Sunrise in Kruger National Park, South Africa
It was our last morning in South Africa and South Africa did not disappoint! We were sad to leave but this sunrise raised our spirits and the animals said good...
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It was our last morning in South Africa and South Africa did not disappoint! We were sad to leave but this sunrise raised our spirits and the animals said goodbye along the road on the way home.
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Aug, 2016Views
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Awards
Contender in the Photography Awards
Action Award
Zenith Award
Top Shot Award 21
Legendary Award
Member Selection Award
Superb Composition
Top Choice
Absolute Masterpiece
Outstanding Creativity
Peer Award
Magnificent Capture
All Star
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Top 20 rankTop 30 rank week 1
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Top 20 rank
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Behind The Lens
Location
It was our last morning in Kruger National Park, South Africa, and we were lined up at the entrance of our Satara Camp waiting for the gates to open for the day. Incredibly sad to be leaving such a beautiful place, we were all sitting quietly in the Jeep and watched the sun start to rise, lost in our thoughts. South Africa once again took our breath away as we watched the incredible scene unfold in front of us. I am in love with the trees, so to be able to capture this moment with the trees silhouetted by that beautiful sunrise was truly a gift.Time
Sunrise. Around 5:30amLighting
Taking pictures right into the sun will automatically give you that silhouette in a landscape. Being where we were, the time in the morning and the position of where the sun was on the horizon, it was unnecessary for me to use a filter to balance the light of the sun against the much darker foreground. This allowed me to get such amazing detail in the tree. The atmospheric conditions helped in balancing the light, acting like a natural filter.Equipment
I shot this with a NIKON D7000 with the Tamron 150-600 f/5.0-6.3 lens. No filter was needed.Inspiration
We were waiting for the gates to open at camp and watched the sun start to come up. I love the trees in South Africa, so this magnificent sunrise combined with the incredible architecture of the tree was a no-brainer. Just beautiful and peaceful.Editing
I did a little cropping of the photo and a dab of clarity, no other processing was necessary.In my camera bag
Gripped Nikon D800e as my main body. Typically shoot Nikon 35-70 f/2.8 and Tamron 14mm f/2.8 Sony a7rII Sony Zeiss 16-35 f/4 Sony Zeiss 70-200 f/4 Nikon 50mm f/1.4 Lens cleaning kit Think Tank Photo Memory Pocket Rocket card holder 2 Peak Design Capture Pros Peak Design sling Small Lee Filter system-ND grads and polarizer Extra memory cards Extra batteries External hard drive, laptopFeedback
My biggest piece of advice to anyone is learn how to use your gear. It does not matter what kind of camera you have, if you don't know how to use its features then you are setting yourself up for disappointment and frustration. Also, a basic understanding of photography fundamentals like light, exposure, shutter speed and aperture will allow you to use your camera at its fullest potential. I am always learning and continue to study the work of my favorite photographers to gain a better understanding of how to achieve the look I want. It is so frustrating to have in my mind the image that I want and not being able to get it because reciprocity failure. Practice, practice, practice! Take your camera out in your backyard or your neighborhood and practice the fundamentals. The more experience you get the more natural it will become to take the shots you desire.
