_DSC8013
Sep, 2016Views
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People's Choice in Horses Photo Challenge
Absolute Masterpiece
Top Choice
Superb Composition
Magnificent Capture
Peer Award
Outstanding Creativity
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Behind The Lens
Location
This was taken along a stretch of country road I have traveled for almost thirty years without ever stopping to take a photographTime
We got up long before dawn needing to travel about six kilometers down the valley to get to the river junction. The mists are generally thickest here and i wanted to catch the effects of first light. This shot came towards the end of the session as the first rays of light broke through the thinning mist.Lighting
Taking advantage of the season we got on location before dawn and were ready when the tonal gradients of first light began to illuminate through the mist rising above the river..Equipment
Nikon D3 and a Nikkor 80~200mm f2.8 ED. Shot off a Badger beanbag in a car window.Inspiration
In the course of presenting a photographic workshop I was specifically looking for the soft pastel feel of heavily diffused light one gets in late winter/early spring in the fogs and mists tend to hug the high valleys along river courses. I was demonstrating static landscape exposure stacks to a client. We we working along a riverbank using it as focal point in composition. There were some horses in a nearby pasture above which the mist was beginning to lift. I noticed a couple of horses in on the fringe of the herd were beginning to challenge each other. Expecting a dominance conflict between the two, I quickly switched to a longer lens. i opened aperture fully, chose the fasted shutter speed I could at low ISO.Editing
CAPTURE NX2 . Tweeked chroma upwards to accentuate the gradient of soft hues refracted in the fog behind the subject. Used selective tool to apply NR to some areas and selectively sharpen others. The point being to accentuate subtle texture differences.In my camera bag
2x D3 bodies, 14~24mm f2.8, 80~200mm f2.8, 200~400mm f4 VRII, 55mm macro, 24m f2.8 prime plus reversal ring +ext tubes for super-macro.Feedback
In accordance with the Zonal System of exposure, I find it better to expose in the very top zonal range when shooting subtle tonal gradients and soft pastel colours. High shutter speed on 12fps helped freeze a suitable instant. Reading the surrounds and anticipation of developing situations allowed me to get in place and exploit the unexpected opportunity that presented.
