Jumping into the sun
Was in Anza Borrego, and looking at where the position of the Milky Way would be. Saw the sun on top of the horse's head, and decided to get down lower. ...
Read more
Was in Anza Borrego, and looking at where the position of the Milky Way would be. Saw the sun on top of the horse's head, and decided to get down lower. After getting my position just right, I took the picture.
Read less
Read less
Oct, 2016Views
129
Likes
Awards
Zenith Award
Summer 2020
Outstanding Creativity
Top Choice
Absolute Masterpiece
Superb Composition
Peer Award
All Star
Superior Skill
Top Ranks
Top 20 rank
Top 10 rankTop 10 rank week 2Same photographer See allBehind The Lens
Behind The Lens
Location
This shot was taken at Anza Borrego Desert State Park in California in 2016. This was one of my first times out shooting (besides my backyard) so it was very exciting!Time
We were going around and looking at the different sculptures that Borrego Springs had to offer and I happened to come across this awesome stature with the two houses. As I was walking toward them, I noticed the sun was almost setting behind the mountains but was aligning perfectly between one of the horses. I quickly framed my shot and snapped away!Lighting
I really like not only the silhouettes of the horses as they are backlit from the sun but also the long shadows that go toward the camera. It creates some nice leading lines while pointing toward the main subject of the picture.Equipment
This was shot on a Nikon D5300, Nikkor 18-55m lens at F/18, ISO 100, and shutter speed 1/200sec.Inspiration
I had seen some amazing images of the sculptures online and wanted to try my hand at it. I was also just discovering sunburst and loved incorporating them into photos. This had the perfect combination of the two.Editing
This image was almost solely processed in Adobe Lightroom. I adjusted the brightness, highlights, contrast, and shadows to have most of the focus on the horses. I then played around with the graduated filter and radial tool to darken the corners and part of the foreground of the image to again have the viewer's eye be directed at the horses and sunburst.In my camera bag
In my bag, I normally carry a Nikon D750, a Nikon D5300, a Tamron 15-30mm f/2.8 lens, a Nikon 50mm F/1.8, a Nikkor 70-300mm, an intervalomter, and a Manfrotto Tripod.Feedback
I would say to plan for any type of shots where the sun is going to be a major factor. I got lucky on shooting this location when the sun was in the exact right position, but don't plan on luck. Also, study different compositional elements and try and capture emotion and story into the image. It will resonate with the viewer much more if they can feel connected to the photograph in any way possible.
