Kananaskis Village, Alberta, Canada
This is a resort nestled in Kanaskis Country. This photo was taken from a pathway inside the resort complex.
This is a resort nestled in Kanaskis Country. This photo was taken from a pathway inside the resort complex.
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Apr, 2016Views
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Behind The Lens
Location
Kananaskis Village Resort, west of CalgaryTime
Mid AfternoonLighting
This was a very cloudy day so lighting was very flat all things considered. Despite the flat lighting, which is tough for scenics in general, this shot, on the other hand, was "different" :-)Equipment
Nikon D7100 with a Sigma 18-250. Handheld. Underexposed to reduce reflection and bring out colors a bit.Inspiration
There was a bunch of us that have been out of work for quite a while. We started to bump into each other a various networking sessions and one of the career coaches said that job hunting as a group would make it more enjoyable. We took that advice and have since become very good friends. One member said it might be an idea to get away from job hunting to take a bit of a break (bless her heart) and it turned out that they actually had never been to Kanaskis Village! Soooo.... off we went. It was also "suggested" that I may "teach" a little :-) I brought along several extra cameras (I own more than a few...) Kananaskis Country is located on the edge of the Rockies near Calgary, so we stopped at several places along the way with the Village being the destination. It was during this tour through the Village, that I "saw" this shot.Editing
Yes - the original image was shot in 12 Bit RAW and due to the cloudy day, it was a but on the flat side. When I pulled up the image in LightRoom, there was a bit of color there so I increased contrast and increased saturation. Pulled back shadows and blacks just a bit. On shots like this, I find that composition can be a little tricky so I shot slightly wide with the intent to crop later. Of course I took multiples at various zoom lengths :-) For most part, I am shooting in RAW when I use DSLR's. I actually shoot both RAW + JPEG on my Nikon D7100 & D7200, and exclusively RAW when I use my D5100 & D3200. All my other cameras are shot in JPEG. I am a very firm believer of "getting it right" in camera, so I try for the best image possible in camera.In my camera bag
I don't always use DSLR's, so my gear changes based on what I'm doing at the time. Definitely have a camera or two with me all the time:-) I do tend to use DSLR's as my primary gear. My DSLR "kit" currently consists of two bodies, D7100 and D7200, Tamron 10-24mm zoom, Sigma 18-250mm zoom, and Micro Nikkor 60mm f2.0. I recently added the Nikkor 16-80 f2.8-4.0 for getting that extra stop for low light work. Nikon SB-700 flash. All have UV filters, and I have ND filters and Polarizers. Spare SD cards in a Pelican case, spare batteries for both cameras and flash. Gary Fong Collapsible LightSphere. Sekonic L-478 light meter and remote trigger. The usual lens cleaning kit stuff. I also have a Nikon S9900 Travel Camera for those "big zoom" shots :-) My normal bag/daypack is a Nikon back pack. I recently also purchased a ThinkGeek messenger type bag for the "out and about" city type stuff because stuff is more accessible.Feedback
I don't let time of day stop me from getting my pics :-) Weather doesn't always co-operate, so one has to sometimes "make do" with what you are dealt. As much as I am a firm believer of "getting it right in-camera", sometimes, actually a lot of times (:-)) it's simply not possible and so I feel it's important to REALLY REALLY know your basics around exposure and composition and get as close as you can in-camera. It's also important to know your gear and it's capabilities. Don't be scared to take a lot of photos but at the same time, try to make the shots count. My default for color is typically set to vivid so I can get extra saturation on my base image. I have some other "tweaks" for contrast, etc. in my D7100 & 7200 for what I do to suit what I do. Don't take a shot for the sake of taking a shot without some sort of "goal" or target in mind. I love my zooms because I can fill the frame and also vary composition depending on the shot. If I am not sure of a shot from the composition standpoint I will always shoot a bit wide as a "just in case". Sometimes, there's a shot "hiding inside", so taking a closer look doesn't hurt either :-) Don't know about anyone else, but I have had occasion where I'm glad I did that :-) I do use primes when the occasion dictates. Also, what are the odds of getting back to that spot to re-shoot? In many instances, I am shooting handheld and don't have a tripod, so I take enough shots to ensure I get a sharp photo. If I have a very specific landscape or other type of photo in mind, a tripod of some sort is always used. Yes, I do preview a lot :-) And yes, I will take a lot of photos. If the shot is simply a "bad" shot, blurred, whatever, I do delete on the spot in most cases. Otherwise, it gets reviewed before pulling it into LIghtRoom later. Don't stop learning!!!! I am constantly learning new things all the time. There seems to be a never ending supply of new techniques and perspectives on the art of photography. As one "finds their way", I feel it's very important to be aware of changes too. Also, I feel it's important to keep trying new things. To me, a HUGE motivator is seeing a photo in "your space" and trying to figure out how they got that shot :-) I have several photo meetups in my area and I try to get on their outings and meeting, to meet other photographers - each has their own perspectives and the information exchange can be actually very amazing. Many welcome novices, and even if you are more advanced, there's nothing like a face-to-face to understand a technique quickly.
