the sun watcher
Often times, I do not like to get photobombed, except for this time. I figured, a 96 second exposure would virtually erase her from the image, and I was wrong....
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Often times, I do not like to get photobombed, except for this time. I figured, a 96 second exposure would virtually erase her from the image, and I was wrong. She stood almost perfectly still for the entire exposure while welcoming the sun into her day.
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Aug, 2016Views
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Awards
Contest Finalist in Dusk Or Dawn Photo Contest
Peer Award
Superb Composition
Absolute Masterpiece
Top Choice
Magnificent Capture
Outstanding Creativity
All Star
Superior Skill
Genius
Virtuoso
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Impressed
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Same photographer See allBehind The Lens
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Behind The Lens
Location
This was taken at a community fishing pier in Shady Side, Maryland, right on the Chesapeake BayTime
This was taken at, what I believe to be the best time of day, blue hour, just as the sun starts to break the horizon.Lighting
The sun was starting to break the horizon and it was reflecting a beautiful glow off of the boulders. This, along with the cloud cover, created a really nice diffused light and color. I set the sun to my left as I composed triangular lead-in.Equipment
I used my trusty Canon 5DMKII, which has been my partner for many years. Even with the newer bodies available, I will continue with my MKII until it finally gives up on me. My lens is also another of my go-tos for landscape photography. The Canon EF 17-40 f/4L. Since I normally shoot in the f/10 to f/18 range, a faster lens is just not necessary for me. This focal length also gives me the option to shoot super wide, or standard wide. I have a Lee Filter holder 'permanently' attached to my 17-40, I say 'permanently' since I seldom shoot landscapes without a filter. And speakin of filters, on this day, I stacked a Lee Big Stopper under a SinghRay DB 4 stop RGND. This combination allow me to extend the shutter time for the smooth water, and knocks down the brightness of the sun for a more detailed foreground. All of this was mounted on a Manfrotto c190X and triggered with a Satechi remote trigger.Inspiration
I have shot this pier at Shady Side many, many times. I almost did not take this shot, as I feared that the woman standing on the pier would create a blur at this exposure. The light was just what I wanted, so I really had no choice. I figured I could clone her out if necessary. My original story was to show the glow off of the boulders, then have the eye travel along the diagonal to the pier towards the beauty of the sunrise. Once I looked at it on my monitor, i realized that the woman stayed practically still for the duration of the exposure. i just had to keep her as part of my sunrise story.Editing
I took the original RAW file and created two DNGs. One normal exposure, and one over exposed. I blended the two DNGs via luminosity masking to bring out the foreground a bit more. Once blended, I worked with selective colors to bring some additional warmth to the sunrise and bumped the clarity up a notch, as well.In my camera bag
Normally the following; Canon 5DMKII, Canon 7D and occasionally a Life Pixel modified T1i. Canon 17-40 f/4L or 24-70 f2.8L, 70-200 f/2.8L ISII, Canon 50mm f/1.4 Lee Filter system, Lee GND filters, SinghRay RGND Yongnou wireless triggers Wrigleys Cobalt gum. Sometimes more, sometimes less, depending on what I want to shoot. On this day, it was just the MKII with the 17-40 f/4L and my trusty filters.Feedback
Blue hour and golden hour can be tricky, as the light can change so quickly between exposures. My best advice is to know your location, and the weather forecast before arriving on site. This will allow you to better prepare for shooting your story, and to have just the right amount of equipment with you. Nothing worse than leaving that one piece at home..... You also want to have a good idea of what story you want to convey prior to shooting. Sunrises and sunsets are very fickle, and winging the shoot does not always work well.
