Red Rock Canyon
Jun, 2020Views
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Awards
Spring 21 Award
Legendary Award
Summer 2020
Superb Composition
Peer Award
Absolute Masterpiece
Magnificent Capture
Outstanding Creativity
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Behind The Lens
Location
Right in the middle of the quarantine I feel like a lot of us were looking for inspiration. This photo was taken an a small street that led into an out of the way town within the heart of Red Rock Canyon, Nevada one day when I was exploring.Time
After a long day of trying to get a great shot I was getting ready to call it for the day and right when I was about to leave I found this small road that looked like a service road. It was just about 5pm at the time but isn’t it always the last shot that gives you that feeling of accomplishment?Lighting
I’m a self taught photographer and spent a lot of time in a home studio playing with different types of lighting, softness, hardness, tints. There is something so beautiful about how natural lighting that is so hard to match. I got lucky as I think many of us do with the perfect cloud coverage and sun rays hitting the canyon.Equipment
All I had was my Sony a7ii and a 50mm lens. Instead of a tripod I sat on the hood of my car to make sure the image was still and framed how I wanted it.Inspiration
The conditions for the photo were just perfect. A full day of trying to capture Red Rock Canyon and I was nearing the end of my day. There are a couple things in this photo that don’t come through, which I love and also don’t. I found this road and went down it to see what was at the end of it and I found a small town nestled at the foothills of the canyon. I wasn’t exactly supposed to be there so I started to turn back and I caught the framing of the photo in my rear view mirror and had to stop. The two things that don’t come out in the photo are 1. The town just around the curve of the road and 2. A saxophone that was playing maybe a few hundred yards behind me. Someone was filming what seemed to be a music video and all that came through the air was the hum of the sax in an otherwise silent and empty valley.Editing
There was little processing that was done with this photo. It was a digital photo so I was able to make a couple of versions and choose the one I liked the best. Ultimately I kept it simple and basically removed the highlights and added a bit of contrast to the photo to make sure the colors I was seeing with my eyes came through in the final photo.In my camera bag
Typically I travel light with just my a7ii and 50mm and at least 2 extra batteries. Lately I’ve been carrying my Sigma 100-400 as I play with different styles of photos. One thing that usually doesn’t come with me is my tripod or any lighting. Those are reserved for meticulously planned out shots.Feedback
When I first started getting into photography I had this desire to create these beautiful images and art pieces that would require heavy post processing and elements not originally in the photo. As I continued to explore myself within photography I realized I didn’t want to create images and scenes. I wanted to capture moments that would otherwise be left unnoticed. Yes this image is beautiful as a whole but each detail in it is another beautiful image that could have been captured. Look beyond the face value of what is presented to you and pick apart the details. That’s where photos really come to life.
