The Oak Alley Plantation
Sep, 2015Views
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Action Award
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Top Shot Award 22
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Behind The Lens
Location
This photo was taken at the Oak Alley Plantation in Vacherie, LA, about an hour's drive from New Orleans. I was visiting New Orleans before permanently moving there for work and wanted to visit this place because of some of the photos I had seen of the place. This is my version of the widely-done shot of the plantation house, taken from the end of the front yard walkway.Time
This was taken around 4:00pm on a weekday afternoon in April, 2015. It was a hot, late Spring day in Louisiana. I took one of the last tours of the plantation that day, and this worked out well because there weren't a ton of people on the grounds. I have since visited during the summer on a weekend and it's almost impossible to get a clear shot of the walkway and house without people everywhere.Lighting
The natural lighting in this shot worked to my advantage. It was a sunny day in the late afternoon. This helped the sun illuminate the grass and the house, acting sort of like a natural spotlight. It helps draw your focus down the walkway towards the plantation house.Equipment
I used a Canon Rebel T5i with the stock Canon EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS STM lens with no flash. I received this camera as a gift and I figured I'd get comfortable with this before upgrading to better equipment. I did not have a tripod with me, and am surprised I took such a still, focused handheld shot.Inspiration
Before my trip to New Orleans, I looked up plantations to visit and tour because of my interest in history and photography. I prefer taking nature and architectural pictures, and after seeing this place, I knew I had to shoot it! I saw shots of the plantation house on the Internet and decided to take my own version of it.Editing
I use Adobe Lightroom exclusively. I brought up the whites and brightened up the greens a bit. I played with the shadows a bit to make sure there weren't any dark spots, but really didn't have to do too much post-processing with this shot. It was a nice, bright day outside so the shot came out pretty good naturally.In my camera bag
I carry a zoom lens, a Canon EF-S 55-250mm F4-5.6 IS STM. I also carry various lens filters, spare memory cards, a battery charger, the camera manual (in case I get stuck with a setting), and cleaning supplies.Feedback
I have been a hobbyist photographer for about 15 years since I was in high school, and my best shots are those that I visualized the outcome prior to taking the picture. I had to walk a few minutes up the path to the front of the plantation house to ensure to capture the oak trees with the house. On my way, I was already visualizing how the shot would look in my mind. Make sure that the shot has good depth of field, good lighting to ensure a low ISO value, and that the shot is lined up in the frame so that your camera sees it how you are seeing it.
