Sunset in Bonnieux
When I took this shot, I was still getting used to using my spiffy new DSLR. It was woefully underexposed, and I almost just deleted it without trying to work o...
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When I took this shot, I was still getting used to using my spiffy new DSLR. It was woefully underexposed, and I almost just deleted it without trying to work on it. Then I remembered what I had read about RAW and LR so I gave it a whirl just to see what would happen. I was not only very surprised about the results, but also very happy! I will never just hit delete again!
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Dec, 2013Views
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Awards
Chatter Award
Zenith Award
Fall Award 2020
Superb Composition
Outstanding Creativity
Absolute Masterpiece
Top Choice
Exceptional Contrast
Jaw Dropping
All Star
Peer Award
Magnificent Capture
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Impressed
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Behind The Lens
Location
Bonnieux, France. I went on a wine/photography tour. This was one of my first days on the tour and we were walking around this ancient little village where we were going to stay.Time
This was right around sunset time that day. We had traveled from Paris to Avignon during the day and then traveled to the village by van. It had been a fun, but long day. And the areas was beautiful. I loved the clouds and the way the light was peeking through, so I tried the shot.Lighting
The light was waning, and I was using my brand new DSLR at the time and I didn't have a great understanding of some of the basics so I wasn't sure what the best way to get the shot was. But I tried anyhow.Equipment
I used my Nikon D3200 in a hand held fashion. I did not have any tripod or monopod with me at the time. I think I shot this with my 35m kit lens. It was 9 years ago, so I am not sure.Inspiration
This village is full of ancient little houses and interesting little places. I just really liked the lines, the visual texture of the bricks, and light and the door. I was trying to use the wall as a leading line to the photo, and the sunset was just so glorious!Editing
In point of fact, if I had not done any post processing you wouldn't be able to see this image! As I stated earlier, my understanding of the camera settings and taking photos at this time of day were not masterful. I did capture the .RAW image however. When I reviewed the shots for the day, this was completely black. I had to use LR to rescue the image. I was completely shocked at the image when I got done with it. This was a great lesson to me to attempt just try to recover any image that I might have not exposed properly. In doing that you learn a lot too.In my camera bag
I normally carry a few lenses with me, 50mm, my kit lens that gives me a little length, and my favorite- my wide angle lens. I also carry extra memory cards, an extra battery, and some improvisational bad weather gear and lens hoods just in case, and something I can use to clean the lens off with if necessary. I don't always bring my tripod unless I have previously decided that the type of shot that I am going to attempt will likely require it.Feedback
I've learned to study up or refresh my understanding of how to best shoot scenes for the time of day if I am being intentional about it. I don't get to shoot as often as I would like so I find this helps me to get the settings I need more correctly. Most of the time though, I just shoot where and when I'm at with whatever tools I have. When I was in college, I had to wait until my senior year in nursing school to get a totally free elective. I chose Black and White Photography. This was pre-DSLR days when we actually used film. It was one of the best classes I ever had. I learned so much during that class that I still use what I've learned today. During my final project we all had to pick a theme. My theme was to find images that were relaxing or inspired it. Well, that went up in smoke simply because in the middle of Boston, those are hard to come by and I was getting way too stressed about it, and time was running out. LOL. So, instead, I changed my focus to looking at how my photography changed my perspective over the class over the quarter and the images that it produced. I would just go out for walks and shoot things as I really looked at them and thought they would make an interesting image. That decision has influenced everything since, and if you look at my gallery of images you'll see what I mean. The best advice I can give someone about capturing an image is that while you are out and about, just really look at things around you in a concerted way. Don't just passively or aimlessly walk around with your camera while out on a shoot. Look at the sights around like the potential elements of an image that you could create. This has provided me a ton of opportunities over the years. I'm not the best photographer in the world by far. I am always learning. But I do think we can become very blind to some great potential images as we just go through life without really looking at things. And, get a good understanding of how aperture, focal length, and exposure can improve those images you want to take. And then let Serendipity be your friend! Post-processing is a fantastic secondary tool. With so many options out there that are useful to this end, it's hard not to do it. But it should not replace the primary skill of how to best create an image to begin with. Because once you've crafted that image with care, post-processing can take it to the next level, vs. rescuing an image like this one. If I had had a better understanding
