Sunrise HDR Ranch
Dec, 2015Views
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Same photographer See allBehind The Lens
Behind The Lens
Location
This photo was taken near Brush, Colorado, USA at a close friend's ranch in the sand hills. We had gone out to check the cows and calves early that morning and we were about to head back to the homestead as the sun was rising. So, we stopped so I could make this HDR Panorama.Time
This photo is dear to me because it was after several hours of checking on cow/calf pairs early in the morning at my friend's ranch. It was taken on August 26, 2015 at 6:25 AM MST.Lighting
I wanted to give the viewer a sense of the vastness of the landscape while capturing these beautiful sweeping cloud formations. The sun was burning through the early morning low lying mist on horizon which led it be a perfect circle of light. This was shot using 15 photos. 5 shots for each HDR and 3 for the Panorama.Equipment
This was shot with a Canon 5D Mark III with a Bower 14mm f/2.8 manual lens. It was shot hand held. No other equipment was used to capture the photo.Inspiration
I always bring my camera, especially to check on the cattle. This morning was particularly calm and peaceful. When this sun came up and those clouds swept across the sky, I knew I had to capture it. I wanted everyone to be able to feel how I felt right then.Editing
I shot this as an HDR panorama so it required quite a bit of post processing. I shoot using 5 shot bracketed exposure, then I combine each of those into one 32 bit HDR photo. I did that 3 times because the Panorama was 3 shots wide for a total of 15 shots. Then I merged the 3 HDR photos into a panorama in Photoshop. I then saved it back to Light Room and added a darker gradient on the top and bottom to close in the image in order to maintain the viewers eye longer.In my camera bag
Normally I have my Pelican case packed with my Canon 1DX, Canon 5D Mark II, Canon 5DSR, Canon 70-200 f/2.8 II, Canon 100mm f/2.8 Macro, Canon 24-70mm f/2.8 II, Sigma 150-600mm f/5-6.3 Sports, Canon 1.4x III Extender, Bower 14mm f/2.8 Ultra Wide, a couple of wired remote/intervalometers because the 5DSR has a built in one, and an array of screw on filters. I'm basically prepared for anything with that kit. I have to be, because I travel full time and need all the essentials with me to capture the moment when it strikes. Plus, I can take a friend with and he/she has something to shoot with!Feedback
Always take your camera and at least 1 lens with you when you. Keep an eye out and be ready to stop what your doing and make a photo. In this case, we had finished what we were doing and were headed back. The sunrise started out pretty bland, then suddenly the clouds formed and the sun peeked though the haze on the horizon. At that moment I knew I had something worthy of keeping.
