The Release
This photo was taken at a cleansing and healing ceremony.
This photo was taken at a cleansing and healing ceremony.
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Oct, 2022Views
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Behind The Lens
Location
This photo was taken at a sunrise cleansing and healing ceremony conducted by the group From Roots to Glory. It was a Sunday morning celebration that was part of the Project 1619 Organization's weekend Commemorating the Remembrance of the First Enslaved African Landing at Port Comfort (Ft Monroe, VA).I startingTime
I arrived at Lookout Beach at Ft Monroe before sunrise. It was still very dark. Moments before the sun started to rise I made my way out into the water about mid-thigh deep facing the rising sun. I held my position and photography over 50 participants for a 2-hour perioding finishing around 8 AM.Lighting
The rising sun, sky, water, and horizon were my backdrops. So as the sun crept upward its light gave each photo its own distinct aura.Equipment
I was shooting with my Canon EOS R6 mirrorless. Using my canon 24-105 lens and UV filter, and the Neewer TT560 Speedlite. Because I was having to move around in the water the entire time no tripod was used.Inspiration
I knew very little about a cleansing and healing ceremony which is not the same as baptism. It has its roots in the culture of the people of Cameroon. And that's where those 3 women pictured in my photo performing the ceremony were from. It was a very moving experience and I was driven to capture the full essence of it.Editing
From the camera card, I take my JPEG images first into lightroom. I wanted to create these images as fine art photography so I ran them through PicMonkey photo editing as well.In my camera bag
I'm fairly new to shooting with canon (a little over a year now). In my bag I have both my canon EOS R^ and my Nikon D7200. Currently, I have only 1 canon lens the 24-105mm. The lenses I keep for my Nikon include my 55 prime, 18-55mm and 55-300mm. Neewer TT560 Speedlite, and several lens filters.Feedback
Sunrise especially near or around the water lends makes for some spectacular images. Watch your horizon. A crooked horizon throws your image off. Because of the movement of the subjects and the waves at times moving me and a faster shutter speed was needed. To properly illuminate the faces of the subjects whose backs were sometimes to the sun I was using the flask until the sun had fully risen.
