Felix Felicis
Because reading a good book in the sunshine is the happiest place.
Because reading a good book in the sunshine is the happiest place.
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Apr, 2015Views
851
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Awards
Contest Finalist in Letters And Words Photo Contest
Peer Award
Superb Composition
Outstanding Creativity
Top Choice
Absolute Masterpiece
Magnificent Capture
All Star
Top Ranks
Top 30 rank
Top 10 rankTop 10 rank week 1
Top 30 rank
Top 30 rank
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Behind The Lens
Location
This photo was taken near my house in Amsterdam. It's a little stretch of grass along a cycling path and a, believe it or not, waste processing center.Time
It was taken in April, during a particularly pretty golden hour. This location is perfect for golden hour photos, as there's hardly anything around to block the sunshine during that time, and the green grass enhances that warm golden summer feeling.Lighting
This is 100% natural lighting, taken with the sun just outside of the frame to get that warm glow without the bright spot or flare. On the right, you can see the sun still reflecting in a bit of water. There's only a short amount of time when the sun is this perfect, so you have to be there on time and be quick once you have your setup.Equipment
This was taken with my Canon EOS Rebel XTi and Canon 85mm f1.8 lens. As it's a self-portrait, the camera is on a Hama tripod and I'm holding a Canon remote to control the shutter. Nothing else was used.Inspiration
This is a photo from my Project 365, where I took a daily self-portrait. It's inspired by those lovely warm summer days, spent outside and relaxing. As I love reading and especially love Harry Potter, I decided to honor the series by using one of the books in this photo. Felix Felicis (the luck potion) is mentioned in this book, and I felt it would be such a great title for a photo depicting a scene of how I'm the happiest.Editing
Actually, no. This is a JPEG straight out of the camera! It's before I was shooting in RAW and also really challenged myself by getting it right in camera. Even now, I'm not sure if I'd change anything about it, besides maybe making the bright spot on the right a little less distracting.In my camera bag
Since this photo was taken I upgraded to a Canon EOS 60D, I still usually bring my Hama tripod and Canon remote. Then the Canon 35mm f2.0, 50mm f1.4 and 85mm f1.8 prime lenses are my favorites. I also usually have a reflector with me.Feedback
Golden hour is lovely but can be rather challenging. When you use backlighting (like in this photo), the sun can throw off the auto-focus so you might have to switch to manual. You can play with flares too, which in this case I didn't. Using a lens hood or making sure the light source is out the frame would help with not getting a flare. Shooting with a wide open aperture adds to the softness of the photo, the soft light and shallow focus combine nicely. If you want to try self-portraits, a tripod and remote are essential tools to help you capture yourself!
