Sunset at Canal Rocks
We were heading down to this amazing location when I saw the sky break out in this stormy sunset. When we arrived I knew we had a small window of time to go to ...
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We were heading down to this amazing location when I saw the sky break out in this stormy sunset. When we arrived I knew we had a small window of time to go to work. The bride was a trooper - climbing over rocks in her heels and working hard so that we could capture the light.
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Jan, 2016Views
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Awards
Contest Finalist in Wedding Stories Photo Contest
Member Selection Award
Contest Finalist in Joyful Weddings Photo Contest
Extensive Exposure Bundle
Contest Finalist in Social Exposure Photo Contest Vol 4
Contest Finalist in Picture Perfect Weddings Photo Contest
Featured
Contest Finalist in Something Wedding Photo Contest
Contest Finalist in I Do Photo Contest
Peer Award
Superb Composition
Absolute Masterpiece
Top Choice
Outstanding Creativity
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Magnificent Capture
Superior Skill
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Virtuoso
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PRO+
reneeflickinger
February 19, 2016
This is an amazing photo!! Its almost like it's saying "the bond these two together will get them thru the storms ahead"
PRO+
mikedenyer
August 02, 2016
Amazing photo...Well executed with great timing and fantastic conditions. Very well done!
BlueyA
August 20, 2016
An absolute marvellous photograph - with the tight schedules of a wedding day making it an even greater degree of difficulty to attain.
alianapotter
September 18, 2016
Beautifullll shot! I love the contrast of the waterfall and rocks. The sunset is perfect.
Platinum
Lesabre1954
January 17, 2017
Definitely a scene that captivates your attention. Very vivid and sharp. Exquisite!!
Same photographer See allBehind The Lens
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Behind The Lens
Location
Western Australia is a huge state making up about one third of the whole of Australia - Right in the South West Corner is a place called Canal Rocks and it is the here where the Indian Ocean meets the cold water straight off Antarctica. Fantastic waves crash against the coast line at this point. This is where the photo was taken. It is about a three and half hour drive from the capital city of Perth. I got pretty wet taking the shot as I was constantly being splashed by waves as the water rushed under the bridge and smashed into the rocks where I was standing.Time
As we drove down to Canal Rocks I saw this amazing sky beginning to form as the sun started to set. We had had some rain earlier on and the storm clouds were gathering. I was very exited to get out there and position the bride and groom for an amazing shot. As the sun started to disappear behind the horizon at about 7pm I was able to frame this image.Lighting
It was tough to expose correctly for the lighting as I didn't wan't the bride and groom to disappear in a silhouette - but I also wanted to capture the sky. I also didn't have a lot of time as I was trying to capture as many different positions as possible before I lost the light. So I chose an exposure that was half way between the coupe and the sky and did the rest in post.Equipment
This was shot with a Canon 5D Mk II and their amazing 35mm L series prime lens.Inspiration
The sunset and a constant drive to produce amazing images for my clients.Editing
Post processing involved a graduated filter to the sky, some adjustment of the highlights and shadows, crushing the blacks a little and then some lifting of the exposure on the couple by using a soft brush. There was also some slight warming of the colour balance.In my camera bag
Weddings - 2 x Canon 5D3's, Canon 24-70 f2.8 L MkII, Canon 70-200 f2.8 L MkII, Canon 50 f1.4, Canon 85 f1.8, Canon 16-35 f2.8 L MkII, Canon 100 f2.8 Macro, Canon 14 f2.8 L, Canon 135 f2 L, 2 x Canon 600EX-RT flash units, Westcott Ice Light, Spider double holster camera belt. Field work - 2 x Olympus OM-D EM-1's, Olympus 12-40 f2.8, Olympus, 40-150 f2.8 + 1.4 teleconverter, Leica/Lumix 42.5 f1.2, Olympus 75 f1.8, Olympus 7-14 f2.8, Olympus 60 f2.8 Macro, 2 x Olympus flash.Feedback
When you are facing a situation like this and time is short you need to work with the bride and understand her situation. She is tired, she has been walking around in high heels all day and her feet hurt. She can not move quickly in her dress and shoes. She is worried about her dress getting damaged. However - you want her to climb over rocks, most likely get dirt on her dress and probably get wet with spray from the waves to capture the image. So it is important to always encourage and be supportive - if you help her believe the shot will be amazing then she will work with you. Before this frame was taken we had already clambered over the rocks in another section and got some amazing shots of the ocean crashing against the rocky coast line in the background. The bride was awesome. When facing constantly changing light you need to know your camera well - practice so that you can adjust exposure on the fly and as much as possible develop the ability to shoot manually so that you are the decision maker in creating an image. In this photo the camera would most likely have given me a dud exposure if I had let it make the decision. So practice shooting at sunset - get some friends and do a shoot with them - try to expose for them, for the sky, a silhouette and in between. Work out what settings work for each of the images you want to create and then you will be ready. Also keep in mind that if you want to balance the foreground and the sky you will have to do a little post work or use a graduated filter on the camera.
