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Jul, 2016Views
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Same photographer See allBehind The Lens
Behind The Lens
Location
This photo was taken on the last day of our family holiday which was spent on the west coast of South Africa in a little coastal town called Britannia Bay. I grabbed my gear and made my way to the beach where my partner and son were fishing. The beach has some wonderful rocky areas where the figures were silhouetted against the backdrop of the sunset.Time
This image was taken just after sunset, in winter around 18h00. The sunset was spectacular, with oranges, golds, pinks, greys and blues which were also reflected in the water.Lighting
Light changes quicker than you think in winter and you need to be prepared for that. I wanted to catch the waves crashing on the rocks to give a feeling of movement as well as the strength of the lone figure.Equipment
I used a Canon 7D, handheld,with no additional filters.Inspiration
I am driven to capture the ephemeral quality of light and in so doing hopefully capture a feeling or tell a story. I had spent a fair amount of time photographing around the area and this particular evening the sunset was magnificent. The sky was ablaze and as the sun set my partner became a silhouette against the exquisite sky. I wanted to capture the solitude of the lone figure against the natural wonder of the sea and the sunset. I didn’t just want holiday snaps, I wanted the bittersweet feeling of the last sunset, the last opportunity to fish, the last picture.Editing
I shoot RAW/L and in this image I wanted to shift the focus from the colors in the sky to the feeling of solitude. I achieved this by processing black and white. I used a simple programme as I was still on holiday called PICASA which I find suits my needs.In my camera bag
I always have my Canon 7D, standard lens 18-55mm, Sigma 70-300mm, 50mm and my trusty Ixus 980is.I use Lexar pro memory cards and a Lexar professional dual slot reader. I always have a UV filter on my lenses and use a ND filter when I want to enhance clouds or the sky. In my boot lives a Manfrotto tripod and a fold up reflector for portraits.Feedback
Be prepared and be patient. The ocean can be wild and unpredictable. To achieve a similar image find out what time the sun sets and be on the beach timeously. For this photo I knew what feeling I wanted to capture - the solid figure against the changeable and powerful ocean. Composition is vital in a successful image so I positioned myself where I needed to stand in order to place my subject in the frame. I wanted to lead the eye around the image using the rocks, waves and figure. In this case because I had chosen B&W the feeling of solitude is exaggerated. Practise makes perfect. If you do not get it right the first time, try and try and try again. And most importantly have fun!
