Early Bird
A photo taken 0600 in the morning, on a Sunday. I am crazy. This guy is too.
A photo taken 0600 in the morning, on a Sunday. I am crazy. This guy is too.
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Jun, 2016Views
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Top Shot Award 22
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Absolute Masterpiece
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Behind The Lens
Location
There's this large park by my house, and I used to go there when I was little. I forgot about it until high school stress threw itself at me and I needed a getaway place. The more I visited, the more I started to appreciate the park and all of its natural beauty. So one day, I decided to have a photo shoot there. As I was heading back to the car, I noticed a small group of these beautiful snails. First I decided to just stare at them, but then I realised that I could take some photos. And I'm glad that I did.Time
I believe this photo was taken around six in the morning. I woke up at four to be ready to shoot at the park by five, but I forgot mosquito repellent and was attacked by a massive cloud of them. Once I came back more prepared, I managed to actually spend some time both in the park itself and on the path to the park where I discovered the snails.Lighting
This was rather a spontaneous shot, but because snails are (thankfully) slow, I was able to move around and take various distant and tight photos without them moving too much. Out of all of the photos I took, I really love the way this photograph shows a small 'inside look' on the snails shell, and the snail itself as well. The early morning light is really strong, and it gave the snail a look of frailty and transparency where the shadows gave it a little bit of depth. Not a lot of photographers like shooting against the sun, and I can say that I'm guilty of stopping myself from doing so, but with the way this snail looked, I knew I had to take a chance.Equipment
I used my Olympus E-420 (Also known as Ernest), which is now my secondary camera, as I got a new one as a graduation gift. The lens is a Zuiko 40-150mm, no lens hood, no flash, and definitely no tripod. The pavement and my hands made for a nice tripod replacement.Inspiration
When I first saw the snails, I was just intrigued by them. I mean, snails are common, but they can be hard to find, so seeing a small group of them scattered along a path made me stop and stare. A couples of days before I read an article on dogtime.com about how to photograph dogs, so I transferred some of the tips while photographing the snails. I'll be honest, I don't know if I would have photographed the snails so well if I haven't read the article. But the shot itself, as all of the other shots of snails, was completely spontaneous.Editing
I'm shocked to say that I didn't. When I first started using Ernest (the E-420), I didn't use automatic mode, but I did not know what I was doing (I was twelve, holding a brick in my hands), so my father taught me aperture priority. I got caught into the trap of being comfortable with the setting, used it for a long time, and relied heavily on post-processing. It's like makeup, I felt the need to post process because I wasn't confident with my shots. I didn't feel like I was able to capture what I wanted, but I also didn't really know what I wanted. It was only in grade twelve when I finally forced myself into manual mode. It was scary and odd, but thanks to my photography and film teachers, I am now able to confidently take shots such as this one. So if you see a makeup-less, wild-haired girl running around shooting on manual mode, it may be me.In my camera bag
It definitely depends on where I am going, for how long, and approximately how many shots I am planning to take. My standard kit includes my baby Olympus OMD EM5 mk. ii (Also known as Leada, in honour of my great grandmother, and a shorter name than that mouthful) with her M. Zuiko 14-150mm ii lens, her small hot-shoe flash (Don't you just despise the built in ones? I feel like no one can use them properly.), Ernest, a VERY old Black's TDZ 120 flash (We're talking battery powered here, but a lovely garage sale find), a 60cm collapsible reflector with all of the standard colours, and a camera strap that goes across my body... Although that is usually worn on me more than is inside of my bag.Feedback
Firstly, don't be like I was at the beginning. Explore your camera and its features the moment you put that strap around your neck. Know your camera inside out. Completely. Like, be ONE with your camera. Also note that despite having a new camera, I still used my old one, so never doubt the performance of yours. Even the old ones. Every model is different and has its own charms and perks, which is again why you should KNOW your camera completely. Now to be more specific to the shot: Find a good place where snails can hang out. It doesn't have to be a park, it could be your backyard, a garden, somewhere around your workplace, anywhere! The key here is to wake up early as well, because sometimes we need to hunt our prey before we can shoot it. I personally don't see a lot of snails except for the early morning, so I only had one option. The early morning sunlight definitely helped capture the transparency and frailty on the snail and its shell, so if you can wake up early, do it. If you can't, still do it. And after your first photo shoot, you will not have to force yourself anymore, you'll just enjoy the thrill. Definitely experiment with your settings, and take PLENTY of photos, because you never know which shot is the best. To be super specific to this photo, try to get as close as your cameras focus will allow you to, to get a very tight shot. This will definitely allow you to focus in on the small details of the subject, such as this snails texture. Be spontaneous, and open to trial and error, and definitely reflect on your photos after you've picked the best ones. That way, your next photo shoot will be better, and that snail more gorgeous. And always be confident with your shots. Sometimes nature doesn't have to be processed, just left natural.
