sun through suv
Aug, 2016Views
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Behind The Lens
Location
This photo was taken just outside of El Morro National Monument in Ramah, NM. As our group of photographers on a week long educational wolf expedition traveled out to the monument for a photo op I turned around just in time to catch the sun coming right through the window of our rugged expedition. It was surreal, like something out of a National Geographic ad. I got so excited I pulled another photographer over to see the perspective. When you see something this beautiful you I have share!Time
Now I'm not one for the pre dawn hours but to get shots of the sunrise it comes with the territory so we set out around 5:30am and drove the 25 minutes to El Morro to photographer how the sun would light up the bluff in a stunning golden hue. Just after sunrise when we'd taken most of our shots I decided to turn the camera toward the sun and see what desert-scapes I might be able to capture. I began to walk around our SUV when I was blinded by sunlight streaming directly through the windows. I happened upon this stunning scene and crouched down to get the perfect angle before the sun rose too high in the sky.Lighting
There is no denying that sunrise and sunset times are the best light of the day and when you're in a place like New Mexico, out in the high desert away from buildings and distraction the light is heightened and more beautiful than you can imagine. Nature truly created the best light of the day during sunrise.Equipment
This image was shot with my Canon 5D Mark III handheld using the Canon 16-35 f/2.8. To get the right angle and depth I was at 32mm shooting f/5.6 at 1/125. I guess you don't get more standard than that now do you?Inspiration
This isn't a typical photo for me but I couldn't help but be overcome by how the light was guiding the scene. It was a real moment. We had about 10 photographers scattered along the side of the road at dawn. We traveled in the 2 SUVs to capture the sunrise. As groups do we all were taking the same shots of the same landscapes so this urban landscape scene, to me, perfectly told our story. Sunrise through the SUV, side of the road and a beautiful scene.Editing
Yes, I have a standard set of micro adjustments I do using Adobe Lightroom for all of my photos. With this particular one I also ran it through Nik software to bring out the detail in the clouds and the pitting you see in the road. By punching up the structure in these select areas as well as enhancing the already gorgeous colors of the scene I was able to bring out the detail that you otherwise would lose in such a bright scene.In my camera bag
My Canon 5D Mark III is my primary camera and comes with me everywhere for every type of shoot. It's a workhorse and performs great in all circumstances. I'm normally a prime shooter so my bag always has multiple options like the Canon 50mm f/1.2 and the Sigma 35mm f/1.4. For this trip I was switching off between the Canon 16-35mm f/2.8 and the Sigma 20mm f/1.4 which I have to say is quickly becoming my favorite lens in my bag. For zoom I primarily use the Canon 70-200mm f/2.8 which doubles as an incredible portrait lens. Lastly I always carry the Canon 580ex II speedlite equipped with Madmod's maggrip to quickly change flash modifiers. If you haven't checked them out it's essential, compact and has incredible performance for any type of photographer!Feedback
As I stated I do not like pre dawn so sunrises are not usually my thing but they are worth it! Get up early, get out and play with the light. You will see light and colors that you just don't see at any other time of day and you'll be thankful you got up. The other huge piece of advice that I can not stress enough is look around you. see things from different angles. It's okay to shoot what everyone else is but then, once you do, get low to the ground, look up at the sky, turn and see everything else. That is when you may be surprised and happen upon a scene you would have otherwise never had the opportunity to see. Happy shooting!
