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Garrison



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2 Comments | Report
DNproSTUDIO
 
DNproSTUDIO April 05, 2019
this is a really amazing photo
harmeetsingh
 
harmeetsingh October 19, 2019
Great
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Behind The Lens

Location

This image was taken looking southeast from the west side on top of the Garrison earthen dam on Lake Sakakawea in North Dakota. This dam controls water levels on the Missouri River and is also used for hydroelectricity. At one point in history, it was the largest earthen dam in the world and now it ranks 5th.

Time

My buddy (another photographer) had broken down at the dam and it was probably about 10:00-11:00pm when I received a call asking if I could come help him out and get him. I agreed because I know how bad breaking down stinks, but I was tired and was about to get in bed... not to mention it was about an hour and a half drive for me. I saw the sparkle in his eyes when I pulled up as he ran up to my car, frantically telling me to get my camera out and shoot the spillway area. At this point it was probably around midnight to 1:00am. The lighting and the cloud motion was just amazing. Thankfully, I know to always have my camera ready if I'm going to end up meeting up with him. My tired and sluggish mood quickly turned into exhilaration and I believe we stay out shooting all night before heading back.

Lighting

Nothing too special. The lighting worked itself out and was perfect for a nice long exposure with fast moving clouds. It took me a few test shots to maximize cloud blur without blowing the image out too much.

Equipment

I used my full frame Nikon d610 and the Nikkor 14-24mm f/2.8 (I can't live without that lens... no matter what I'm shooting, if I can make it work wide angle, I will always choose that lens... Its just as sharp at f/2.8 as it is at f/3.5 and the color really pops). I believe I was using a Manfrotto tripod and a remote shutter release.

Inspiration

Honestly, this just happened to be one of those right place, right time things. I brought my camera on the way to help my buddy out and I never expected to run into a composition such as this. I ended up getting a night-time full of fantastic unexpected images later as well. That's what I love about photography... many times, the unexpected images rule the day.

Editing

Yes, I'm a post processing nut. Many times, I will process my favorite images again a few months down the road as I learn new techniques or try something else out on a new image that really turned out great. This was one of those cases, where I decided to process the image from scratch almost two years later. I am the first to admit, I sometimes push my post-processing to the limits. Photography is my hobby, and I do it first and foremost, for me. I can go overboard and exaggerate some scenes at times, but it is calculated and intentional. I want to feel just the tiniest rush of joy and exhilaration I felt originally taking the shot. If people want to criticize me for over editing, that's fine and I don't care. It's my art and it helps to me to experience the euphoria that my art can bring me. I'm taking the raw beauty nature provided me, and then I get to create and stretch it further. I am very empowered knowing I don't have to be a purest (not that there is anything wrong with that). Don't let people tell you how to edit. Be open to constructive criticism but only if you feel that it has actual merit. Enjoying the post-processing let's me re-live a moment of incredible, and sometimes life changing, experiences over again... a brief glimpse of those priceless flashes in life when nothing else in the world mattered. Okay, that was long but it is a subject that I am very passionate about! For this edit, I used quite a bit of clarity and contrast in Lightroom before balancing my shadows and highlights. For this type of shot I really enjoy bringing up my shadows quite a bit, bringing my highlights down while at the same time bringing my blacks down as low as I can go before clipping important details and my whites up as high as I can go before blowing the image out. I then opened the image in Photoshop CC, duplicated the image into a new layer, and blended the two layers with a 60% multiply blend before duplicating the second layer and applying a 20% Gaussian Blur filter to the new third layer. I used heavy masking on that layer so the image wouldn't look too out of this world, but just enough to give it slight dreamy quality. Finally, I added a couple of gradient filters to get the tones exactly like I wanted them, applied some slight noise reduction and sharpening, and you see the result!

In my camera bag

The Nikon d610, Nikkor 14-24mm f/2.8 lens, Nikkor 28-300mm f/3.5 - f/5.6 lens, various filters, extra batteries/charger, remote, flashlights, hand warmers, a Cannon Powershot point and shoot, and a couple of video cameras for storm chasing. I am getting more into portrait work, and hope to purchase a 50mm f/1.8 shortly.

Feedback

Keep your gear with you whenever you can, even when you aren't expecting to use it. Most of my favorite and memorable images came when I least expected it. Always be open to changing your plans on a shoot to capture something that may end up being even more special. Prepare yourself to be flexible and spontaneous. Try not to let photographers you don't know tell you how to edit your work. Listen to those select photographers you respect, who understand what you are trying to create, and who respect you. Seek the light and show the world how much light there is, even in the darkest of nights!

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