alicialee17

Pittsburgh Dancer

A few dancer friends willingly woke up to do some sunrise shots in the city one weekend. I just purchased a new softbox and wanted to practice with it....
Read more

A few dancer friends willingly woke up to do some sunrise shots in the city one weekend. I just purchased a new softbox and wanted to practice with it.
Read less

Canon EOS 7D

settings

Aperture 63/10 ISO 100 Shutter 1/200 Focal Length 24/1

upload_date

Aug, 2016

Views

184

Likes

+34

Awards

Chatter Award

Top Shot Award 22

Great Shot

Peer Award

Outstanding Creativity

Superb Composition

Absolute Masterpiece

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Behind The Lens

Location

This photo was taken in the North Shore area of Pittsburgh, PA.

Time

This was taken around sunrise. It was in the late summer. So, that means we were on location between 5-6am.

Lighting

I really wanted to practice with my new 26" Westcott Rapid box. I knew that I wanted the lighting to be a bit dramatic. I increased the light on my Canon 580 ex II speedlight in order to brighten the model. The backlighting on her was from the morning sun. I love how the speedlight is a weak hard light on her, but it doesn't take away from her elegant pose.

Equipment

This was shot using a Canon 7D equipped with a Canon 24mm. I also used my Canon 580 ex II Speedlight with a 26" Westcott Rapid box with diffusion panel added on to it. The light was triggered using a pair of Cactus V5 radio transceivers.

Inspiration

Dance photos have always fascinated me, and I had always wanted to photograph dancers. I met a girl who had been doing pointe ballet for many years and was excited for the chance to have her pictures taken. I knew I wanted to add drama to this image and was very pleased with the results.

Editing

I am one of those photographers who LOVES to edit. I won a Photoshop GURU award in 2012 and always push to see where I can take my images. Originally in this photo there were some items in the water and on the pavement that I had to remove. Around this time of the year, ducks are all over the North Shore of Pittsburgh. I had to remove any evidence of them being there (let your imagination run with that). To make the background sharper and a bit more dramatic, I processed it as an HDR image and masked the model out of that image. I did a little bit of overall color correction and lightened a bit where the model was and voila! The photo was complete. :)

In my camera bag

I normally keep a few primes with me at all times. For portraits, I am in love with my Canon 85mm 1.8 lens. The bokeh is amazing on it and the subject is always tack sharp! For landscapes I love the Canon 24mm 1.8 lens. There is little to no distortion at the edges which makes it perfect for capturing more in my viewfinder. I also always carry with me a Canon 50mm 1.4 and a Canon 18-200mm 3.5 lens, but those have become more of a backup lens and not so much my go-to lenses anymore. They are still amazing, though!

Feedback

It's easy to get discouraged when you are constantly seeing so many truly beautiful images online. Remember that everyone had to start from the some lower level of talent with the same fears, rejection, hard-work and tears. The difference is they kept trying. They made mistakes, learned, researched, practiced, and got better. You can't get better if you don't try. Don't let the fear of failure cripple you and keep you from becoming better. I still have days where I take photos and wonder why I should even be calling myself a photographer. And, I am sure I'm not the only one who has felt that. Always keep learning. Never stop practicing. Only compare your current self to your past self.

See more amazing photos, follow alicialee17

alicialee17

alicialee17

Pittsburgh Dancer

A few dancer friends willingly woke up to do some sunrise shots in the city one weekend. I just purchased a new softbox and wanted to practice with it.... Read more

Behind The Lens

See more amazing photos, follow alicialee17

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A few dancer friends willingly woke up to do some sunrise shots in the city one weekend. I just purchased a new softbox and wanted to practice with it....
Read more

Share photos. Enter contests to win great prizes.
Earn coins, get amazing rewards. Join for free.