Photo
Apr, 2019Views
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Top 30 rankSame photographer See allBehind The Lens
Behind The Lens
Location
This was a chance photo taken in the shallow waters off Bowen in North Queensland Australia.Time
We were staying at the caravan park near the beach & decided to take the dogs for a run on the sand flats in the shallow water in the early afternoon. It was one of those beautiful crisp clear days where everything looked clean & you were glad to be alive.Lighting
Lighting was just natural, I had to move around a bit to avoid shadows & get the best light on starfish without getting too much glare on the water. I know many photographers will disagree with me, but most of my photography is landscapes & nature, & I like natural lighting best. I rarely go in for fancy lighting effects. I leave that for others who have more experience & money for gear. I tend try to take photos Of what I like when I see them. Sometimes there is an extremely small window in time to grab a shot & then it’s gone.Equipment
I hate to admit it but this shot was taken on my iPhone 4. It was the only thing I had at hand & I thought any shot is better than no shot at all. I sent it off to be blown up & printed on canvas about 450mm x 450mm, the lab said it was too small To be clear & would probably be grainy. It came back as one of the best prints I have ever had done.Inspiration
I was inspired by the clarity of the water & the natural beauty of the starfish together, I had never seen anything like it before in all my travels. I was worried that the wind creating ripples on the water would spoil the shot, but I believe it made it better & added life to the photo.Editing
I did absolutely nothing to the photo, & again I’m sure others would disagree with my approach, but I loved the photo just as I had taken it.In my camera bag
I have a Pentax KS2 with 16-55mm & 55-250mm lenses (or there abouts), tripod, polarising filters ( which I rarely use) 3 batteries & more Flash cards than I care to admit.Feedback
My only advise is to have a device on you at ALL times That is capable of taking a half decent photo. I have an iPhone XR now that takes incredible photos & I have got some great shots just because I had it with me. When I travel my Pentax is always out on the seat beside me, or my wife is holding it ready to shoot. I am going to get a GoPro as well for taking photos in extreme weather & places when I can. But whatever, just be constantly looking for the next great shot. If you take a hundred photos & 99 of them are rubbish, it’s all worthwhile when that one shot is special.
