Green and Gold
Taken in a daffodil field in Co. Tipperary, Ireland
Taken in a daffodil field in Co. Tipperary, Ireland
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Mar, 2016Views
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Awards
Action Award
Chatter Award
Contender in the Visual Poetry Project
Gem Award
Achievement in Originality
Zenith Award
Top Pick Award
Staff Favorite
Halfway22 Award
Jewel Award
Creative Winter Award
Curator's Selection
Judge Favorite
Top Shot Award 21
Legendary Award
2020 Choice Award
Contest Finalist in Anything People Photo Contest
Member Selection Award
Peer Award
Superb Composition
Absolute Masterpiece
Top Choice
Outstanding Creativity
Superior Skill
Magnificent Capture
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Same photographer See allBehind The Lens
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Behind The Lens
Location
The photo was taken in southeast Ireland near Carrick on Suir. It was taken on the 16th of March, a day before our national holiday St Patrick's day.Time
It was taken about an hour and a half before sunset which is usually my favourite time of day to take soft backlit photos. It was cloudy and very cold.Lighting
While I'm always hoping for soft golden light, I knew it would be cold and cloudy. When I started photography I always wanted photographs that were warm and sunny and it's also something that clients always want. However, that's not the climate I live in and made a decision to embrace what we have and work with it. An overcast day has less limitations than a sunny day as the sky is one large softbox and harsh shadows are less of a problem.Equipment
This was shot with the Canon 5D mark II and Canon 135mm f2 prime lens. This was a first outing for my 135mm. No other equipment was used. I never use a tripod taking portraits as I like the freedom to move and change my angle.Inspiration
I love a pop of colour and am always on the lookout for wild flowers, orchards etc everywhere I go. Portraiture is my passion and my goal is to place my subject against a beautiful backdrop and make them a natural part of the scene but not overwhelmed by it. In this case, the grey dress complements the weather and background scenery while my subject is still a nice contrast to the yellow of the field. The wind picked up at just the right time and blew my daughters hair and I instantly clicked the shutter. I love combination of the scenery, including the cottages in the background, the daffodils and my daughters red hair make this a quintessentially Irish portrait for me.Editing
I try to get the white balance correct in camera using an expo disc and a correct exposure. I have a love/hate relationship with processing. I love processing the best images from a shoot but then once I have those finished I find the rest of the images a bit harder as I'm anxious to move onto the next photo session. My first step is to adjust exposure and white balance if needed in either Lightroom or Camera Raw. I then adjust highlights, shadows and contrast and sometimes my whites and blacks. In photoshop, I often try different adjustment layers and use different blending modes until I get the look I want and then I use this recipe for the rest of the images with a few tweaks here and there.In my camera bag
I have my Canon 5D II and Canon 6D. My favourite lenses are my Canon 70-200 f2.8, 85mm f1.2 and now my 135mm f2. I also bring my 50mm f1.4 if space is tight. I always carry an expo disc for white balance which I find great especially as Ireland is so green and nailing the correct green tone is a must. I do bring the Canon 580 EXII flashbut I rarely use it. I rarely use a reflector. I like as little equipment as possible as I like to move around a lot. The more weight I have to carry the more it curtails my freedom on shoots.Feedback
For outdoor portraiture, I find early morning and late evening the best times. If you must shoot in the middle of the day, I look for open shade or angle my model so that there are no harsh, unflattering shadows across the face. I plan my shoots ahead and usually visit the location beforehand so I know which direction I'm going in before the shoot. I think about clothing choices and any props I might want to use although I usually use whatever is available at the scene. Not everything always goes as planned and you have to work with what you've got and be confident you can get quality images no matter what happens. While in this case the scenery is beautiful, you don't need a field of flowers to create a stunning portrait. Anything with texture and different tones of even the same colour such as a stone wall work well as a backdrop for your subject.
