Rachel at the train station
Working with a family in Harper's Ferry, WV. On a break caught Rachel gazing out the window.
Working with a family in Harper's Ferry, WV. On a break caught Rachel gazing out the window.
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Nov, 2013Views
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Awards
Superb Composition
Top Choice
Absolute Masterpiece
Outstanding Creativity
Exceptional Contrast
Jaw Dropping
Magnificent Capture
Peer Award
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adoptedone
February 12, 2014
Great image! And congratulations on a fantastic gallery. Your work is great!
Platinum
eileenmc
August 20, 2015
this is a great image i think i would be inclined to take out th white lineon left side and perhaps crop up at the bottom only my thoughts
jimjarrell
August 20, 2015
I go back and forth on the cropping but I do agree about the white line. I was trying to convey the train track reflection in some part but maybe that's lost or not needed.
Same photographer See allBehind The Lens
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Behind The Lens
Location
I took this photograph at the restored train station at Harper's Ferry National Historic Park in West Virginia. This image of Rachel was part of family portrait day with sixteen people in the park that day. The train station has been refurbished but still has wavy glass windows that collect all the detail from the tracks that are beside the station.Time
It was mid afternoon when I took this image. I use the track side of the train station because the roof overhangs the windows giving an even light across the station and windows. Generally I wait for the sun to sit higher in the sky to move the sun's bounce light off the floor away from the windows to reduce glare.Lighting
The interior of the train station is filled with highly polished wood that gives off a lot of soft browns and yellows. When the sunlight hits the room it fills the station with a warm soft glow. With the sun higher in the sky the light lifts up from the floor but does not reflect off the windows. People in front of the windows, from the interior of the train station, have a soft halo of light that, from the shaded exterior, is filtered through the swirly glass windows.Equipment
I use my Nikon D4 for all my portrait work and my Nikkor 24-70 2.8 for most of my location portrait work, including this image. This image is hand held due to the fact that it happened on the spur of the moment. It is all natural light.Inspiration
I find locations that inspire me and then I take families to the locations and often work with them to fill the space. In this case I was inside explaining to the group what I wanted to do for the next image and was taking the families parents outside to stage an image when she popped up in the window. The little girl, Rachel, moved by herself to the window. As I was staging the parents and Rachel walked up the window I immediately stopped and took the picture.Editing
This image started in color. I immediately converted the image to monochrome using the Nik Silver FX Pro plugin through Lightroom. From there I brought the image back into Lightroom and tweaked the contrast, exposure, and sharpened the image a little bit. I left all the grit and gravel on purpose to give the image depth and define the location. I also left the reflections of the tracks and the station to give it depth. I wanted a sense of history or time within the image but behind the primary image of Rachel.In my camera bag
My bag has a full kit, especially with a large family group. I carry a D4 with a D300s backup. My lenses include the Nikkor 24-70 2.8, Nikkor 85 1.4, Nikkor 35 1.4, Nikkor 14-24 2.8, and my Nikkor 70-200 2.8. I use the black rapids straps and carry two SB800 and one SB900 strobes with pocket wizards. Lately I have also added an impact quick box to the bag to diffuse the light coming off the flash(s).Feedback
For me its all about learning your locations and working with the people you photograph. Harper's Ferry is one of my go to locations for families, engagement, and couple images. I like to take my groups on walks around the park, talk to them, and build images around them as we move through the park. The idea is to create images specific to their personality. This cannot happen unless you know your location and what that location is capable of supporting. If you know a location and you know it can support good images it will give you great images over time if you're ready. This is one of my favorite images from the park.
