touchofcrazy
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Same photographer See allBehind The Lens
Behind The Lens
Location
This photo was taken outside at the subject's home/stable in rural Ontario, Canada. I wanted a fall colour shoot and this photo shoot was rebooked several times because of rain; we almost missed the fall colours.Time
This was and still one of my all time favorite images. We scheduled this shoot fairly early in the morning, because the afternoon forecast was for rain; so I guess this would be around 9 am. I remember that as we walked towards the exercise ring, I asked Nikki to stop so I could take a side shot of Archie and herself; Nikki had treats tucked into her pocket and Archie tried to wrap himself around her to get them. Luckily, I was able to capture the moment .Lighting
Looking at this picture now; all I can say about lighting is that I was lucky; the shot was a spur of the moment shot and somehow I managed to get the light off my left shoulder but diffused by the trees.Equipment
I have a Canon Rebel T3i and this was taken with a 70-300 f5.6 canon zoom lens. No flash and no tripod, no additional lighting. I am a very basic photographer; I rarely use a tripod; and I prefer to work with natural lighting if at all possible. I prefer the challenge of pushing myself and my equipment to get the shot I want.Inspiration
A girl and her horse is a well known bond of love. This photo shoot was meant to capture that bond. As we walked towards the exercise ring, Archie would playfully rub his head on Nikki's shoulder and I got several shots of her "hugging" him with her one arm over his neck. I asked them to stop in the hopes that if Nikki put both arms around Archie he would bend his head down towards her. As Nikki leaned into Archie he turned his head around and although he was nuzzling for treats you can see in both of them the love and bond they have towards each other. My passion is capturing raw emotion, whether it is love, anger, fear, sadness; the list is endless; I want those that view my work to feel the emotion in the picture, to have the photos tell the story and to envoke a response in the viewer. If that happens then I have honoured the moments that I have frozen in time.Editing
This photo is very lightly edited. I sharpened the image and gave it a slight colour boost and tweaked the exposure down a degree. Other than that, no. I am not sure that this photo needs much editing, but I am still learning the ways of Photoshop and Lightroom so perhaps as my experience with them increases I will see what needs tweaking.In my camera bag
As I mentioned above I am a minimalist when it comes to equipment. I have a Canon Rebel T3i, stock lens 18-50 mm, a nifty 50 and a 70-300 zoom. I do have a tripod which I rarely use. I also have 2 soft box lights, but if I can I try to use natural light or creative ways to manipulate light for striking images.Feedback
Someone once said that Photographers are superheros because we freeze time; but every picture a photographer takes is also a tiny piece of their soul; their vision, what inspires, drives or excites them. Even the most mundane, the most boring, of places or things can come alive with the right eye looking through the lens. Pick up your camera and shoot what speaks to you; stop worrying about whether the lighting is right, you have the right lens or the right camera, what the technical aspects are; just shoot. If you shoot what is your passion; then your photos will speak volumes to those who view them; those who do not understand or care what camera you used, or what lens; whether you used a tripod, or the right f-stop; if your photos speak, then the viewer only sees the story and feels the emotion. Challenge yourself; pick up your camera and just go out there..