Beaver Lake
This beautiful lake is just east of Nordegg, Alberta and flows into a stream with a series of rapids. I used my Lee 10 stop ND filter to make the water silky a...
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This beautiful lake is just east of Nordegg, Alberta and flows into a stream with a series of rapids. I used my Lee 10 stop ND filter to make the water silky and capture the movement of the grass in the wind.
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Aug, 2018Views
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Behind The Lens
Location
I was on a photo trip with a good friend in the Nordegg area in Alberta, Canada. We were hiking and exploring the area, when we came across a sign pointing to Beaver Lake Picnic area. We pulled in and upon exploring the lake further, found this area where the lake drains into Beaver Creek.Time
We had been hiking and photographing in the morning and were looking for a lunch spot. This photo was taken at 1:45 PM.Lighting
We were experiencing a sunny day with clouds moving in and out. As it was early afternoon, the light was bright with the moving clouds providing moments of shade.Equipment
This was taken on my Pentax K3 camera, using my 16-50mm 2.8 lens at 39mm, f22, ISO 200, mounted on my Manfrotto Befree carbon fibre tripod. I had my 10 stop ND Lee Filter attached for a 15 sec. exposure.Inspiration
I loved the transition of the flatness of the lake and the movement of the water as it drained into the creek over the rapids. Being a fairly bright day, I wanted to slow my shutter down so I could capture the water movement as silky. It was also windy, with strong gusts, so I also wanted to capture a little movement in the clouds. I felt the long grasses and rock in the lower right hand corner gave it more weight and balance. The slow shutter speed also blurred the grasses as they moved in the wind.Editing
I use Lightroom for my post-processing. I decreased the highlights and luminance of the blues to bring out the details in the sky. I increased the shadows to give more detail in the trees, increased the whites slightly and added a little clarity and contrast.In my camera bag
I always travel with my Pentax K3 camera, my 16-50mm 2.8 lens, my 55-300mm 4-5.8 lens, my 100mm 2.8 macro lens, my 10-17mm 3.5-4.5 fisheye and my Pentax 1.4x rear converter. I also pack ND and polarizing filters as well as my Lee 10 stop ND filter with adaptors and holder. My Manfrotto Befree carbon fibre tripod is in my pack for hiking, and my aluminum Manfrotto tripod is in the back of my car for drives and photo ops close to the car. I also carry spare batteries and a cable release for long exposures.Feedback
Exploring an area may present photo ops not obvious at first. The picnic site was by the lake, but walking around, we discovered this lovely area. Be willing to get a little dirty for different perspectives. I set my tripod close to the ground and water as I felt it gave the shot a little more intimacy and I liked the composition better than the "usual" standing upright" position.
