Fun photo shoot with my daughter.
Fun photo shoot with my daughter.
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Contest Finalist in Human Silhouettes Photo Contest by Westcott
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Same photographer See allBehind The Lens
Behind The Lens
Location
This photo was taken during a family "get-away from the cold" vacation in St. Augustine, Florida during early January. So, this is the Atlantic Ocean in the background, facing east.Time
This photo was actually taken at sunrise, although the intensity of color often makes people believe it is a sunset picture.Lighting
We had been there from before the sun had come up, aiming the camera here and there to check differences in the light capturing abilities of my camera. This is obviously straight into the sun.Equipment
I used my beloved (simple, but capable) Canon Powershot A570I for this handheld shot. I didn't use the flash, as we were going for the silhouette effect.Inspiration
My daughter was a senior in high school that year and had been in dance throughout that time. The senior dancers at her studio were compiling a photo board showing off their classes, recitals and extra-curricular work. We had the idea of her dancing on the beach at dawn in the hopes of capturing both her beauty in dance and the sun's beauty while rising. I believe we did. :)Editing
I increased the contrast and saturation to form a more dramatic mood vs mellow mood in the photo, as that matches my daughter's temperament more accurately. I also cropped it in slightly, to again increase the drama. Although a less edited, non-cropped version is also on viewbug, this is the one that has garnered consistent attention, so apparently, viewers also prefer the drama.In my camera bag
Since this time, I have increased my tools significantly, starting with purchasing a dslr, Nikon d3200. I typically have my 55-200 lens on it, as I was accustomed to the ability to zoom with the point and shoots I had owned previously. However, I always have my 18-55 lens in the bag, for those just in case I see a landscape I have to have moments. I also always have a tripod in the car, but rarely use it, preferring to lean on something for stability if necessary. I am still in the early learning stages of dslr use, so until I know how/why to use the other items in my bag, they will stay in their little velvet bags. (Filters, hoods, macro lens, etc)Feedback
If I know I'm hoping to capture some beach silhouettes, I check sunrise/sunset times for the address of wherever I'm going to be if there is a body of water nearby. Next I try to find out where I am going to be able to legally park and how long it will take me to walk to the beach from that point. I have gone so far as to search the internet to find eastern or western facing public access points on lakes or bays or rivers. If you have opportunity the day before, check the beach for interesting items to use as a foil/silhouette or find a friend that is willing to stand, sit or dance for you! Many point and shoots have dawn/dusk settings, use that if you have it. If you are using a dslr, make sure your flash won't fire, use the lightest part of the sky to set your exposure and focus on the person/thing you are wanting to capture. Shoot, again and again. Experiment and fix any little glitches with post-processing as you are in the learning stages. Have fun!