KimberlyDunlap
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bharting
November 14, 2016
Most welcome indeed! It's a perfect sundown/sunrise! I can't even tell, only one imagines or dreams of.
Same photographer See allBehind The Lens
Behind The Lens
Location
This photo was taken in my beautiful home state of Washington, looking west from the mainland towards Whidbey Island.Time
I took this photo on January 2, 2016, at 5:20pm. I took several shots along the water's edge just as the sun was setting over Whidbey Island and liked this one the best.Lighting
I love taking reflection photographs, so the colors of the sunset along with the silhouettes of the pilings fading off into the water really caught my attention on that crisp January evening. I waited until the sun had set behind the island, casting a soft glow of colors above the horizon.Equipment
For this photo, I used a Nikon D300S. I got my first Nikon at the age of fourteen (in the mid-1990s) and have been a Nikon girl ever since! No flash was used for this shot, as I wanted to capture the darkness of the water in the foreground and the silhouettes of the pilings and seagulls. At first glance, this picture may appear to be a long exposure; however, my exposure time was only 1/800th of a second. I did not use a tripod, but instead, softened the look of the water during post-processing. This allowed me to capture the seagulls without any movement or blur.Inspiration
My parents offered to watch our two young children so that my husband and I could enjoy a much-needed date night. Perhaps other couples take in a movie or go out for a nice dinner, but when you're a photographer and your parents offer to babysit for a few hours, you grab your hubby by the arm and race down to the shoreline to take pretty sunset pictures together. :) We arrived early enough to photograph a ferry departing from the dock, but the sunset was what really caught my eye that evening. I tested out several areas along the beach before I found the spot with my favorite composition: the sun setting between the two seagull-laden pilings.Editing
I usually prefer for my final images to look as natural as they did at the time of shooting. Oftentimes, I will use just a little post-processing to correct for contrast, brightness, and color. However, to preserve the silhouettes of the seagulls in this shot, I took it with a 1/800th second exposure time and later edited the water to give it the appearance of a long-exposure. I used a selection tool to select the water and the reflections of the pilings and played around with blur effects until I was happy with the result.In my camera bag
My camera bag accompanies me everywhere! I hope to purchase a full-frame body sometime down the line, but for now, I am shooting with my Nikon D300S. It has been a great camera these past few years. When my husband is out shooting with me, he uses my Nikon D90. I use this one as a back-up camera and also for underwater photography. In my bag, I also keep a 50mm f/1.4 lens (dynamite for portraits!), a standard kit lens, a wide angle lens, a Lensbaby Sweet 50, and in a separate bag, my big guy: a 70-200mm f/2.8 lens. Lens cloths, lens pens, extra batteries, a charger, extra memory cards, and a Nikon speedlight for each camera round out the contents of my bag. Oh, and filters! These are a must-have for ANY skill level; I keep one on each of my lenses at all times. When people ask about my gear, I always recommend using a filter, if for nothing else than to serve as a permanent lens protector. In the event of a drop (be still my shutterbug heart!), a cracked $40 filter will be a lot more cost-effective to replace than a $1,000+ lens...Feedback
The evening I took this photo, the winter sky was crystal clear and the colors of the sunset were brilliant. As much as being at "the right place at the right time" helps, I also feel that patience and scouting out the perfect spot are equally as important when it comes to the composition of a shot. Had I not clambered over the driftwood in search of the perfect angle, my picture would have a different composition. Had we called it a night before the sun had completely set (and yes, we froze our boom-de-ays off waiting), I would not have this particular shot. If you have a specific idea for a shot and your plans fall through (ex: the weather is less than desirable), look around for other things to shoot. While waiting for the sun to set, my hubby and I took pictures of everything from the ferry, to rocks on the beach, to seals in the water, to an abandoned tennis ball wedged in the driftwood. My advice would be to explore your surroundings, change your angle, take several shots as the sun is setting until you find your favorite effect (sunburst vs. soft glow), and if long-exposure is not an option, remember that post-processing may come in handy. Happy shooting!