pnorgren85

Kissing under the tree

There is enough love here for three.

There is enough love here for three.
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Canon EOS REBEL T2i

settings

Aperture f/1.8 ISO 100 Shutter 1/400 Focal Length 50/1

upload_date

Jun, 2018

Views

446

Likes

+12

Awards

Contest Finalist in Pregnancy Photo Contest

Top Shot Award

Outstanding Creativity

Absolute Masterpiece

Superb Composition

Peer Award

Emotions

Impressed

Top Ranks

Top 30 rank week 1

Top 10 rank

Top 10 rank week 1

Behind The Lens

Location

This photo was taken at a perfect park for photographers. It is at a place called Loose Park in Kansas City, Missouri. If I have a couple looking to do a session with lots of foliage, this is the place you take them. It is so big that you will always find a new way to shoot it.

Time

This is one of my favorite photos I have taken. The emotion captured between the two of them in the evening after walking around different areas of the park was still there. We got many of the other shots we wanted, but then I found this one spot with hanging branches that I couldn't pass up. We stopped and took the shot as the sun was falling with about a half an hour left and was glad that I did.

Lighting

What is tricky about lighting, is that the sun is shining from a different direction in the morning than it is in the evening. When looking at backgrounds for composition, you have to keep in mind the time of day and what direction you have to face for your shot. Luckily, the sun was setting here instead of rising, so I was able to shoot under the tree and get the sun just in the right spot to get that halo above their head.

Equipment

This is a little embarrassing, but this shot was taken with a really old Canon t2i or 550D, depends on where you live. It was my first DSLR and I have been shooting with it forever. I also shot this on the nifty-fifty, which cost about $125 US dollars, which is the reason for the harsh lens flare. I didn't have much at the time, so I didn't have an assistant for bounce light or anything. Just me and a started camera and lens. Which goes to show you that bigger and better equipment doesn't mean better photos. You have to know how to use what you have.

Inspiration

I always love those shots that have the sun in the background illuminating the subjects, but didn't want a big open blown out sky. When I saw the low branches of the tree and how I could shoot through them as a way to fill the rest of the frame, I knew it would allow me to have the foreground and background exposed the same and still nail those separating highlights on my subjects. I have seen many other photographers add those sun-flares in post, but I really wanted to get it in camera.

Editing

Any great photo today is processed in some program. I use Adobe Camera Raw and Photoshop as my tool for this one. I have moved on to a smoother workflow with Lightroom, but I got my hands dirty in Camera Raw when teaching myself. The trick here is to bring up the dark areas to expose your subject just right while not blowing out your highlights.

In my camera bag

When first learning how to shoot manual, I always had my Canon t2i and the nifty fifty. Later on, I got a zoom lens, which is now a Tamron 70-200mm F2.8, which I absolutely love and was using it on my t2i for a while. I just upgraded after 10 years to the 6D Mark II for full frame and low light capabilities for weddings. I also just got a Tamron 24-70mm f2.8 that never leaves my camera body now. That is for my main camera setup, but I also always have a GoPro Hero Black 5, a lav mic, a Zoom H4n, a ton of SD cards, and a small Joby flexible gorilla pod.

Feedback

Get out and take tons of photos. Never stop learning. Get inspiration from other photographers and get to know what looks good composition wise. Know your backgrounds, lighting, and where to place your subjects in the frame with the background you find. I really love filling the frame with the subjects from just above the knee and a little extra background above their heads. Golden hour is the best time to back light your subjects. Also, having a great subject to shoot helps so much. I was fortunate enough to get a session with this beautiful couple sharing a beautiful moment. Having your subject doing something natural instead of posing really helps when trying to capture something worthy of being printed. When post processing, don't go crazy with it. You will always over process, so after you finish, give yourself a day and look at it again. I tend to dial it down when I get back to it. An edit that doesn't look like it has been processed is one that sells.

See more amazing photos, follow pnorgren85

pnorgren85

pnorgren85

Kissing under the tree

There is enough love here for three.

Behind The Lens

See more amazing photos, follow pnorgren85

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