Sunset in a glass
Aug, 2016Views
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Behind The Lens
Location
This image was taken in Bodega Bay, California on the cliffs above Doran City Park where the bay meets the Pacific ocean. It is a very popular spot for whale watching, so finding the spot where it would not be full of tourists, whale watchers and other photographers was a bit challenging.Time
It was taken shortly before the sun met the horizon on Sept 29, 2015. It took 14 separate trips to this location during the month of Sept before we were able to capture the sunset without the fog obscuring it. Here in the San Francisco bay area, finding completely fog free days at the coast are few and far in between.Lighting
The lighting was actually very minimal for this image because we wanted to allow the sunset to be the main focus. Two small 12x12 soft boxes with Nikon SB900 flashes were set up on either side of the glass and table to just add a little edge light to the glass.Equipment
The equipment was pretty basic, Nikon D3, two SB900 flashes, two 12x12 soft boxes, tripod, a small wood table top mounted to a light stand.Inspiration
While not wholly unique, the inspiration for this particular shot was older wine advertisement that we had seen where a glass of wine had been used to showcase a sunrise/sunset over a vineyard. The concept was quite appealing and we wanted something that would work both as an art piece and for our commercial clients as well.Editing
Luckily the weather and limited lighting provided all we needed for this image. It was shot in jpeg (vivid mode setting) and it is presented straight out of the camera.In my camera bag
This answer depends on the bag. My "fun" bag is truly light, just a couple of bodies and 3 or 4 lenses, while two heavy rolling bags are for work. The full arsenal contains the following: Cameras: Nikon D3 (2), Mamiya Leaf Credo 80 (2). Lenses: Nikkor 14-24mm, Nikkor 24-85mm, Nikkor 28mm, Nikkor 35mm, Nikkor 50mm (4), Nikkor 80-200mm, Nikkor 85mm, Nikkor 105mm, Sigma 50-500mm, Sigma 70-200mm, Sigma 70-300mm, Sigma 85mm, Tamron 17-35mm, Mamiya 28mm, Mamiya 45mm, Mamiya 55mm, Mamiya 80mm, Mamiya 80mm, Mamiya 120mm, Mamiya 150mm, Mamiya 180mm. Additional Gear: Kenko Macro Tubes, Kenko Teleconvertor, Pocket Wizards, Manfrotto Tripods/Monopods Lights: Pro Foto, Visatec, Alien Bees, Novatron, Nikon SB900/600 FlashesFeedback
While the basic setup of this shot is quite simple, finding the location and having the sky and weather cooperate is really the difficult part. Not every sunset is going to work, finding that balance of color in the sky is really important. While I used some flashes to just give a tough of light on the sides of the glass, you really got to be careful with the reflections and not overpowering the main focus, which is the sunset or sunrise. The technical side: 90mm focused manually, 1/40 shutter, F8, iso 800. The SB900 flashes were set within the softboxes at 1/32 power and fired with pocket wizards. My advice for anyone inspired by this shot would be to let their imagination go wild. There is no right or wrong way here. Find that spot that will amaze you and be patient for the right sky to come along.
