A Hard Day's Work
Last rays of sunset illuminate the new hay bales, pasture and background barns.
Last rays of sunset illuminate the new hay bales, pasture and background barns.
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Mar, 2017Views
1897
Likes
Awards
Winner in The best sunset moments Photo Challenge
Peer Award
Superb Composition
Absolute Masterpiece
Top Choice
Outstanding Creativity
Magnificent Capture
All Star
Virtuoso
Superior Skill
Top Ranks
Top 10 rankTop 10 rank week 1
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Categories
PRO
Ultimate
Latitude4236David
June 18, 2017
Great capture. I really like the composition and overall presentation.
PRO
anthonygerardfoley
August 16, 2017
Good control over rule of thirds. It gives good balance and a dynamic perspective to the scene. Welcome to View Bug.
PRO
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Behind The Lens
Location
Macoupin County located in west central Illinois.Time
Sunset, just before the sun drops below the horizon.Lighting
Generally, sunsets provide light that is warm and plentiful, almost magical. The sun was disappearing behind the trees and last rays of light stretched across the open field. I like how the side light brings the texture out of the grass and helps pull your eye across the scene.Equipment
I have a Nikon D800E combined with a 17-35 f2.8 lens @17mm. Generally, I shoot around 24mm focal length but for some reason chose 17mm for this shot. 99.9% of the time I shoot on a tripod, which gives my the ability to mix exposures and focus stack, if required.Inspiration
Living in the Midwest, I love the things that make this part of the country unique. I focus on old barns because of their character and importance to rural life. Barns play a pivotal role on the family farm, and I try to capture these old, remarkable buildings before they disappear from the landscape. The bales of hay help anchor the image and add interest.Editing
Yes. I shoot in RAW, so post is always a part of my workflow. I enjoy the creative process and actually have several versions of this image. Because the photo is RAW, I have to make a lot of decisions. I shoot at sunset and sunrise because of the natural colors associated with early morning and late evening. Sunsets usually have a lot of warm tones which appeal to me. Most of the time spent in post focuses on color, making sure shadows and highlights aren't clipped and adjustments that help direct attention where I want it. The location provides structure, and I try to process the image into what I'm feeling at the time. That being said, as I evolve and learn, my skills change and find myself returning to images for additional processing.In my camera bag
Nikon D800E, 17-35mm f2.8 lens, 28mm prime lens, 50mm prime lens, 85mm prime lens and 70-200mm f2.8 lens. For most of my work, I use the 17-35mm lens set at 24mm. I carry a few ND soft grad filters, which I use occasionally. I always shoot from a tripod using a Really Right Stuff ball head and the Really Right Stuff panning clamp when shooting a pano. I also use a remote trigger in low light. Other than that, I have a lens cloth, a small flashlight, notepad, pen, batteries, things I might need in the field.Feedback
Be patient! Scouting for a location takes time and waiting for everything to come together can be frustrating. There are two times of day to shoot: morning and evening. When conditions aren't there, it's frustrating. Shoot, shoot and shoot some more, practice pays off. Don't be afraid to make mistakes because it's part of the process. Many times I've shot a scene only to disappointed. Often I can go back and shoot it again, but I've also had to wait a year before trying again. The internet is your friend and there's a ton of great resources. Viewbug is a great place to study photographers who appeal to your particular style and don't be afraid to ask questions. Also, experiment!!! There's been a number of times when I shot something that I thought was pointless but turned out awesome.
