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Civil War Re-enactor
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People's Choice in Street faces in Black and White Photo Challenge
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Superb Composition
Peer Award
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Same photographer See allBehind The Lens
Behind The Lens
Location
This was taken in Chaulk Bluff, Arkansas at an American Civil War Re-enactment in the NE part of the state at the actual site where a battle took place here and in parts of SE Missouri in May, 1863. The gentleman is dressed in the outfit of a Confederate infantry soldier circa 1861-65Time
I remember it was in the early morning. Not to long after the sun had risen. The best time of day to shoot pictures!Lighting
This area is up in the mountains and it was a great time of day to shoot as the sun was just rising. No flash was used.Equipment
This was taken with a Sony Alpha 850 camera and a Sigma 170-500mm f5-6.3 lens, no tripod this shot was hand held. I was sitting on the ground, the camera/lens braced against my knee as the soldier was very far away and I had the lens out to 500mm, no flash.Inspiration
I like history and this re-enactment was like a time capsule of that era of the Civil War. When I got there early in the morning the participants were just waking up and having breakfast as most of them had camped out there from the previous evening. The encampment was rather large and I looked totally out of place dressed in civilian clothing. It was as if I had gone back in time, it was wonderful! I particularly was drawn to this man as the beard and uniform just looked as I would have imagined a soldier from that era looked and I shot many shots that day where he is included and one of those is in my gallery where he is standing in front of a Confederate flag, that is also a favorite.Editing
The picture was shot in color and I changed it to black and white as I wanted to capture the constrast, especially in light of his great bread and make it a little grainy. Some shots just look better in B&W than color. No photoshop.In my camera bag
For this event I used my Sony Alpha 850 and the Tamron 170-500mm lens as I wanted to be far enough away to capture the events without becoming visible. Normally I just carry this camera with my Tamron 28-200 lens, which is my "walk around" lens or maybe a wide angle. I like to travel light, I don't like to haul a lot of weight around.Feedback
When shooting a long lens, which is not all that difficult to do without a tripod or monopod, the trick is to use your body whenever possible to brace it as I did against my knee or against a object that will give you some support. It is like hunting but with a camera, you can brace your elbow against your chest and that works well. I particularly like this lens in that I can find a place around the event and just blend in and people don't notice me after a while which is what I want. This individual was pretty far away and I had the lens extended all the way out to 500mm. Have to be patient as well and be aware of what is happening especially when there is as much going on as it was this day.