ronnielorenzo

praying

NIKON D90

Aperture f/6.3 ISO 320 Shutter 10/2000 Focal Length 850/10

upload_date

Apr, 2016

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Behind The Lens

Location

This photo was taken in Pugad Adventure, La Union Province in the Philippines. Adventure park and resort where there’s a mini zoo as well that’s filled with exotic birds, and other animals. I am a self taught photographer, thank's to youtube :) I've been using Nikon system since 2010. I don't consider my self as a professional, just hobbyist.

Time

I worked as a Administrative Manager of Solaren Renewable Energy Solutions Corp., a Solar PV system installer and Integrator. We were here for the installation of the Park's own Solar PV system. I took this photo about 8 in the morning. I remember waking up very early to see about 10 hectares of different amenities in this park. I visited the mini zoo inside, and saw this very jolly monkey inside his cage. The place is surrounded by mountains, that's why I still enjoyed the soft natural light from the sun.

Lighting

most of my photos are taken using natural light. I believe it is the most powerful and important type of lights in photography. Aside from being Free, it's so easy to work with. I seldom use artificial lights, I am not a fan of strobe/flash because honestly I don't know how to use it :) I want the natural catch light in the eyes of my subjects, I am always looking for a balance, diffused light in different direction. In this particular shot, all I want was a good exposure from his face especially his eyes. To capture the emotion. The soft light coming from the right part of the cage gave texture on the left part of his body.

Equipment

This was shot using my old reliable Nikon D90, Nikon 85mm 1.8 D, handheld without flash. 1/200 shutter speed, ISO 320, f6.3 since I want to get some details of his face area as well as the hair all over his body. Natural light and Auto while balance :)

Inspiration

I originally wanted to capture the green, mountainous environment of the park, just to see the beauty of nature and share it with my wife and my son, but I spent so much time capturing animals inside this mini zoo. This monkey captured my attention, he was very active and jolly. This was actually my first time to photograph a monkey so I patiently waited for this perfect moment to finally capture this shot.

Editing

I use Photoshop CS5 in post processing, usually my workflow is just contrast/brightness adjustment, noise reduction, if needed, simple cropping and that's it. Sometimes I use preset actions depending on the picture and taste.

In my camera bag

I recently purchased my Nikon D7100 body. The camera received a lot of good reviews without hurting my pocket. If you look inside my small camera bag, my Nikon 50mm 1.4G is always attached on my Nikon D7100. This has a professional grade lens for nikon enthusiasts and even professional that needs light weight lens for portraiture, street and all around photography. Great for low light situation and creates a circular Bokeh. Next one is my Nikon 85mm 1.8D. My ultimate go to lens for head shot portraiture. This one is very fast, sharp even wide open, and built like a tank. Ultimately reliable Autofocus system and also give you creamy background. You can also find my 60mm 2.8 for my extremely close-up/macro projects. This lens delivers a very good photos with finest details. I've just started the macro projects recently and I am so loving it. You can check my profile for few macro projects I added. My Nikon 10-24G lens is also included in my bag for ultra wide shots and landscapes. I sometimes use it in events coverage like weddings, birthdays and also for interiors and architectural. Although there's a big lens distortion at 10mm, you just have it use it in your advantage. Very versatile as you can also use as a natural focal length (24mm) for group shots.

Feedback

In taking this kind of shot, my little advise is to wake up early, look for a natural lights, be PATIENT to wait for that perfect shot and don't put your fingers and camera inside the cage :) You cannot plan this kind of shot, you just rely on luck, timing and presence of mind. And of course, the most important thing is that you enjoy yourself because that is most likely one of the reasons you are doing photography in the first place.

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ronnielorenzo

ronnielorenzo

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Behind The Lens

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