The Red Trail - St-Lazare, Quebec
Here is a small portion of the trails that are available to walk our dogs off-leash. This is the rarest of commodities in Québec. That trail is my favorite one...
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Here is a small portion of the trails that are available to walk our dogs off-leash. This is the rarest of commodities in Québec. That trail is my favorite one. It twists and turns so it feels as though we are the only beings in the woods. Very peaceful. The section displayed here is full of maple regrowth (yellow and orange foliage seen in the background). In the summer time, It almost looks like a bamboo forest with light green all around. Really cool!
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Sep, 2017Views
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Behind The Lens
Location
That photo was taken on one of the trails in St-Lazare, Québec. I walk my dogs there on a regular basis.Time
It was taken on October 18th 2016. It was midday, under bright sunlight.Lighting
It was a very bright day. The fall colors were especially beautiful that year. The yellows were flashier, the reds and oranges more vibrant. That trail is a favorite of mine. It is an old sugar maple forest. In that particular section, there are numerous baby trees all struggling, shooting upwards for the light. That is why the leaves are greener closer to the ground. It reminds me of a bamboo forest.Equipment
That particular shot was taken with my cell phone, a Samsung S4. No tripod nor flash were used. Mother Nature took care of the lighthing. :))Inspiration
The rain had just ended so the colors were bold and bright. The air had that typical autumn earthy smell. I loved the contrast of the more subdued yellows and greens on the trees juxtaposed with the bright reds and oranges leaves that had already fallen on the forest floor. It was just THE perfect fall day.Editing
I wanted a bold contrast between the tree trunks and the color of the leaves. That is why I decided to darken the trunks. I wanted for the viewer to be drawn to the light. Also, it you look closely, I did some dodging and burning to very subtly mark the path of the trail as it curves to the right around the big tree trunk. I further enhanced it by blurring the leaves on either side of the path while keeping the leaves on the path itself sharp. I also did some clone stamp work in the top of the image to conceal some blown highlights where there were openings in the canopy.In my camera bag
I walk my dogs practically everyday for many hours at a time. And I like to carry my camera along. First and foremost, I wanted a mirrorless camera. I needed something small and light that was also weather, dust, freeze and dog proof. That is why I opted for the micro four third (mft or m43) Panasonic system, more specifically the G9 model. It is smaller and lighter that full frame camera systems. And with a crop factor of 2, that means my lenses reach twice as far. But as in all things, there is always a compromise. With a sensor a quarter of the size of a full frame sensor, it does not perform as well in low light. However, since most of my shots are taken during the day, it is not a problem. I own two tripods. A light, compact Promaster model for air travel and a sturdy carbon fiber Neewer for more '' serious '' photography. I currently carry three lenses : the Lumix G Vario 12-60mm F3.5-5.6, an Olympus 40-150mm Pro F2.8 and I recently purchased the Leica DG Vario-Elmar 100-400mm F4-6.3. I also own a reversing ring and extension tubes for macro photography, a circular variable Neutral Density filter (ND 2-5) for long exposures and an R72 filter for Infra-red imagery. My next baby will be a super wide angle 7-14mm lens. I will purchase it in time for my next trip to Prince-Edward-Island, hopefully in 2021. I carry all this in my Promaster sling shoulder bag.Feedback
The best camera is the camera you have with you. Go with the flow. Do not overcomplicate things. Get out there and shoot. Equipment is not the most important part of photography. Light, composition, emotions, beauty, storytelling is what matters. If those elements are present in your images, they will bring you and your viewers great pleasure.
