Wildlife
Taken in the forest near my home in Wales with Bonny my willing Model. I used the natural backlighting from the sun to illuminate the shot...
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Taken in the forest near my home in Wales with Bonny my willing Model. I used the natural backlighting from the sun to illuminate the shot
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Oct, 2015Views
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Awards
Winner in Stop Action Photo Challenge
Peer Award
Absolute Masterpiece
Superb Composition
Top Choice
Outstanding Creativity
Superior Skill
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Same photographer See allBehind The Lens
Behind The Lens
Location
This photo was captured in the Forest opposite my Home in South Wales. The Forest has been an inspiration to my work and I am often found capturing images there on a misty moody day. I decided to take my dog Bonny with me on this particular day and as usual the trees were shrouded in mist. With the Light fading fast I didnt have much time to capture the images I wanted and concentrated on some trees in the near distance. Looking up I saw that my dog Bonny had wandered into the trees, becoming visible in the shot and suddenly the last bit of light seemed to light up the background causing the trees to almost illuminate, so I took my chance, and called Bonny to me waving a treat. In her excitement she ran towards me and thats when I captured this scene, shooting continuously as she ran towards me.Time
I remember looking out of the window towards the forest, it was a cold a March evening around 7pm,and the light was fading fast,and seeing the mist gathering I grabbed Bonny and ran for the car, her treats deposited in my pocket. I had forgotten my tripod but then I usually capture my images without one so it wasnt a problem. On entering the Forest I walked past the pond towards the forest path beyond and went deep into the forest following the path down towards the edge of the trees where the forest ended.Lighting
I chose the edge of the Forest as this is where the light seemed to be most prominent, lighting up behind the trees causing an almost Mystical look to the scene and I knew that this would be enough to capture the trees shrouded by the mist. I love working with natural light and this is how I usually capture my images, walking around the scene to see where the best possible angle is to show off the backlighting. It is a quick decision you have to make as natural light waits for noone, so you have to be quick and grab the shot while you can before it is gone. In this particular image I had literally seconds to capture that moment hoping that it would come out ok.Equipment
I used my Canon 350D and was experimenting with the different settings and decided to use the Action programme using an Auto exposure as this would allow me to capture a scene without too much blur caused from camera shake..well I had no tripod with me as I usually take my images without one. The iso was 400 allowing me to have more light in the camera due to the low light conditions.Inspiration
Natural light and Mist always inspires me to grab my camera and get out and about, mostly for forest images, and I will always say... never let a dull misty day put you off capturing photos, it really is the best of conditions for capturing that 'moody, mystical' image.Editing
The actual image was captured in colour and then turned b&w using photoshop, It was sharpened and I added a subtle colour hue to accentuate the mystic feel to the image. Other than that, it is how it was taken.In my camera bag
My equipment is quite sparse for a photographer of 12+ yrs, as unless I am capturing a slow shutter speed, I never use a tripod, although I do have a small tripod also in my camera bag which is approx 1ft high so I can balance it on walls or for low lying shots etc. I do use Filters on a bright day usually either a UV filter or a ND grad filter to darken the skies. I also find that carrying a small bag filled with polystyrene balls will help me to create less camera shake by placing it on uneven surfaces.Feedback
Patience is a Virtue, so they say.. and it really is true when trying to capture that special image. With Landscape Photography you have to make the most of the light keeping in mind what type of image you want and what weather conditions would make this more special, if it's moody clouds over the scene then wait for that stormy day and go and capture it. It's this light and mood that makes an image even more special. This particular image means so much to me as Bonny has now become so weak due to old age and she cannot enjoy the forest as she once did, although she is still enjoying her extra treats for her efforts for this image.
