Wild Hair Alpaca
This Alpaca is very friendly and loves to be petted.
This Alpaca is very friendly and loves to be petted.
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Oct, 2015Views
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Awards
Zenith Award
Creative Winter Award
Curator's Selection
Legendary Award
2020 Choice Award
Absolute Masterpiece
Peer Award
Outstanding Creativity
Top Choice
Superb Composition
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Behind The Lens
Location
This photo was taken an an Alpaca farm in Vacaville CA. I remember seeing an advertisement about an Alpaca Farm and how it was having an open house, or should I say open ranch. I had never seen an Alpaca in real life and just had to go.Time
It was early afternoon and it was getting hot. The sun was bright and the sky was blue. I really wished I was there earlier, so I wouldn't have such bright light, but sometime you just don't get to pick the lighting when you are outside.Lighting
The one thing I would have to say about this photo and about why I feel it turned out so well, is that during this event there were people everywhere. The background I was getting was of people or of the cars where people had parked. I noticed this when I first started photographing these Alpacas. I wasn't happy about the background, so I knew I had to do something different. That is when it came to me to go low and shoot up to the sky. It seemed to do better with the lightning too. The sun was to my back, but shooting a little below instead of straight on it wasn't as bright. It also gave me a beautiful bright blue sky as the background.Equipment
Camera: Canon EOS Digital Rebel XS, F/13, 1/200 sec., ISO-200, 49mm, No Flash. And yes I used a tripod. If I want a very sharp detailed photo, I always use a tripod.Inspiration
I had noticed an Alpaca that was the cutest thing ever. It's hair was so funny and unique looking. I couldn't help but smile when I saw him. When something elicits an emotion in me, that is what draws me to it. That is what I try to capture in my photography... an emotion. Whether it be happy, sad, scary, thought provoking, any kind of emotion. I just had to share this happy feeling I had when I looked at this Alpaca.Editing
I was very fortunate with this photograph. I didn't need to do any post-processing. I do crop it when I want different unique sizes of the photograph.In my camera bag
My secret weapon, I feel is the tripod. I can't seem to get the detail that I want if I don't use it. Maybe others have more steady hands, but for me it's a must. I otherwise carry light. In my bag I always have a backup lens, usually one with more of a telescope. I always have backup battery and backup SD cards. I carry a small empty spray bottle. You just never know when a good spray of water is just what you need for a flower or on the ground to help give your photo a little extra detail. I usually never carry my bag out of the car. I found it to always get in the way. So on this day, it was left in the car. I only had my camera and the tripod with me when I was taking the photo. I always feel if I need something bad enough I can go back to the car. The only exception to this rule is when I am going hiking or walking in nature where there is no easy access to my car.Feedback
Look for something that not only captures your eye, but captures an emotion in you. Then work of capturing that emotion in your photograph. If someone feels an emotion when they look at one of your photos they will be drawn into it. Once you know what you are going to photograph and what emotion you want to capture, then and only then think technical. Think about the best lighting, the best angle and in this case the best background. I always try to challenge myself to shoot from different angles. Not only left and right, but high and low. And if there are obstacles from getting the perfect shot, find a solution. Don't give up. Even in the brightest part of the day or the most crowded or with the worse background there is way to get a beautiful shot. And in my case it meant tightening in the shot, to keep other people out of it. To use a different angle so I don't get a background that looked awful. Just keep trying different ideas until you get the perfect shot.
