Sunbeam
The sunsets at Arches National Park require patience and timing to capture
The sunsets at Arches National Park require patience and timing to capture
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Apr, 2022Views
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Behind The Lens
Location
This sunbeam image was captured in Arches National Park, Utah. You know how timing is so important to successful image capture. I saw this beautiful cloud pattern above the mesa so I readied myself to take a series of images, when surprise...this sunbeam broke through. It appeared quickly and then vanished. Wow! what luck to capture it. I was so excited. When I saw the RAW file on my computer I was blown away! Timing and luck combined has taught me to be prepared.Time
The famous late afternoon storms of the western US always bring surprising results if you are willing to be out putting the work in to capture those special moments. The new digital cameras are so accurate and flexible for images like this compared to the slide film I used to work with.Lighting
Storm lighting can be so interesting to capture. Caution is noted to be aware of nearby lightning.Equipment
I equipment on this image was a Nikon D-810 body with a Nikkor 70-200mm VR 1 lens. 500 ISO on saturation setting. Hand held at shutter speed 250/f5.6Inspiration
How can you not be inspired when you visit Arches National Park?Editing
The image was captured in saturation mode and some color correction was added with sharpening. Also the foreground was lightened to bring balanced lighting to the overall imageIn my camera bag
My Nikon D-810 is my workhorse. My lenses in my bag are all Nikkor lenses. 24-70mm f/2.8, 70-200mm f/2.8, 200-500 f/5.6 as well as a 1.7x teleconverter. I always carry a Bogan tripod and monopod in case in my car to use when neededFeedback
Go west to the National Parks of the US. Take full advantage of the "golden hours" of the day. Don't give up! Be out there and work the landscape. Use your instincts to read the scene and have your camera at the ready. It takes time and patience..always shoot in RAW and put your camera phone away.
