. It's one of my favorite locations because of the variety of plants and nature backdrops available to use, and it changes with the seasons, so the color palette of the landscapes really capture each time of the year really nicely.Time
This was taken mid-day around noon. It was a cloudy day, very overcast, so it didn't limit where I shot from of what area I could shoot in.Lighting
I love to capture natural light, but since this day was overly cloudy, there was no available sunlight to work with. I often add lighting to my photos to create a more whimsical, dreamy feeling to the image. I wanted this sunlight to be shining on the girls to simulate the warmth in their embrace and the beauty of this bond between them.Equipment
For this shot, I used my Canon 5D Mark ii and a 50mm 1.4 lens (also Canon).Inspiration
My daughters inspired me to take this photo actually! They have been very close all their lives and I wanted to capture their relationship, some of the moments that make my heart just melt.Editing
Yes, I do post processing on all my images. I start with the main subjects, working on skin and hair. Then I adjusted the colors of the grass using hue/saturation layers and masks. I placed the sky in the background, and then added the sunlight. Once I was happy with the composition and blending of those, I adjusted the tones of the image using the channel mixer, as well as adding some blur to certain areas and masking it off very slightly to create a painted/artistic look to the photo.In my camera bag
I am a minimalist. I use a Canon 5D Mark ii, and use two main lenses: a 50mm 1.4 Canon, and a 24-70mm 2.8 Tamron lens. For shooting in the sun, I do use a neutral density adjustable variable filter, and when needed, I do use a reflector.Feedback
For these shots, it completely depends on the weather and your location. Because I was close to the river, the wind is a bit stronger here regularly and it created this beautiful grass blowing around. Make sure your subjects are facing against the wind so the hair doesn't blow into their faces, and have patience! I waited for this moment when the wind was blowing and the girls were hugging, and it took a while, but it was worth it. Try to bump up your shutter speed for constantly moving objects to get a more crisp image. Most of all, just use your creativity!
