the lake
Mar, 2020Views
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Behind The Lens
Location
The photo was taken from a hanging bridge on the river Tunga in Shimoga, India. I usually like to wander and explore new places. I went for a trek there and the next day, before leaving the basecamp, I took my camera and went for a walk. I came across this hanging bridge over a serene blue lake and thought to myself, 'Well, I've gotta get there and have a look at the lake'. So, I took a deep breath, went on the bridge, and was blown away by the idyllic view of the lake. The bridge had long metallic fencing, so I had to fit my camera through the fence and then take this shot.Time
I came across this lake while exploring the area. It was around 11 AM and the sun was falling perfectly on one side of the lake (the one in the shot), the other side was relatively dark. I had no tripod and had to fit the camera into the gaps of the fence. I laid on the bridge so that I could be stable, balanced the camera on the base of the bridge, pushed it through a fence hole, composed the shot, and clicked this scenic photograph. This was taken on January 20, 2020, at 11:39 AMLighting
The lake was vividly blue as the sunlight was falling on half of it. So, I decided to shoot the part that was naturally lit rather than shooting the other and exposing it in post. I personally find natural light to be more effective. I had to adjust the inclination of the camera with respect to the sunlight as it was causing specular highlights to appear on the waves. Also, the water flow was towards me, so I wanted to be at a spot that the flow gives a nice zoom-out effect.Equipment
This was shot on Nikon D5200 with an AF-S 18-55mm VRII kit lens. No other equipment was involved.Inspiration
I was on this hanging bridge and there was a magnificent blue lake in front of me. It was a reality so subtle that it seemed more real than reality. The mere sight of it was speaking to me, 'You've got to capture this moment'. I really believe there are things nobody would see if I didn't photograph them. It was the sight from a deserted hanging bridge of a cool blue lake, I had to shoot it.Editing
I always shoot in RAW because I don't want to lose on the details of the colors from my photos. So, like every other photo that I shoot, this also went through a round of color grading and that's it. I like to keep the post-processing minimal and subtle.In my camera bag
I always carry my Nikon D5200, which was the first camera that I bought from my own earning. I usually carry AF-S 18-55mm VRII and AF-S 55-200mm VRII lenses with it. I use a Benro Tripod. And yes, for those buttery smooth slow-mos and fast-paced action shots, I carry a Go Pro Hero7.Feedback
Serene lakes as this one are a rare sight and usually, when there is such an open area, the sunlight has a lot of impact on it. If you go to such places in the morning or evening, then, it'll be easier for you to shoot. However, during noon, the sunlight is very harsh and that would result in reflections and specular highlights. The first tip would be to plan ahead. And if you encounter any such landscape with adverse lighting conditions then I'd suggest you compose the shot (lock the exposure) on an area that has some shadow (or is relatively darker). Another way is to use exposure bias on your camera to control the exposure. And last but not the least, always shoot in RAW. If you think you'll miss out on the colors in post then shoot in RAW + JPEG but never leave out the RAW data as it can work wonders.
