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God Bless The Broken Road
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God Bless The Broken Road



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upload_dateAug, 2016

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Behind The Lens

Location

This photo was taken just off California's Highway 37. For years my family had driven up to Sacramento to visit my mom's sister so we had passed the entrance to this road hundreds of times. One day we just decided to go exploring and drove out to the very end of it. The sun was going down so the light was beautiful on the surrounding hay fields. I found it strange because it hadn't rained, yet there was water on the road in large puddles. The earth out there is always moving though, considering the bay was filled in on its northern most part. This road depicts just how much wear and tear that valley sees.

Time

If I recall correctly, this photo was taken around 5:00pm. The sun was raking across the golden fields just perfectly. Ironically enough, this photo was actually taken out the windshield of our family jeep. I wish I could say I balanced a tripod just so and got the lighting just right...but no, I just had to snap it from the passenger's seat!

Lighting

Highway 37 runs just north of the San Francisco Bay. There are not really any mountains or trees shielding the light, so the light is always very strong and very golden when one drives that road in the evening. True to form, this particular evening was no exception. There was a golden glow amongst the dry grass, but one that illuminated the surface of the road and left the crevices in the asphalt dark, creating a contrast that I felt I needed to capture.

Equipment

I used a Canon 3500mm lens, but no flash or other equipment except the jeep's dashboard as a makeshift tripod.

Inspiration

My family road trips a lot so I grew up viewing the open road as something wonderful. Obviously I loved this little abandoned road enough to snap a picture of it but I tried to capture the sense of freedom I feel whenever I go out on a drive of any kind. The sunlight on my face and the warm breeze blowing that day was especially worth noting. Driving is in a way my escape, my church, my home. The open road is something I never get tired of looking at. But instead of this one being smoothly paved, it had...shall we say a bit more character.

Editing

I tried to really bring out the contrast in the cracks in the road. The camera originally didn't pick up as much as I was seeing with my eye. However, after some careful burning and dodging, the cracks appeared as textured as they appeared in person. I also tried to bring out the clouds with some highlighting and using of the white balance. The sun was so gorgeous that day that the clouds were almost too bright to look at.

In my camera bag

I usually have a lens cap, an extra camera strap, my lens cleaning cloth, my miniature tripod, and if we're being completely truthful, also a couple packs of jelly beans.

Feedback

Look for the "in-between." Instead of focusing on the clouds, or what was possibly at the end of the road, remember that the entire experience holds little moments worth capturing. Don't wait for something "amazing." Make something old and worn become amazing.

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