Truckee Thursday
Nov, 2016Views
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Same photographer See allBehind The Lens
Behind The Lens
Location
I took this photo along the Truckee River, where it runs through the Eastern edge of Truckee.Time
This photo is a sunset photo. During the summer, Thursday nights are the province of our weekly street fair, "Truckee Thursdays." Over the years, this fair has grown in size and popularity considerably. On this particular evening, the summer monsoon was developing, as it can in the Sierra Nevada in June and July. I thought the evening would be much more productive for shooting than it would be for the fair.Lighting
During the summer monsoon, it's all about getting out. Our skies in the Truckee/Tahoe region are blue and cloudless much more often than not. When the clouds set up, and you can see a gap to the west, it's always worth getting out with your camera and setting up in a spot you know to be productive. This particular evening, the light was excellent for a few hours before sundown. This gave ample time to experiment before the peak. Other iterations of this shot, and indeed from this shoot have great tones, but this one is the strongest, and it shows the peak late sunset reds and purples that happen if you are patient.Equipment
I shoot with a Nikon D800e and a really right stuff tripod (TVC-24L with a BH-40 ball head). For this shot I was using the Nikon 18-35 f/3.5-4.5 lens, and Lee filters (1.2 soft ND and little stopper).Inspiration
The Truckee River is a truly fantastic natural resource in my region. As a fly fisherman, I spend many days fishing it, and the runs through town are easy to access when time is tight. I do volunteer work and science instruction on this river frequently. It's a huge piece of my life, and I work to understand it and have a photographer's perspective of it. When the light comes through, I often head to river and see what IcanEditing
Yes, of course. I always engage in a post-processing workflow. I primarily use lightroom, and outside of dust removal, most of my edits are global. For this image I did all of my basic edits, including white balance and exposure settings. I also subtly tweaked the presence settings to more closely match the scene as I saw it. A little bit of sharpening is often required on long exposure images, like this one at 3 minutes. I also added a graduate filter to bring the foreground and background closer together in exposure, strengthening that relationship as I attempted in camera.In my camera bag
I have a pretty basic kit that I use for most things. The bag itself the LowePro Whistler. I need to have room or outdoor equipment alongside my camera stuff. I use a Nikon D800e for my buddy and carry two lenses: the Nikon 18-35 f/3.5-4.5 and the 28-300 3.5-5.6. Because much of my work is oriented around backpacking, I have to keep my lenses light. Sometimes I'll throw in my old victor macro lens. I always carry a suite of neutral density filters and grads from Lee. I strap my Really right stuff TVC-24L tripod on the outside. Along with my remote shutter release, I typically have backup batteries and cards.Feedback
My advice on landscape photography is always the same. Get to know your surroundings and get as comfortable as you can be with the weather patterns in the area you are shooting. If you know the spot well, you can be prepared to execute when the time comes. If you can see likely awesomeness before it happens, it gives you the confidence to invest time. It's all about comfort with your subject and your equipment. As far as your mindset, don't sweat what anyone will think of the work, shoot for yourself, and create what brings you joy. When it comes to landscape work, it's so hard to stand out, so create s the moment unfolds. For this picture, and many others, I'm in the water, with my camera just above it. I know most others aren't going for a dip on these locations, so it helps me create unique angles.
