DSC_0284-2-Edit-LOGO
Aperture 71/10 ISO 400 Shutter 10/10000 Focal Length 1050/10 
Feb, 2019Views
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Behind The Lens
Location
I captured this image at an intersection of a rural road. My eye caught the sunlight shimmering on the ice covered trees and leftover winter foliage. The river was to my right, a corn field and Interstate 80 were in the background of this rural setting.Time
The night before I took this the weather had heavy icing in the forecast, so I was prepared to get out early to scout around. It was about 7:30 when I started out and I headed east towards the sunrise.Lighting
Because everything was covered with ice I wanted to be sure the sunlight would be backlighting the subject matter. I knew that would create some really nice bokeh in the background.Equipment
I used my Nikon D850 with a Nikon Nikkor 105mm f/2.8 VR Nano lens. I hand held the camera because I had plenty of light,knowing the sun backlighting the ice would create some really nice bokeh in the background. I had plenty of light and f/2.8 created the bokeh I wanted, so I hand held the camera.Inspiration
The ice and lighting was an ideal combination. I am somewhat of a bokeh-holic, so I was excited about the upcoming ice storm. The early morning sun was a gift that really made this more inspiring. I really struggle with a lot of vines and other plant life and I had only one free hand to pull back some of the distracting vines. At that time I was a little frustrated for not having any small clips to help me, but then decided to allow some of the vines in the foreground to give me some foreground bokeh.Editing
I use several editing tools. I import my RAW files to Lightroom and make a few adjustments. After that I am in Topaz Studio where I spend the most time post-processing. I end up with some finishing touches in Photoshop. Most of my life I spent in the darkroom printing for professional photographers. Often you would here professional photographers say a lab can make or break the photographer. In this digital age that has not changed much, but many images are post-processed by the photographer. I see so many really nice images photographers have posted only to end up being a ho-hum, spiritless image do to poor post-processing. When I worked with negatives in the wet lab I would have a final print sitting in my work area at the end of the day that I felt was a winner. The next day I would come in and say "What was I thinking"! It is the same with digital post-processing, sometimes walking away and leaving for another day can be your best decision.In my camera bag
I use a Nikon D850 with a variety of lenses new, old and other brands with adapters to fit Nikon and Sony E-mount. I recently had my Nikon D700 converted to infrared. I enjoy using vintage c mount lenses designed for 16mm cine camera on my Sony A7R. The lenses I use with my Sony are Kinoptik 9mm, 32mm, 40mm and 75mm. I also use Wollensak, Schneider and Angenuiex lenses.Feedback
As the Boy Scouts say "Always Be Prepared", but many times we find our self not being prepared, having some clips to pull back some distracting vines would of been helpful. Sometimes we need to go with what we have and dig deeper, think outside the box to solve whatever it is that has us frustrated at the moment. I believe the foreground bokeh gave this image much greater depth, some problems can be solved in post-processing as well.
