squirrel-1
Apr, 2015Views
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Same photographer See allBehind The Lens
Behind The Lens
Location
I shot this at Middleton Gardens in Charleston, SC.Time
This was taken probably mid morning in a grove of these enormous Crepe Myrtle trees. The trees were probably over 100 years old.Lighting
It was definitely bright shade. Crepe Myrtles tend to be very open and branchy.Equipment
Handheld Canon 5D Mark 2. I was on vacation with my spouse so photos have to be snapped very quickly. Not a lot of time for tripods etc.Inspiration
Squirrels are so ordinary, right? But being in this extraordinary historical garden in gorgeous Charleston among trees hundreds of years old and dripping with spanish moss - I was compelled to take a photo of literally everything I saw- everything - even a grey squirrel.Editing
Yes, the original image is actually beautiful in color with silvery tones of the spanish moss and the peeling bark - its a very soft image overall in terms of color. I was tinkering around with Nik Silver effects just seeing what it might look like in Black and White and I decided to process it in a low key effect just to see and I was so excited at the effect. I think I also might have applied a vintage filter as well to get the faded edges.In my camera bag
I like to keep things very simple. I'm also not at the stage yet where I have dozens and dozens of lenses either! I shoot with a Canon 5D mark 2. I often use a 200 2.8 L series lens or a 50 mm 1.8 but I mainly use my kit lens! When traveling in crowded areas on bright sunny days I love my Tamron 300 mm. I already am eyeing some new portrait lenses for my growing portraiture business!Feedback
Well with wildlife shots I think luck is a big part of it and also tons of patience. I don't think I will ever be able to sit in a blind for hours upon hours waiting for a bird to land or anything like that. I love to photograph nature but I doubt I will ever become a wildlife photographer. I have a lot more patience for pets and children quite frankly. But I guess the best tip I have when photographing nature is to photograph everything you see out there - literally everything because you never know what you might get!
