benjaminsuter

Sunbeams Along a Path

SONY ILCE-7M2

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Aperture 5/1 ISO 100 Shutter 1/200 Focal Length 490/10

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Aug, 2016

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My dog and I went for a walk along this country road before a storm rolled in.

Behind The Lens

Location

I took this photo at Clifton Gorge State Reserve in Ohio.

Time

This photo was taken around 10 in the morning. A friend and I got all packed up early that morning to drive to Red River Gorge National Park in Kentucky for some camping. We saw Clifton Gorge on out GPS and decided it would make for a good way to stretch our legs and go for a morning hike.

Lighting

The lighting on this particular day was rather sunny which made for a hot and humid morning. Along the trail you would mostly be surrounded by tall trees that blocked out the sun for miles but every so often there was a spot where the sun managed to poke through the network of branches. This caused some interesting lighting in a few locations along the path. I hoped to capture that contrast in my photo.

Equipment

I used a Sony a7ii with the kit 28-70mm lens. This was my first time trying out this camera. So naturally, I was very excited and decided to plan a while road trip so that I would have the chance to use it! I called up my friend and asked if he would want to go travelling and camping over the next few days. He agreed, so we left the next morning!

Inspiration

In the moment when I was taking the picture I just remember being drawn to this particular section of the path. I had already hiked several miles along the path but this spot really had caught my eye. My friend I was hiking with and I had just walked through a rough and dense portion of the trail and we then came to this point where the sun was so clearly poking through the tops of the trees and lighting up the path before us. The trail right after the illuminated portion then veered off back into the darkened dense forest. In that moment I just felt rejuvenated. For a tiny moment we were out of the hot, sticky forest and in the open air where you could see the sky and feel a little breeze.

Editing

As I mentioned previously I did do post processing to this image. I first opened up in lightroom which I used to do some color correction and dodge and burn. I also really used this to bring out the contrast between the spots where the sun hits the trees and the trees that were in the shade. Once that was done I opened the edited photo in light room and used some brushes to accentuate the god rays and make them more visable to the viewer. I then duplicated the layer and put on a blur filter as well as completely desaturating it. Next, I put the opacity of this layer around 30% so that the original photo would show through slightly. This helped create a slightly diffused look to the image.

In my camera bag

I used to have the Sony a65 that I used on much of my early photography . I just recently upgraded to the Sony a7ii which I use the kit 28-70mm lens with. I am trying to save up for the G lens or a nice 16-35mm lens for my landscapes! I also carry around a zomei tripod and a 10 stop neutral density filter.

Feedback

Always take the shot. Don't doubt your instinct. Yeah, you may get several photos that you wouldn't even want to show your pet dog but that is the beauty of a dslr camera. It is better to take 5 bad photos and be able to learn from what you did wrong so that you can get that one excellent photo. Over time your sense's will become better in tune with your subject and you'll be able to pull off stunning photos each time.

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benjaminsuter

benjaminsuter

Sunbeams Along a Path

Behind The Lens

See more amazing photos, follow benjaminsuter

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