xcodewarrior1970

vj-alki-blue-heron

A Blue Heron models for me on Alki Beach

A Blue Heron models for me on Alki Beach
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Canon EOS REBEL T3i

settings

Aperture f/5.6 ISO 320 Shutter 1/2000 Focal Length 260/1

upload_date

Sep, 2015

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Same photographer See all Behind The Lens

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The gravestone for slain Cheyenne Warrior Hahpehe'Onahe Closed Hand from the Battle of Little Bighorn.

Behind The Lens

Location

This photo was taken on Alki Beach in Seattle WA.

Time

I took the photo a little after sunrise in May, so between 6:00 am and 8:00 am.

Lighting

The lighting was all natural sunlight from the sun as it was rising. When I shoot I try to capture an image using as much of the natural lighting as possible. I try to capture with the camera and attached lens, as oppose to enhancing images in Photoshop; which I think totally undermines the processes and disciplines of good photography.

Equipment

I took this shot with a Canon T3i before I had saved up for a Canon 7D. I didn't use a flash or tripod because I wouldn't have time to setup for a nature shot, and I didn't know what I'd find on the beach. The lens that I used wasn't top of the line either. It was a Canon EF 75-300mm f/4-5.6 IS USM lens.

Inspiration

Divorce. My ex-wife of 5 years and I had just finalized our divorced and I felt completely isolated, lonely, and to be honest, a bit wonky emotionally. I would drink 3 cups of Starbucks coffee and still feel as if I was just waking up. In fact, I'd just left the Alki Beach Starbucks with camera and coffee before I took this photo. I was walking along the beach trying to map out my life and make sense of everything when I saw the Heron appearing to be looking out into the misty morning horizon of water around the beach, and I can remember totally identifying with it- in a few days, I was about to drive alone from Seattle through Montana and Wyoming to the Devil's Tower. The photo is a total representation of me after divorce with Seattle being in the distance.

Editing

Absolutely not. I'm a naturalist, which means, to me at least, using the equipment and available lighting to capture the image. I use curves in Photoshop when the lighting is really bad or in low light situations, but on this beautiful morning there was no reason at all to enhance the image.

In my camera bag

My camera, lenses, back up batteries, and lens cleaning kits. I keep it light just in case I have to sprint to some action scenes.

Feedback

Well, I'm still a growing photographer myself, but I can say that lighting, and the manipulation of lighting, is key (no pun intended.) I would also add that, in my opinion, photographers, especially those just starting out, should focus more on learning to capture images with the camera and equipment rather than relying on software to enhance their images.

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xcodewarrior1970

xcodewarrior1970

vj-alki-blue-heron

A Blue Heron models for me on Alki Beach

Behind The Lens

See more amazing photos, follow xcodewarrior1970

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