Winter Wonderland
Jun, 2021Views
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Behind The Lens
Location
This was taken on a bridge on a bike path in Westerville, Ohio, less than a two minute walk from my home.Time
It was in the late morning. There was a fresh snow that was sticking to the branches of the trees and it looked beautiful so I grabbed my camera and quickly headed to the path in search of a great photo opportunity.Lighting
In the USA in the Midwest the sky is very dull and grey through most of the winter months. This day was no exception as it was cold and the sky was gray but because of the beautiful snowfall on the ground and on the trees it created a very beautiful landscape. I ventured out with confidence that I could find some great photos.Equipment
I used a Sony A6000 with a Sony 18-105, f4, "G" lens. I have a lot of other lenses but with the snow and the cold temperature I decided to only take the one lens. It is my "catch all" and trusted lens when I'm out walking and taking pictures. The image stabilization and constant F-stop of f4 make it a great lens in low light situations. I did not use a tripod or a flash as there was plenty of light even though the sky was dull and grey. I set the camera on automatic knowing I could tweak it later in post-processing.Inspiration
I liked the beauty of the snow covered trees and ground. I liked the feeling "quietness" portrayed by the grey sky and snow. I liked the contrast between the person and the dog and the snow. When taking photos I always try to capture a feeling by asking myself; "What am I feeling and how can I capture that feeling". I was feeling that I was a peeking in on a quiet and beautiful wonderland and that the person and the dog were all alone in that wonderland.Editing
I very much believe in post processing just as I used to do when I developed our own film and pictures. Now we have digital processing which makes it even better to be able to bring out the feeling that I was trying to portray in the photo. As I said earlier, it was a very dull and gray day , but with post-processing I was able to bring out the color in the two subjects and separate them from the landscape. I was also able to bring out the beauty of the snowy landscape.In my camera bag
I have two choices of "go to" lenses that I take if only bringing one lens and camera. Those would be a Sony 50mm f1.8 or a Sony 18-105 F4 "G" lens. I like the 50mm as it makes my camera setup very small and pocket worthy. The Sony 18-105 G lens gives me a good range and with the constant F4 f-stop and the image stabilization, it gives me the ability to take low light hand held photos. If I am going out for a "day trip", I also take a wide angle and a macro lens. I also have a collection of vintage lenses including an old Canon 50mm F2 which I love using.Feedback
I have always believed that it is the "eye of the photographer" that is the most important piece of equipment. Just look at some of the magnificent photos from famous photographers from a long time ago before all of the modern equipment. Sure you have to get the basics down as far as the shutter speed and aperture, but even that can be set on automatic in most of the modern cameras. I truly believe that if you have all of the basic photo skills down then you should concentrate on asking yourself " What am I feeling and how can I capture that feeling with the camera and lens that I have in my hand. A lot of this has to do with the angle that you take the photograph. The direction in which you choose to take the photograph, such as low to the ground, or looking up, or waist high, or over your head. When you point the camera, what direction helps you to capture the feeling? In this particular photograph my subject was the person and the dog, but the beautiful landscape also needed to be emphasized. By pointing the camera directly down the path towards the subjects, the path then becomes the leading line that directs you to the subjects while still showing off the surrounding landscape. The fact that the subjects are walking away creates movement and helps draw your eye through the landscape.
