Iconic African Sunrise
My safari trip to Kenyan was life changing. The mornings when the sun rose, the sky turned a golden color and the sun appeared as just an orb. For me, this was ...
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My safari trip to Kenyan was life changing. The mornings when the sun rose, the sky turned a golden color and the sun appeared as just an orb. For me, this was the classic iconic shot and I was so grateful to have had the opportunity to be on the Maasai Mara National Reserve to enjoy it.
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Jun, 2016Views
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Awards
Lucky 3 Award
Runner Up in Tree Silhouettes Photo Contest
Contest Finalist in Tree Silhouettes Photo Contest
Contest Finalist in A Lonely Tree Photo Contest
Contest Finalist in Show Minimalism Photo Contest
Contest Finalist in Visions Of Africa Photo Contest
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Peer Award
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Forrest_Imagery
February 15, 2017
Yup, I second that. THE iconic African scene/shot.
You nailed it. Congrats !
You nailed it. Congrats !
PRO
Same photographer See allBehind The Lens
Behind The Lens
Location
This photo was taken just after sunrise while on safari in the Maasai Mara National Reserve in Kenya. In my mind I had something like this as the iconic African sunrise, and I was so pleased to be able to capture this scene on my safari.Time
This was taken just a few minutes after sunrise around 7am. The sun seems to rise quick on the Maasai Mara.Lighting
The light in Kenya early in the morning has an amazing golden hue. The light was amazing from sunrise to about 9am. The plains were golden, the animals were golden and of course the sky was a golden rose color. During my visit, it seemed that every day, the sun was a glowing hazy ball, perhaps, subdued by the dust of the Mara. For this photo, I wanted to capture the sunlight through the tree to highlight the tree's silhouette.Equipment
I was shooting a Nikon D800 with an 80-400mm lens. This was one scene where I was shooting at 80mm. This photo was shot hand held.Inspiration
Before my trip to Africa, I had in my head an "iconic sunrise in Africa". For me it was the silhouetted umbrella tree with the ball of the sun behind it. This particular morning, I asked the guide if he could find us a tree that looked like an umbrella tree so that I could try to create with the camera the image in my head. In this area of the Mara, there are few trees and we were lucky enough to get to this one in time to capture the shot.Editing
I shoot only in raw so most of my photos benefit from some post processing. That being said, this photo had only minor work on it in Lightroom. I brought down the highlights to enrich the sky color and bring out the clouds, and I brought up the shadows to give a sense of foreground. There was some general sharpening and a bit of additional saturation added to have the photo match the image I saw that morning.In my camera bag
If I am headed out for a landscape shoot, I normally bring pretty much my whole bag which includes: my Nikon D800, Nikon 24-70mm lens, Nikon 70-200mm lens, Nikon 18-35mm lens, a 2X teleconverter, a polarizer, a couple of neutral density filters, extra batteries and chips, allen wrenches (just in case something needs adjusting). I also have a along my Really Right Stuff tripod and associated brackets. On this particular trip, I rented the 80-400mm and this replaced the 70-200mm and the 2X teleconverter.Feedback
A couple of things that might be helpful to capture a similar photo: 1) make sure you have scouted the area ahead of time so you know where you want to set up, (2) make sure you are out early and setup long before sunrise, (3) have a tripod if possible, (4) don't limit yourself to one composition. I walked back and forth and captured several shots of the sun to the left side of the tree, the sun to the right side of the tree, the sun behind the left side and the sun behind the right side. I also captured it at multiple focal lengths. I did this by also having a Nikon D600 as a backup camera and had on it my 24-70mm lens. This enable me to capture a wider scene. In the end, this was my favorite photos - the one that capture the image I had in my head. Lastly, if you have the opportunity to compose / shoot the scene more than once, do so. I had photographed the sunrise with another tree a day or so earlier, and I didn't like the tree or how the photos had turned out. I was fortunate to have another opportunity. I once worked with another professional photographer, and he said that sometimes it takes 20 times to get the ideal shot. I was fortunate that it only took twice to capture the image I had imagined.
