Riding into the Sunset
A little girl riding her wooden horse into the sunset.
A little girl riding her wooden horse into the sunset.
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Dec, 2015Views
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Behind The Lens
Location
This picture was taken in a field with very tall grass in a rural part of Missouri. It was winter and everything around was very dull, so I had to get creative and the tall grass helped to make the photo interesting.Time
A lot of my photos, especially portraits, are taken in the evening as the sun is going down. There seems to be this magical time of day that only lasts about 20 minuets where all of the colors start to change to a dreamy type of mood. It was taken around 4:20 pm in the beginning part of December.Lighting
I consider myself a natural light photographer, I just don't ever use a flash. I'm sure I will experiment with flash or other types of lighting in the future but as of right now, I'm perfectly happy being creative and using the light around me, there's just something about natural light that I can't get enough of. It's probably because it's so natural! ;-) With this picture I wanted to give a dreamy type of feel to it and in the evening as the sun is just about to go over the horizon is that perfect time of day for that type of light, and casting sun beams through the trees and the grass, I couldn't have been more happy with it. Also, I always put the sun to my subjects backs, but be careful not to fade out their faces, there's a lot going on with light using this technique so experiment with different angles and positions until you get it just right.Equipment
I don't like getting into the, this camera is better then that camera discussion, because I don't believe that to be true. I always say, it's not the camera as much as it is the lens, and there is no equipment or tools or software that is more powerful then your own imagination. That being said. I use a Samsung nx500 with a couple of manual focus lenses, a Pentax 50mm 1.7 and a Rokinon 85mm 1.4. Call me old fashioned but I love using manual, I guess it makes me feel like I have more control, and I only use manual mode or aperture priority mode on my camera. I do have a tripod, but I don't use it unless I'm ether photographing myself or doing long exposure shots. I like the freedom of being able to move around. I also have an extra 64GB SD card and extra battery, you can never be too careful!Inspiration
It was really kind of one of those shots that wasn't planned, it just happened. I was on my way out the door to go to the session when my son's wooden working horse that his grandpa made for him caught my eye. I thought for a moment, this family that I'm about to do pictures for has two little kids, that rocking horse would make a great prop! And it did, this turned out to be the best picture from that session.Editing
I usually do some minor processing to my images, enhance certain colors in Lightroom, sharpen eyes in Photoshop, etc. One thing I did with this image that helped it along was using a radial blur in Photoshop to enhance the light rays coming through the trees and the grass.In my camera bag
I usually have my bag packed and ready to go. I never now when I need to grab it at a moments notice, so I always make sure I have everything I need in there. First and foremost, my camera, obviously, Samsung nx500 I don't have a backup camera as of right now but it's a definite when ever I can afford it, if something is going to happen to your camera, it's going to happen doing a photo session! I take my two most favorite lenses right now, a Pentax 50mm 1.7 and Rokinon 85mm 1.4. I also carry along my kit lens which is a 16-50mm 3.5-5.6, it comes in handy if I need to get some wide shots. I have a cleaning kit and also a little mini tripod. I believe that's about it.Feedback
I would say, be original, be creative, this shot wasn't planned, it was sparked from a split second of inspiration just moments before it happened. Always be thinking of new and unique possibilities. Don't forget, my special magic moment of time is only 15-20 minuets before the sun goes down, you can't go wrong with that kind of lighting.
