Lost Forest
On a back country journey to Lost Lake, we came across this clearing with a strong sun piercing through the trees.
On a back country journey to Lost Lake, we came across this clearing with a strong sun piercing through the trees.
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Dec, 2015Views
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Behind The Lens
Location
Some friends and I decided to go on a 12-mile thru hike that featured two "lost lakes" right in the middle. The trail is aptly named "lost lake trail" and is located just north of Seward, Alaska. It was a gorgeous hike with spectacular views in every direction.Time
This section of the trail was on the latter half of the hike during our descent back towards the parking area. It was approximately 4 in the afternoon, but in September, the sun is still very high during this time of the day. We were taking a quick snack break in the cover of the tree canopy and when I turned around, I was awestruck by the light piercing through the trees.Lighting
This was a very challenging shot to expose for correctly. I used the spot meter to determine what the exposure would be in the foreground and also the exceptionally bright sky. I did some calculations in my head and attempted the shot. When I got home to view the images, I was very pleased that I was able to capture this.Equipment
This was shot on my favorite camera, my Canon 5D (classic), and my only lens at the time, the 24-105 f/4L resting on top of my Manfrotto tripod.Inspiration
We had been in the tundra-like high plains the entire afternoon seeing browns, orange, and red colors contrasting with the blue sky and lakes, that the dense green and yellow really stood out. I really enjoyed our hike and wanted to make sure I documented as much of it as possible. I really enjoy backlit subjects, and the lighting really captured me.Editing
Like all my images, I shoot in RAW to give me the most flexibility for post-processing. I do recall bringing out the details in shadows a lot and reducing the overexposed sky as much as possible. I adjusted the white balance to get a warmer look and increased the saturation a little to try and bring out the yellows and oranges in the image.In my camera bag
I tend to go out and shoot different subjects and typically bring different items with me, but I always seem to have my Canon 5D and 6D for my bodies, and then my 24-105 f/4L, 15mm Zeiss f/2.8, and my telephoto 100-400 f/4.5. Although I own 2 flash units, I rarely bring them with me as my style of shooting typically involves using natural light.Feedback
I have hiked this trail three different times in very different circumstances. This trip where I captured this image was my first time through it. It was very swampy and wet in the first part of the hike, dried out towards the middle, and then kept us guessing in the end. I've also done this trip snowshoeing in January where we traversed 4-8 feet of snow (getting stuck up to your armpits was fun) and also again in the dead of summer. The point is that each trip gave amazing views and pictures that helped capture the essence of what the trip was about. Stay patient, keep a creative mind, and don't forget to look behind you. This picture was exactly that...what we had already walked through. When you are capturing your images, remember to stay patient, try lots of things such as different exposure times and aperture settings, and just keep taking pictures.
