Moving to a new paddock
Just before the sun popped over the horizon, I had to move to a new paddock, and captured this as we passed the farm's dam, the dawn mist that hangs over it giv...
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Just before the sun popped over the horizon, I had to move to a new paddock, and captured this as we passed the farm's dam, the dawn mist that hangs over it giving an ethereal quality to the scene.
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Jan, 2014Views
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Same photographer See allBehind The Lens
Behind The Lens
Location
This photo was taken at dawn on the small farm I was working on in rural New South Wales, Australia. It was a case of suddenly noticing the way the light was developing, grabbing my camera and leaping out of the still-moving tractor to ensure I didn't miss it!Time
I took this photo right before dawn. I'd been in the tractor since 5am and was just moving it to start on a new paddock. I had to drive past the dam and noticed the mist and light as the sun was about to appear so grabbed the opportunity.Lighting
It was the light and the mysticism with the mist that caught my eye and made me want to catch the shot. It was just the perfect balance of half light so that everything was bright enough to see and yet dark enough so the headlights of the tractor really stand out, and the mist rising from the dam just added that perfect touch of mystery and romanticism as it caught the light.Equipment
This was before I'd really got much equipment to speak of, so it was just my handheld Panasonic LUMIX TZ5, balanced on a gatepost so I could have it on night mode and thus have the shutter open for a little longer to catch the light.Inspiration
It was just spur-of-the-moment. I've always got half an eye open for a good photo opportunity, and as I was driving past the dam, half-asleep, the early morning light just looked phenomenal catching the mist hanging over the water and so I dropped everything to grab the photo before the light changed.Editing
Only a very little - I just ticked it ever so slightly in Lightroom to lighten the shadows slightly. I wanted to leave it as natural as possible.In my camera bag
A Sony Alpha NEX6, mini tripod and usually an 16-50mm and a 55-200mm lens. More lenses to come when I can afford them!Feedback
The biggest thing I can say is be there at the right time. I don't use studio lighting and hours of fiddling with equipment to capture my images, it's a case of knowing when to grab the image, of going out and about, keeping your eyes open and capturing whatever catches your eye. Snap off a few different shots with varying exposure and shutter settings so you can pick the most natural and dramatic-looking shot afterwards.
