Petrified Forest Rotted Car 2016
This car sits at the Route 66 photo op spot along the Petrified Forest Road just North of I-40. Lucked out to catch it at sunset....
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This car sits at the Route 66 photo op spot along the Petrified Forest Road just North of I-40. Lucked out to catch it at sunset.
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Nov, 2016Views
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Behind The Lens
Location
I shot this photo (handheld) on a road trip in 2016 while heading north through the Petrified Forest deep in the Arizona desert near Route 66. I didn't even know it was there until I pulled over for a scenic shot of the sunset. Then there it was just begging to be photographed with the sun setting in the background.Time
We'd been on the road all day, shooting anything and everything that caught my eye. It must have been around 7pm and the sun was rapidly setting in the Arizona desert. I leapt out of the car, camera in hand and hurried over to the site to frame up the composition. A few shutter snaps later the sun had drifted below the horizon. I honestly feel like some power in the universe meant for me to be there at exactly that moment in time to capture this shot.Lighting
Arizona sunsets - take advantage of the warm golden hour light, the vastness, and the big skies. The position of the sun in the sky and off to the right of the subject made for a perfect backlight. There weren't too many clouds and there was still enough light in the sky to give some definition on the foreground, but barely. In truth, I was worried that the shot would be totally underexposed. I wasn't on a tripod and I was shooting RAW (I always shoot RAW+Jpeg) and I didn't want to overcompensate with a slower shutter speed or ISO. I just had to hope that there'd be enough information in the image to do some post when I got home. Gratitude.Equipment
This was shot on a Canon 6D with a Canon EF 24-105mm f/4L IS lens at f4, 24mm, 100 ISO, 1/100 shutter speed. No flash. No tripod. The only filter used was for UV.Inspiration
I'd lived in the American west years before I really got interested in photography. I've since moved away from that area of the country. So on this cross country road trip, once we got out west I found myself shooting every landscape, sunset, mountain, hill, and craggy old and interesting thing I could put my eye on. I set out this day to catch some images of the Petrified Forest, but what captured my imagination was the sight of this rusted out antique car placed on blocks as a celebration of the spirit of freedom and independence signified by the "wild west" and the impact on society as a result of the advance of the automobile. The car spoke to me. I was compelled to photograph it!Editing
I've been using Luminar for a while. It's a very handy and intuitive post-processing software for Mac. And it's way cheaper than Photoshop. I worked the heck out of this shot to bring it to life; too many steps to enumerate here! Everything was there in the frame - the raw materials, but it didn't have the emotion and vibrance that I saw through my viewfinder on the day until I'd spent some time meditating on it and dialing away at the sliders and filters. I generally tend to lean a bit on the hyper-realism end of the spectrum. For this haunting, etherial shot I felt that was exactly what was called for. I try to use post-processing as a way to communicate with the viewer so that hopefully they might see the emotion of the moment through my eyes.In my camera bag
My bag has evolved slightly over the past few years. I started out simple with a Canon 6D and Canon 24-105mm f/4 lens, and a few basic filters (UV, Polarizer, ND). I usually carry a Zomei Z818 tripod, but I haven't yet developed the patience to really make good use of it. I've got one of those Gorilla tripods for tight spaces. But I shoot mostly handheld. Deep breaths. Steady. I've added a few piece to the kit over time. I borrowed a Canon 16-35mm f/4 from my brother, and I'll be holding onto that one as long as he'll let me! Great lens. On a Safari trip in South Africa in 2017, I picked up a Canon 70-300mm f/4-5/6, which really helps when you're trying to avoid getting eaten by the lions or trampled by the rhinos or elephants! Next time, I'll be opting for an even longer lens. 300mm is great, but I want to get way closer. Oh, and don't forget backup batteries! And media. And a hard drive to offload images from the SD cards. The bag is getting pretty heavy, so I'll swap gear around depending on the requirements of the shooting environment.Feedback
There are countless opportunities to shoot something like this out along Route 66 and generally in the American southwest. It's all about timing, location, and having a great subject. But serendipity can't be discounted. You can plan all you like, but the exact weather conditions on a given day are going to dictate how high the clouds are and how defined your sky will be. If patience is your strong suit, then plan it, set it up, and wait for your moment. If you're more spontaneous like me, then you'll have your camera at the ready and be constantly scanning the horizon for the shot that has your name on it. Most of all, make it yours by putting your emotion and point of view into the shot. What really draws my eye is when I see another person's life experience expressed through their photography.
