YellowFilterCubeNG
Magic Cube... Sometimes a yellow filter can make all the difference...
(c) Duffy Doherty
Nov, 2017Views
1337
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Awards
Contest Finalist in Shadow Quest Photo Contest
Contest Finalist in Picturing Shadows Photo Contest
Contest Finalist in Epic Abstractions Photo Contest
Peer Award
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Top Choice
Absolute Masterpiece
Outstanding Creativity
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All Star
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SteBil30
November 20, 2017
What, where the heck is this? I've never seen i oh and be the way great shoot, I've never used color filters before.
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DuffyDoherty
November 20, 2017
It is mounted/placed/standing in front of Copper Mountain College in the town of Joshua tree, CA
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allisonvanzant
Jan 08
Wow! Stunning! I don’t even know how to begin to take a photo like this.. wow!
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Behind The Lens
Location
This sculpture sits on the campus of Copper Mountain College in Joshua Tree, California. Most people know about Joshua Tree National Park, but the area surrounding the park contains many points of interest, and a ton of photo worthy places and elements. Simi Dabah is a Sculptor, who has lived in the area for 40+ years, creating fabulous metal sculptures such as this fine example.Time
This is a mid-day shot. I had been out in the desert, inside the park since before sun-up, and after returning to have some breakfast with my wife Susan and our two dogs, I decided to see if i could track down some of Simi Dabah's sculptures. The traditional wisdom is that midday light is harsh and flat, and so not good for photography. I disagree. Hard and flat light lends itself to beautiful black and white or monochrome images.Lighting
The day was pretty bright and clear, however there was a nice spread of high clouds, to give the sky texture. In my mind, I wanted the sculpture itself and its shadow to have as close to equal value as possible in the final image. In other words, I was attempting to abstract the light, through a manipulation of the values presented. This is mirrored in the sky and background.Equipment
This is a hand-held shot, using my Nikon D600 with my Nikon 16-35mm F/4 lens. No flash. I do use Black Rapid camera slings and did on this day. I have nothing against tripods, and use them often, however there is a particular zone I get into when I'm just ambling around and shooting at will, that feeds my creativity. Many of you like myself are also musicians. Using a tripod and setting up a shot is like sitting down and composing a piece. Wandering around and shooting hand-held at my own natural pace is like taking a solo over the changes. For me there is a freshness there...and that's what I really love...Inspiration
I have been to Joshua Tree National Park a multitude of times. During my first visit it was all about the park and its magnificence. I think this is often true visiting any National Park for the first time. What is outside of the park is possibly lodging, eating, shopping etc., but my main focus is exploring the park. Each successive journey however colors in the background of the surrounding area, and I find myself exploring the people and lives of those in the region. On this visit, driving in, I noticed a roadside sculpture...and then another one a few miles away that sat unobtrusively off the road. I decided to investigate! After securing the RV, I got into Google Earth and tracked down the story. I was able to locate and shoot several of these impressive works of rust and steel...Editing
I shoot in RAW, so every image has to be developed. I use Adobe Camera Raw or Lightroom (whichever I am in the mood for as there are pros and cons to both) I knew I wanted this to be black and white, and so after basic sharpening, camera calibration, etc., I opened Nik's Silver EFX Pro II. The sky was too light for my vision, and my first thought was to treat it with a red filter, but it made the sky too dark. I settled on a yellow filter which I adjusted the strength of until I reached the desired value balance for the image. There are many possible forms of abstraction, shape, line, color etc. In this case I wanted to abstract the light.In my camera bag
More and more I simply decide what kind of shots I am going to attempt and only bring what I need for those. If it is a long trek to my location, I will bring gear suitable for more options. On this day my car was my camera bag! I usually carry my two Nikons, D600 and D810. My go to lenses for walking around are Nikon 24-70mm F/2.8G and Nikon 16-35mm F/4, and I have my Nikon 70-200mm F/4 within reach. I carry my Nikon 105mm F/2.8 for macro, and my Nikon 58mm F/1.4 for bokeh. The 58mm in particular has spoiled me for bokeh. Nothing else will do now...The figure to ground separation it creates is astonishing... I usually have a tripod if I decide I want/need/desire that, and I have two Nikon SB-700 flashes for when I need to add a touch of illumination.Feedback
Look at lots of photographs. Try to analyze what techniques in camera and post that allowed the Artist to create the shots that really move you. Talk to them if you can! Practice, practice, practice. I have taken over 1000 images of the stereo components and sundries on the bookcase across from my living room couch, making mental notes of what different setting achieve. Take pictures of everything in your yard or immediate environment and then practice your post work on them even if they are not suitable images for presentation. After awhile you will almost instinctively know what you can do to with your camera, and also have a good idea how far you can reasonably push your post work to arrive at your vision. A final image is rarely what you saw, but what you imagined...
