Grand Canyon - The Crow
Snapped this on my cell phone at the Grand Canyon in September 2015.
Snapped this on my cell phone at the Grand Canyon in September 2015.
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Jan, 2016Views
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Same photographer See allBehind The Lens
Behind The Lens
Location
The Grand CanyonTime
Snapped this at 10:00amLighting
The sun rose around 6:45am - 7:15am and was fighting the clouds all day for space in the sky. About 20 minutes before I took this shot, there was a light drizzle which cleared out the clouds and allowed some mid-morning sun to brighten up the canyon.Equipment
I can't afford a real DLSR camera/lens at the moment. Instead, I have a Galaxy S6 smartphone that I put to work. Part of the reason I bought this phone was because they had recently beefed up the camera specs with more MP, pro settings to control lighting and aperture, and they had a grid-lines feature so I can practice my framing and positioning. This shot was all grid-lines and The Waco Kid (Gene Wilder from Blazing Saddles)--steady hands!Inspiration
The Grand Canyon is awe-inspiring. It's tough not to want to take the sight of this natural wonder with you to look at when are having a bad day or need to be humbled. I didn't want to go on a hike into the canyon because I wasn't prepared but the overwhelming beauty forced into venturing down into the canyon. Along the way, I came to a natural flat area where there was this crow, this HUGE crow! I mean this crow could be a stand in for the Mountain in Game of Thrones. There is he, just hanging around, fearless of passing people. Nobody paying any attention to him except me. I started snapping a few photos, stepping closer and closer...and he doesn't seem to mind my presence. In fact, it feels as though he knows what I'm doing, and he begins posing for me. Runway models against a green screen ain't got nothing on this crow with The Grand Canyon in the background. There's this dead tree popping up out of the ground--the crow jumps onto it, and spreads his wings. SNAP!Editing
Touched up the phone in Adobe Lightroom a little bit. Since it is just a camera phone, I sharpened the photo to add some depth and fixed the lighting from the original.In my camera bag
Extra phone charging brick ;pFeedback
Don't be afraid to lose the shot because you are prepping it to be great. Create a story for the picture and understand what you are trying to tell through the shot. Get up close and personal with your shots. Take your time framing, making sure the backdrop makes sense and flows with the movement of the picture. Animals may run away and lighting may change but getting the perfect shot is always worth it. And it helps in post too!
