On Patrol
Oct, 2016Views
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Awards
Contest Finalist in Silhouettes In Nature Photo Contest
Peer Award
Superb Composition
Absolute Masterpiece
Top Choice
Outstanding Creativity
Magnificent Capture
Superior Skill
Virtuoso
All Star
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Behind The Lens
Location
I shot this image in the front yard of my home in Pennsylvania, where there's always an abundance of wildlife. I've learned to carry my camera when I'm in the yard, so as not to miss an opportunity to capture a deer, fox or hawk. When I took this photo of my dog Koda, a Rhodesian Ridgeback, he had just stopped running. He was intensely watching a group of about 10 deer that were crossing the yard. I happened to be in a good spot, turned quickly and go this shot. Koda appears quite majestic as he watched the deer.Time
This image was taken at sunset, around 6:00 PM in October. The entire Southwestern sky was lit up a wonderful golden-yellow.Lighting
The Fall season in Pennsylvania features some spectacular sunsets, the colors of which can't be created even by Crayola. This shot was taken around 6:00 PM while the whole family was in the yard playing around. The creative lighting was provided by nature, all I had to do was be in the right place, and decide what type of picture I'd take. I quickly decided on a silhouette, mainly because I wanted to feature the colorful background, the web of trees and branches, and a majestic dog standing on his hill.Equipment
I shot the image with the Nikon 70-200mm, on a D810. I was in manual at f/2.8, 1/2000 sec, at 200mm, and ISO 320. I was just strolling around looking for something interesting to happen when this shot presented itself. I was handheld, and used no other equipment on this evening.Inspiration
The colors and background of trees I've seen so many times at my home, so I wasn't looking to shoot it on this day however, when my dog ran and stopped like a statue on his favorite hill, it was instant inspiration. While he was frozen watching a group of deer, I imagined what might be going on in his head. Knowing my dog as I do, he was probably hoping those deer would come over and play. But to me, he looked as if he were on patrol, so that's what I named the photo.Editing
There's not a lot of post-processing in this particular photo. I was just learning how to use Lightroom, so I was able to take down a little of the highlights, and adjust the clarity slightly. I don't particularly care for too much clarity and saturation. I find that the D810 does a pretty good job of reproducing images the way that I see them through the lens. I did crop it down to an 8x10 for printing.In my camera bag
My bag (SKB Case) includes Nikon bodies D810; D800. Lenses are 70-200 VRII f/2.8; 24-70 f/2.8; 35mm f/1.4; 85mm f/1.4; 16-35mm VR f/4.0. I don't use lens filters. I carry an SB 910 flash, and I keep a monopod in the trunk. Eneloop batteries, Rotolights, Lexar cards, and a Rogue flash bender. My favorite tripod is the Vanguard Alta Pro with Pistol grip ball head.Feedback
One thing that I still need to become better at, is being able to gauge conditions at sunset. Because things change so quickly when the sun is setting, I had to learn to establish some initial settings to taste, before heading out. I set white balance to a slightly warmer value, for example, and start at about ISO 640. Then I had to learn to make quick decisions for how I want to capture subjects when they become available. In this case it was a bang-bang decision to go for a silhouette, because I didn't want to blow out the background at all. It took less then 3 seconds to change my settings - going to a lower ISO setting, and changing shutter speed to slightly underexpose. About five seconds after I shot this image, my dog moved and the scene was gone forever. I would also suggest that if you must, take a 'quick' look a the screen, and then take more images. I should have done that, instead of admiring this one exposure.
