Path to the Mountains
I was very distracted while taking this photo as I had just given my 4 year old grandson a 'point and shoot' camera so he could take photos too. It w...
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I was very distracted while taking this photo as I had just given my 4 year old grandson a 'point and shoot' camera so he could take photos too. It was a challenge to keep him out of the pond! The light was magical and I simply had to make it work!
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Feb, 2017Views
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Winner in Sunset Reflections Photo Challenge
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wemco2
April 12, 2017
Ahhh! The perfect light! That moment! We all wish for this in every shot! Well done - Congrats!
Same photographer See allBehind The Lens
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Behind The Lens
Location
This photo was taken at a local fishing access site in my home town. It is much more than a river access as there are also trails, several ponds and plenty of wetland for birds to nest. In the springtime you frequently find sandhill cranes, geese, pelicans and many species of songbirds that move in and out of the area. A prime place to capture birds in their active spring behavior!Time
This was a special day for me as I wanted to take my 4 year old grandson for a 'hike' around the ponds. Because he always wanted to use my camera to take photos too, I had just gifted him with an old camera that I previously used on backpacking trips. We walked, read signs, practiced saying the names of several birds that we were seeing on our walk. Everything was a 'Red Winged Blackbird' after that! As the path turned towards the mountains the sun broke through the clouds and lit up the trees, mountains and sky. The late afternoon glow was beautiful and all movement stopped as I shot photo after photo in an attempt to capture the moment.Lighting
I wanted to capture not only the trees and sky, but I loved how the path led your eyes past the reflection and into the golden trees. My challenge was to keep the foreground bushes light enough to remain an interesting part of the image. In fact, I was taking a bit to long for an active 4 year old and I am pretty sure the ripples in the water were the result of him throwing a rock into the pond.Equipment
This photo was shot from a tripod with a Nikon D7100, Tokina f/2.8 28-75 and a 2 stop ND FilterInspiration
The spectacular light that was creating the pink on dark clouds, the glowing trees and the reflections! The trifecta of pieces that every photographer prays for...and hopes they can capture! Because my focus was on stopping birds in flight that day, my settings were much different. When the sun came out I was scrambling to change settings, get the camera on the tripod and dig out my ND Filter. It is amazing that I got any shot at all!Editing
Because I shot this image at 28mm to capture as much of the mountain range as possible, I had quite a bit of uninteresting sky. I cropped down to the colorful clouds and turned the image into a pano. After opening the Raw image, I slightly contrasted and balanced the levels. The biggest process effort was to reduce the line that the ND filter created. I then de-saturated a bit as the photo looked somewhat unreal, sharpened a touch and called it good.In my camera bag
Because I live where wildlife is plenty and landscapes are ever changing, I travel with all of my equipment in my car and get out the necessary lens for the shot I want to take. Thats pretty easy to do as I am a fairly new photographer and don't have rooms full of equipment! I shoot a Nikon D7100 and my go to lens is a Nikon f/4, 24-120mm and Nikon f/4 7-200mm. Also close at hand is a Tokina f/2.8, 11-20mm for ultra wide angle or night photography and a Nikon f/5.6, 200-500mm. My tripod is a carbon Manfrotto with a Giottos Head and a bean bag. Because I like to hike and get away from the road, I generally wear a loose vest to hold extra lens choices, a graduated two stop ND filter, lens cleaners, puffer, extra batteries and sd cards. I love to have almost everything with me!Feedback
Really learn your camera inside out so you can quickly change settings to meet the lighting or action needs. Always scout for nice locations to shoot the types of photos you are interested in most, then be there at the best times of day to capture the image. The mountain range in this image runs North and South with the ponds being on the west side of the mountain range. This makes for a spectacular evening/sunset and you just have to watch the weather and be there if the conditions are correct. Scout, plan and be ready for the unexpected. Most importantly, I was told by an instructor that "Anybody can shoot a snapshot, so always always look for impact that will create a great photo". Because of this advice, I always look for something special such as: lighting, behavior, facial expression, action...anything that will set my photo apart and make it come alive. Have fun!
