Prepping the Blast
We were out in the middle of no where in the Afghan desert. Had to do a control detonation. As the guys prepped the blast site I hopped out and was snapping pho...
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We were out in the middle of no where in the Afghan desert. Had to do a control detonation. As the guys prepped the blast site I hopped out and was snapping photos. This is my favorite.
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Oct, 2015Views
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Newbie2photography
October 18, 2016
God bless you, and thank you for your service. I have 2 boys serving in the army. I'm a proud army mom.
Same photographer See allBehind The Lens
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Behind The Lens
Location
The photo was taken in the South West region of the Afghan desert. I was attached to the Marine Corps Explosive Ordinance Disposal Company at Camp Leatherneck. The team I was out with had a cache of explosives and munitions that had been found that they needed to dispose of. We left the guarded barrier and drove far out into the middle of the desert. As they prepped the blast site, digging a giant hole to plant everything I was walking around taking it all in and trying to capture everything.Time
We left base at around 1630 with a convoy of Jordanians acting as our escort and drove for about close to an hour into the middle of the desert. There's really almost nothing out for miles until you see some mountains for off in the distant. As bare as it is it's still sorta of beautiful knowing you're out in this desert where most people will never go and just enjoying the peacefulness of it even during a time of war.Lighting
When we actually started digging the blast site the sun was just starting to go down. There was still plenty of light but as it got darker it really added to the mood and essentially to the story I was trying to tell with the photograph.Equipment
My main camera at the time was my Fuji X100S. It literally would go with me everywhere if we were out at an area. I used to fly all over the that region working on communications equipment so anytime I was outside working on the satellite components I always had my open for a shot. This was taken at 23mm which on the APS-C sensor is essentially a 35mm equivalent. I was running around the site trying to find the best compositions so it was hand held. That camera really is amazing.Inspiration
Inspiration for me came from wanting to share where and what I was doing with my family. I have a little girl and want to be able to show her where daddy was and why I was away. She's only 3 and already has taken an interest in photography so who knows maybe I'll have her out shooting with me soon! I also really enjoy being able to share these with my guys that I was embedded with. They're always so focused on the mission at hand that they don't get to do what I was able to. So being able to allow them the opportunity to share with their friends and family of what they actually do is amazing to me.Editing
First and foremost everything gets imported into Adobe Lightroom. That's my bread and butter for organizing all of my photos and beginning to post process. After I get it to where I like in Lightroom I'll export a copy with adjustments to the Nik Collection, Topaz or Macphun programs and do some finally tweaking depending on what I'm trying to exude from the image. For this, I desaturated it and added some warmth to convey the feeling of really being in the desert and then dodged and burned areas to bring the focus in as my friend wired the explosives.In my camera bag
Now a days I never leave home without my Sony A7ii and my Sony A6300. At minimum I always have two cameras on me. Depending on what I'm doing I'll change up which lenses I bring but my Sony Zeiss 16-35 f/4 or Zeiss Batis is usually on my A6300 while I tend to leave the Sony Zeiss 55 f/1.8 or the Sony 35 f/1.4 on my A7ii. For portraits nothing beats the magic of the Sony G Master 85 f/1.4 or the Canon 70-200 f/2.8 that I have adapted with a metabones IV adapter. Those to lenses can't be beat for anything telephoto. If I'm trekking around the city I'll throw everything in my Ona The Prince messenger bag or if needing more gear in my Peak Design Everyday Messenger with my tripod or gorilla pod. I think the gorilla pod with the ball head is probable my favorite tripod I've ever used because of all the ways it can be used and where you can take it. Finally if I need to bring everything it all goes in my Dakine Mission Photo backpack and I can even throw my snowboard or my longboard on so I stay extra mobile.Feedback
The only advice I can give is always keep a camera with you. Whether it's your phone or your main camera. Shoot what inspires you or captures your story so it has feeling and meaning. If I'm just out randomly running and gunning with photos with no thought it's not going to inspire anyone else to want to look if I'm not inspired myself. The gear doesn't really matter, any camera now a days can take a good photo. I'm finding that I'm getting great ones even out of my no outdated iPhone. What really leaves an impression and draws someone in is the story you present and they way you do it meaning things like composition and lighting. If we all focused more on these things than having the latest and greatest new gadget I truly believe our passion would develop into a genuine skill. At least that's what I hope for and work on every time I shoot.
