Sudeley Castle Carp
Taken at Sudeley Castle, Winchcombe, UK. There is a carp pond sat in the grounds. I had a fascination with their open mouths. The water droplets look like its e...
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Taken at Sudeley Castle, Winchcombe, UK. There is a carp pond sat in the grounds. I had a fascination with their open mouths. The water droplets look like its eyes even though its eye are on the side. Spent ages lying in the grass over the edge of the pond.
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Aug, 2016Views
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Behind The Lens
Location
I took this photo on a day out to Sudeley castle in Winchombe UK. Its a gorgeous castle that the owners still live in, with a church, castle ruins, formal gardens and a large pond. The pond is topped with lily pads, flowers and had lots of large carp swimming around.Time
This shot was taken 31st July 2016 at 15:45. I had tried to take some shots earlier in the morning but those carp just weren't cooperating, so just had to come back after we had explored other area of the castle. I spent quite some time lying on my belly at various angles around the pond much to the amusement of fellow visitors to the castle.Lighting
It was a lovely sunny day but with enough cloud cover to allow experimentation with different levels of light. I wanted enough sunlight to be able show the movement and reflection of the water but still allowing to show the gorgeous colours of the carp.Equipment
I used a handheld Canon EOS 1200D with a 18-55 mm f/3.5-f/5.6 Zoom Lens.Inspiration
The pond was one of the first things you come across on walking into the castle. The carp were bold fish and i spent time watching some young children throwing grass into the pond, the fish were fighting amongst themselves splashing with wide open mouths above the surface. I loved the colours of the fish, ripples in the water and the wide open mouths. I felt i wanted to capture that moment in time so had to utilise my fiance for some finger clicking to draw the attention of the fish so they would swim over to him to allow the shot to be taken from the best angle! I loved how the water droplets gives an impression of eyes but they are in fact further around the side of its face.Editing
It turned out exactly as i wanted it so one of the few times i said to myself 'leave it alone it doesn't need anything'!In my camera bag
I try to travel as light as possible with just my camera and 2 lenses that i change as needed. I use a 18-55 mm f/3.5-f/5.6 and 55-255 mm Zoom Lens. I have a very recent addition of a canon 50mm f/1.8 prime so will have to see how that goes.Feedback
Getting down as low as possible was a important for the angle and allowed to get up close to the fish. This was taken on single shot mode but multi shot would probably help capture the open and close of the mouth easier. The light reflection was important for me so being conscious of sun direction and even experimenting with shadow helps to see what effect it had. I kept the shutter speed high ish at 1/1000 to ensure a crisp picture. Also as wanted the fish focusing on me it help to have someone to draw the attention. Most importantly though was patience, as with any animal they don't always do what you want, so be prepared to spend the time waiting until that moment comes together.
