Flamingo - dark and light
Apr, 2016Views
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Behind The Lens
Location
I took this photo at Parque Bicentenario in Santiago de Chile. This is a big park with large green areas to play soccer, take a long walk in the nature or have a picnic. Also there are two artificial ponds with small birds, ducks, and flamingos. When the sun is up, you have a paradise in the middle of the city !Time
It was Saturday early afternoon, just after lunch. A park full of playing kids and people at all ages enjoying themselves represents the perfect spot to find a special photo. That day I have the drive to take random pictures rather than having a certain idea in my mind. I let myself flow with that energy.Lighting
As you can see in the photo it was natural light coming from the back of the animal. That created a reflection in the water I decided to take benefit from in the post processing phase.Equipment
This was shot on a Nikon D3300, with an 18-55 mm lens. It was a hand held shot.Inspiration
At first I thought about the coolness of capturing a flamingo and its reflection. Days later, at the post-processing phase, I understood it had a more profound meaning. I observed two personalities in the picture: one corresponding to the flamingo and the other one to its reflection, an animal and its shadow, a white flamingo and its mean twin brother. I liked the drama involved and decided to power it up.Editing
Yes, this picture required a lot of post-processing. First there were many tiny dots on the water ( tree seeds I guess ) that I had to take care of. Two photoshop tools came in handy: clone stamp and spot healing brush. Second, as the photo was converted to black and white to give more significance to shapes and textures, I chose to emphasize the contrast between the white flamingo and its background; also within the body, by lightening the white areas and darkening the middle and shadow areas ( with that process feathers look softer and well defined.) On the other hand, I made the reflected flamingo darker. However some areas were kept with the original light or were lightened to preserve the definition of the body, especially in the area around the face of the animal.In my camera bag
Right now I have two camera bodies, a nikon D3300 and a nikon D7200, a Tokina 11-20 mm f/2.8 lense (great for landscapes and real state photography), two YN560 III Yongnuo flashes, a YN560-TX flash controller, a Sirui tripod, a wireless remote controller and a grey card. Recommendation: if you use flashes in a frequent manner buy rechargeable batteries. You will save money in the long run.Feedback
Sometimes a composition catches your eye and you don´t have a clear idea why. Look carefully. Ask yourself: what exactly is catching my attention ? Is it just a visual pleasure or is there a second message ? If you need to let the image rest for a couple of days. Let the subconscious mind become conscious. At some moment it will make a “click” and you will realize what to work on to emphasize that second message. Take all the time you need and then share that amazing photo with the world to enjoy. Good luck my friends !
