Don't be Koi
dallas arboretum
dallas arboretum
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Oct, 2016Views
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Awards
Winner in Marine Life Photo Challenge
Winner in Under Water Photo Challenge
Winner in Pond Life Photo Challenge
Peer Award
Outstanding Creativity
Top Choice
Absolute Masterpiece
Superb Composition
Magnificent Capture
All Star
Superior Skill
Virtuoso
Genius
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Behind The Lens
Location
This was shot at the Dallas Arboretum a few years back. The koi pond is just inside the front gate.Time
This was taken in early afternoon on a fall dayLighting
It was a pretty bright day, but in order to get the water as transparent as possible I looked for a shady area to shoot in to reduce reflectionsEquipment
This was taken hand-held with a Canon 70D and 85mm F1.8 prime lens.Inspiration
This was my first trip to the Dallas Arboretum, I went expecting to take a lot of shots! The Koi pond is well maintained with crystal clear water, I wanted to see what I could create there...Editing
I manipulated lighting, shadows, and highlights pretty heavily using LightRoom to help make the water more transparent, but nothing was PhotoShopped.In my camera bag
These days I normally carry a Canon 70D with a Tamron 16/300mm mounted, and a 5D Mk III with any number of lenses ranging from a 8mm diagonal fisheye to a Sigma 200-500mm telephoto depending on what I'll be shooting. I'm usually looking for cool things at random while traveling, so I often don't get to plan a lot of shots beforehand - I've found I spend the most time with various prime lenses and the 17-300mm Tamron though, the Tamron's range lets you capture almost anything on the fly and reduces the need for lens changes out in the open. There is a bit of barrel distortion, but nothing that Lightroom can't handle.Feedback
When trying to make water as transparent as possible, I usually try and keep the sun behind me and blocked as much as possible. Shooting at an angle also seems to help keep reflections to a minimum. I also turn off autofocus so I can get the fish sharp and not the surface of the water
