michaellemiski

_8077395 Dark Hedges

Familiar as the King's Road on Game of Thrones

Familiar as the King's Road on Game of Thrones
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OLYMPUS E-P5

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Aperture 9/2 ISO 200 Shutter 1/320 Focal Length 60/1

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Feb, 2019

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Behind The Lens

Location

This is Dark Hedges in Northern Ireland, which may be known to Game of Thrones fans as the 'King's Highway'.

Time

We made it over to Dark Hedges around 9:30 am, trying to get there before the tour buses arrived. We stayed some distance away, otherwise it would have been nice to arrive at the golden hour.

Lighting

The side glancing morning sun was still a little more harsh than I wanted, so I did tone it down in post.

Equipment

This photo is taken handheld on an Olympus Micro 4/3 E-P5 Pen camera with a 17mm F/1.8 M.Zuiko lens.

Inspiration

Other photographers captures of this ethereal location have interested me for several years, and when we travelled nearby, I just had to book time in our schedule to see it for myself.

Editing

When we arrived we pretty much had the place to ourselves, but as I set up for this particular shot the first tour bus arrived so I cloned out half a dozen people on the road.. I left a dog that your can find if you look closely - a sort of 'Easter egg!' I shoot raw, and this photo was developed in Affinity Photo, reducing the constrast to remove the harshness. Using NIK Viveza, I added some dodge and burn to draw the eye into the picture, and then modified colour cast to what my mind remembered, .

In my camera bag

I shoot Micro 4/3 for it's compact size, which was especially good for this travel. In a small pack I usually have a 60mm macro lens, my everyday 17mm f/1.8 prime and a 40-150mm zoom. If I anticipate wildlife shooting I will bring the 2x extender for the Olympus Pro zoom lens. And if I want some cityscape or landscape fun I will bring my Rokinon 8mm fisheye. I only bring along the tripod if I the light is poor. Just in case, I carry a compact tabletop tripod (Ultra Pod II) - it has a velcro strap on it that allows me to use anything like a fence, post or branch as a stable suppport.

Feedback

For a popular spot like this, you need to arrive early to avoid the crowds. The road provides the leading line for you, and the trees like this provide the character. Try many different positions and see what shows up in the viewfinder, some perspectives will look better than others. Try to maintain a generous depth of field.

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michaellemiski

michaellemiski

_8077395 Dark Hedges

Familiar as the King's Road on Game of Thrones

Behind The Lens

See more amazing photos, follow michaellemiski

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