CollinScott

Self Portrait

SLT-A35

Aperture f/9.0 ISO 100 Shutter 6/10 Focal Length 180/10

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Mar, 2015

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Behind The Lens

Location

This photo was taken along the rather tranquil coast line of Melkbosstrand, Cape Town, South Africa. Along this coast line is a cluster of rocks known as 'Slabber se Klippe' and is a small cluster of rocks that expose themselves according to the tide. Each day on the beach can yield different opportunities.

Time

This photo was taken shortly after the sun had gone down in Melkbosstrand, just after 8pm on a lovely December evening.

Lighting

This was just one of those splendid days, the colours of the sunset took ages to subside after the sun had set. There was still enough of light for a slower shutter speed of only 0.6 seconds for this image. Because the afterglow was so immense that night, it lit everything up beautifully.

Equipment

As a landscape photographer, a tripod is always handy. In this case I used my Sony SLT-A35 with kit 18-70mm SAM opened to 18mm and rested it peacefully on my Manfrotto 784B tripod. All three of these items were politely removed from my possession toward the end of 2014 during a burglary. I have since upgraded to a Sony SLT-A57. :)

Inspiration

I was already enjoying the scenery, colours, mood and absolute quiet but the scene felt it was missing something. So I decided to set the timer on my camera to 10 seconds. Really need to get a remote. I then picked my focus point manually and walked out to that point and just stood. The truth behind this image in particular, was to show appreciation for what nature had presented to me that evening. So this self-portrait was just about that. Me enjoying the beauty of the last light. I wanted something that would showcase what I spent most of my time doing that day.

Editing

The image was shot at F9 on ISO100 for an exposure of 0.6 seconds. The only processing done to this image was to adjust exposure, lighting and contrast, using ACDsee Pro5, to lift shadows just slightly and balance the highlights. It was roughly a half stop underexposed to compensate for the light spanning in from the left of the picture.

In my camera bag

For me now, I have my Lowepro Flipside 200 packed with my Sony SLT-A57, kit 18-55 (quite a nice lens actually and the widest angle lens I currently own), Sigma 28-105mm F2.8-4 (can give quite a nice dynamic to landscapes and street photography) and of course my very impressive, 1989 Tamron 70-210mm F3.5-4, great quality and sharpness, but also warmth. Sometimes I add my Minolta 35-70 F4 lens too for some tighter crops and because it's a good, crisp lens. Sometimes I switch out the Tamron for my Minolta 70-210mm "beercan", but, it doesn't quite have the zoom reach of the Tamron, but delivers great picture quality. Then of course, My newly acquired Hahnel Triad 30 light tripod. I have learned a new perspective to landscapes thanks to this tripod.

Feedback

For landscapes and seascapes, it's good to arrive early. If it is a planned sunset shoot, for example. This will give you time to pick your location, plan your 'frame'. Or to scout around a bit, maybe shoot some other angles so long according to weather and tidal status. But, it's also good to sometimes stay late, to push the longer exposures after the sun has set. I myself don't own a ND filter, so I stay a bit later, it helps, sometimes. Don't be a camper either, remember a spot that you think will deliver at the right time then look around. Walk around a bit, sometimes you find something different... better. This image was more spontaneous though. I had been walking this beech, enjoying the splendour for almost an hour. The light just would not fade. Found this spot and took a test shot for focus and light. I was also lucky the wind eased up enough to not show too much movement in my clothing. A previous location and attempt wasn't as successful that day.

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CollinScott

CollinScott

Self Portrait

Behind The Lens

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