DSC08925 edt sf
Jul, 2015Views
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Same photographer See allBehind The Lens
Behind The Lens
Location
I took this photo in Wilmington, Ohio. I lived on a farm at that time and this shot is of the neighboring farm. If you look closely, you can see the American flag just above the sun. This was the view from my couch that morning, I simply couldn't resist getting a shot.Time
This photo was taken a little after 6am on June 29, 2015. I am a 911 operator and that time I was nights. My shift had just ended and I was sitting on my couch unwinding when I saw the sun coming up through my front window. I quickly grabbed my camera knowing that sunrises and sunsets only have a small window of time before the gorgeous colors are gone.Lighting
One of the things I love about this photo is that this was the natural light. This photo was not manipulated, except for cropping. The light and colors were perfectly created to be photographed.Equipment
I used my Sony A77 (love it) and my Sony 70-300mm lens. No other equipment was needed, just my camera and me.Inspiration
The colors!! Thats all the inspiration I needed for this image. I had always enjoyed the view out the front windows of my old farmhouse, but that morning I was amazed at the colors. I mentioned earlier that I'm a 911 operator and sometimes the job and the calls can have a negative effect on your day. That morning I saw this sunrise and my first thought was, "grab your camera", my second thought was, "it's a new day, we get to start again." And what a beautiful start it was.Editing
I was so lucky that this image has almost no post processing. I have a goal to someday be published in National Geographic, so I strive to create some images that are not manipulated at all. This image was cropped, but the colors are all straight out of the camera.In my camera bag
I have my Sony A77, and a my older Sony A58 that I use as a back up. I have a few Sony lenses at hand most of the time: the 18-55mm, 18-135mm, 70-300mm, and a 50 mm 1.4. I do keep a Sony flash in my bag as well, but honestly haven't used it in months. I am a big fan of natural light and avoid the flash as much as possible. It does come in handy for off camera lighting though. Lens cleaner, extra batteries and the charger, extra cards, remote for the camera, batteries for the flash, a portable external hard drive, a plastic bag so that I can shoot in wet conditions, and I keep a little thing that wraps around my camera lens that looks like a pig and it squeaks. It looks a little silly, which is perfect to get the attention of kids and animals. I also like to keep a water/dust/shock/freeze proof point and shoot camera and a GoPro in my bag.Feedback
Get up early! I know that y'all are expecting a more technical answer, but my first advise to anyone is to get up early, stay out late, and get outside as much as you can. You can sit in the same spot all day and that place will change so much throughout the day and will also change from one day to the next. The flag in this image is hard to see, but I had shot from the same spot once or twice before and the images I took those times are nothing like this image. Anyone that has ever hunted and sat in the woods in the exact same spot for hours at a time knows just how much the changing light will effect the landscape and the sky. Those changes can dramatically impact your work. As for a more technical answer, get to know your camera. Become comfortable with the settings and don't let someone bully you into thinking that you're a slacker if you use Auto on occasion, lol. When I shoot something like this, I will generally take several shots in manual mode, playing with the exposure a little bit. Then tend to shoot in several other modes until I get what I want. I also like to under expose sunrises and sunsets about one f-stop, I feel it makes the colors richer.
