African night
Lake Naivasha at night.
Lake Naivasha at night.
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Aug, 2015Views
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Awards
Zenith Award
Top Shot Award 22
Creative Winter Award
Curator's Selection
Staff Winter Selection 2015
Superb Composition
Absolute Masterpiece
Top Choice
Outstanding Creativity
Peer Award
All Star
Superior Skill
Magnificent Capture
Genius
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Behind The Lens
Location
This was taken looking over Lake Naivasha at the end of a visit to Kenya in 2015. It was particularly poignant because it was the last night before flying home. I loved the acacia trees framing the foreground. What I couldn't get across was the sound of hippopotamus coming ashore to feed all around.Time
It was taken late in the evening. I remember the clarity of the moon being a talking point and couldn't resist this shot. I didn't have a tripod or remote with me at the time so I made do with the edge of a wall and careful use of the self-timer.Lighting
Obviously, apart from the moonlight, this was always going to be a challenging shot. I wanted to keep the ISO low, so needed to keep the camera as still as possible. I used the self-timer to avoid touching the camera and stuck to an aperture of f4.8. I really only wanted the trees to be silhouettes.Equipment
Not a lot of equipment was at hand for this. The camera was a Nikon 5200. I had the standard kit lens on at the time, so it was a case of making do with what you have to hand.Inspiration
Sometimes it is just about being in the right place at the right time. I love mood shots and this one was perfect at the time. Within half an hour, the clouds had completely covered the moon and the scene turned to darkness.Editing
This was a one shot wonder - no HRD here. In camera RAW I adjusted highlights to bring out the cloud detail and increased clarity slightly.In my camera bag
It didn't count for this one, but for the trip I took a Nikon 5200, 120 - 300mm f2.8, 50mm f1.8 prime and the kit lens. Usually, I take circular polarising filters and various ND filters. Due to limited space in this visit, I used a beanbag rather than take a tripod (better for safari vehicles). I also take a large amount of cleaning kit; the dust can get everywhere!Feedback
Never leave home without a camera of some sort - You never know when the perfect shot will happen. We tend to go out socialising during the golden hour, when the lighting can produce spectacular results we just can't predict.
