Lake Ovid Sunset
Jun, 2019Views
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Behind The Lens
Location
This photo was taken at the public beach on Lake Ovid, located in Sleepy Hollow State Park, about 10 miles northeast of Lansing, Michigan.Time
I took this photo at dusk, with the sun setting behind a stand of trees on the opposite shore.Lighting
I wanted to convey the feeling of the peaceful solitude you often feel as you watch the sun set, so I decided to use long exposure to capture soft motion in the clouds and the water. The soft breeze created a nice motion effect in the reeds in the lower right.Equipment
This was taken with my Canon 80D, with my EF-S 10-18mm wide angle zoom set at 10mm, f/11, ISO100, and a 30s exposure. Because of the long exposure, I of course used a tripod! I also used a 10-stop ND filter with circular polarizer.Inspiration
I had just purchased an ND filter, and I'd been itching to capture a dramatic sunset with it. We were camping with friends at the State Park, and I left a warm campfire to drive to the public beach on Lake Ovid to set up before sunset. My timing was good, and I was able to set up and capture a few long-exposure shots, of which this one was the best.Editing
Yes, I did some cropping of the image, and some adjustments to the sky using Luminar's AI Sky Enhancer tool (NOT sky replacement!).In my camera bag
I typically carry my Canon 80D with my four lenses (50mm f/1.8, 10-18mm wide angle zoom, 18-55mm zoom, and 55-250mm zoom). I also have my Haida M10 pro filter holder with a 10-stop ND and 3-stop GND filter. Of course, I always have my standard accessories like spare batteries, lens hoods, memory cards, etc.Feedback
My advice is always simple...soak up everything about where you are, and feel the story that starts to reveal itself about your subject and your surroundings. I'm always amazed that eventually a compelling story begins to emerge, and my job then becomes how best to capture that story. Sometimes that's easy to do, sometimes it's damn hard, and sometimes I'm not able to do it at all. It's those times that I just enjoy the story and the moment, and then later it drives me to get better at my craft so in the future I can perhaps succeed.
