Old Mill, Pigeon Forge, TN
Mar, 2015Views
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Same photographer See allBehind The Lens
Behind The Lens
Location
This photo was taken on vacation in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee back in August of 2014. I had just gotten my first camera a couple months before that and decided that this waterfall behind the Old Mill Restaurant would be a good subject.Time
I am thinking that the time of day for this shot was around 4-5pm. I know that the light was to my back because I fought shadows of myself when trying to capture flowers on the railing over the bridge.Lighting
I knew nothing about lighting when I first got my camera so I was just shooting whatever I wanted when I wanted to and just trying not to get my shadow in the picture. It was getting into late evening and the sun was facing the waterfall.Equipment
This photo was taken with a Canon T3 with an 18-55mm kit lens. At the time I had basically just started shooting and had no other equipment other than my kit lenses. I did not use a flash and had the camera set to auto. This is a hand held shot. Back then I did not yet own a tripod so everything I did was like a tourist, it was handheld and in auto. I really didn't understand how to even use the camera so I was basically guessing.Inspiration
My inspiration came from the fact that before I bought the camera I loved pictures of landscape and nature. While on this trip I tried to take as much of it as I could whether it be urban or rural. I have always loved waterfalls and thought that this might be a cool shot.Editing
I did do a little bit of post processing to this photo. Again, I really didn't know what I was doing. I used Lightroom CC to balance out the light, come up with the highlights a little bit and add some contrasting. I also boosted the color in the sky just a tad. For the most part there wasn't a whole lot of editing that needed done to this particular picture to get it like I wanted. I just uploaded it and tweaked it a little and then posted it. I know that sounds really silly but I only had done a few YouTube tutorials to show me the basics before I tried it myself.In my camera bag
My equipment now is a far cry from what I had two years ago when I took this picture. Now I carry a Canon 70D and my go to lens is a Canon 24-105 F/4. I also own a 60mm 2.8, 50 1.4, 10-18mm, along with the same two kit lenses I used to have when I started, all Canon brand. I also carry two polarizers, one for the 24-105 and one for the 10-18. I also own a Youngnuo YN-600EX flash that I rarely have to put on my camera. I do also carry a 32inch round reflector on my bag when I am shooting people. When I am out shooting just landscapes or nature, which is what I like best, I leave that at home.Feedback
My advice when trying to capture water or waterfalls is get a tripod and make sure you understand how to use a slow shutter speed. Had I known then what I know now about shooting water this picture would be completely different. I would have exposed more for the sky and then lightened the entire image up in Lightroom CC in post production and maybe not had to do all those edits that I did in this original shot. I would have also liked to have a faster lens that way the picture would have been crisper to the eye.
