cambodian dawn
Sep, 2015Views
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Same photographer See allBehind The Lens
Behind The Lens
Location
I took this photo while travelling in Cambodia. I love travelling and being inspired by different cultures. I always find the best way to really immerse yourself when travelling is to wake up really early and just explore the area. The only people awake at that time are locals so you can get a genuine feel for a place without any tourists around.Time
this image was shot around 5:30am about 45 minutes before sunrise. I had arranged a tuk tuk to take me to this location very early, around 4:30am, as i thought there would be a great opportunity for an early morning reflection shot on the lake with some trees and a jetty like structure that i had seen here the day before. To my very pleasant surprise i discovered that this spot is also where some of the locals go to first thing in the morning to collect their water, and this obviously made for a much more interesting image.Lighting
This was a very clear day with no clouds but i knew there would also be no wind, so getting there early was going to be key to get some nice, cool, pre sunrise light. I really liked the colour of the light at this moment however i needed to minimise too much movement in the subject or the water in order for the reflection to look clean. Therefore i had to choose quite a high ISO of 6400 in order to achieve a fast enough shutter speed in the low light. The shots i took 15-20 minutes after this started to have a more golden tone from the sun rise so it was essential to shoot this earlier to achieve the cool blue tone.Equipment
I was shooting a Canon 5d mkii with the 24-105mm f4 lens. In this shot it was pretty much zoomed in all the way to 105mm. I was set up on a tripod and did have a cable shutter release only as i was shooting some longer exposures just before this shot. Usually though i would just use the 2 second delay function to steady the camera in order to minimise the equipment required.Inspiration
The scene that presented itself inspired me and thats what i love so much about travel photography and travel in general. There are obviously some places and landmarks you visit where pre planning is necessary however my favourite travel photos are all unplanned moments that you discover simply by putting yourself in situations for them to occur. By being out early you will get the best light but you will also get what i believe to be the most real experience of a place. There's not too many places left that are completely undiscovered so by the time mid morning arrives the tourists are out and about and locals have set up stalls to sell things to tourists. The early hours before and just after sunrise you get to discover people doing what they would be doing if there were no tourists at all. just simple daily life, which for me is what i seek to get out of travel. I would substitute all the tourists attractions for one real moment like this any day :)Editing
While it is a necessity, I like to keep processing to a minimum as much as possible. For me it's simply adjusting for the limitations of a camera to bring an image back to what your eye could see, as the eyes ability to distinguish between highlights and shadows is much more complex than any camera that exists. being that this image is a silhouette there wasn't much adjustment required. I usually play around with the whites and blacks for some contrast, add some basic sharpening and then a controlled amount of vibrance to give the image some pop.In my camera bag
Right now i have a Canon 5d mkiii and a 7d mkii. my favourite lens is the Canon 70-200mm f4L plus i also carry the Canon 16-35mm f4L. I have a circular polariser for when its required and also have a 10 stop ND filter as sometimes when travelling you can't always be everywhere at the exact right time so this comes in handy if i need to utilise a slower shutter speed in lighter conditions. Obviously spare batteries and memory cards are key however i like to keep things to a minimum as much as possible. For me photography is more about the discovery and experience so i don't get too hung up on gear. Also i like to be as mobile as possible so the less gear the better.Feedback
From a basic fundamental point of view, learn your camera inside out so you can adjust settings on the fly to adapt to a situation. Practice even on bad days where you get no keeper shots, just so you can be ready when the good moments occur. In relation to this particular shot it's about being willing to wake up really early and put yourself in situations with an open mind to observe whats happening around you. you can't plan moments like this, so you just have to be there as often as possible. Even at home i go out every morning for sunrise just in case and the worst that can happen is you are awake to experience the best part of the day. My advice is to make photography more about the experience you are having than about the final shot you get. If all you do is plan, plan, plan and only go out when you think everything will be perfect with your only focus being on the final shot then sure, you might get some great photos, but there will also be plenty of disappointment and missed opportunities. For me, i'm addicted to the experience more than the final product. I find if i just go out with a mindset of being present in the experience then your mind works more creatively and shots will present themselves. And even if they don't then you still go home happy, have a coffee and start visualising how amazing tomorrow will be :)
