Daphne's Garden
Mar, 2016Views
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Top Shot Award 22
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Outstanding Creativity
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Behind The Lens
Location
I took this photo at a park nearby my house in Southern California. For a few weeks out of the year, there is a wonderful patch of wildflowers that spring up and bring great natural colors to the spot. A downside to the location was the amount of space. The park is fairly narrow, surrounded on all sides by houses and cinder block walls and above the park are several massive power lines. All of these elements together meant that I had to be very selective with my framing to make sure that none of those unwanted elements crept into my compositions.Time
I had been photographing at the location for the entire day, but this shot took place later in the evening. The Sun was still up but there was haze and cloud cover that had rolled in which gave a fantastic softness to the quality of light.Lighting
The haze and cloud cover gave a very nice contrast that was unexpected for this image. The young girl in the photo is my niece and my sister (her mom) wanted some vibrant spring-time pictures, hence the colorful dress. But the quality of light in the evening allowed for a more muted tone to the image.Equipment
This was shot with a Canon T3i with my nifty fifty- the Canon 50mm f/1.8 without the use of any other equipment.Inspiration
I had worked on a few other shoots for my sister and her kids, but I wanted to try out a new location. It was perfect timing as the wildflowers were in full bloom and allowed me to get a sense of depth in a natural landscape.Editing
Since I shoot raw images, I always bring my files into Adobe Lightroom to polish them up. This one was no exception. I was able to slightly bring up the shadows in the face and give the overall image a warmer tone while making sure the saturation wasn't too overpowering.In my camera bag
Since I'm a recent college graduate with limited funds to spend on camera gear, I find myself having to get creative with more budget friendly equipment. In my bag, I carry my Canon T3i, the Canon 18-55mm kit lens, Canon 75-300mm f/4-5.6, Canon 50mm f/1.8, and my newest toy, the Tokina 11-16mm f/2.8 as well as a Benro A2 tripod.Feedback
I'm sure everyone has heard it before, but the secret is lighting. In this case, I didn't have to travel across the country to get a great location (the park is less than a mile from my house) which meant that I could scout the area a day or two prior to the photo shoot and take a few test shots. The best advice I could give is to get familiar with the world right around you. There are always beautiful little hidden treasures right outside of your doorstep if you just look for them.
