Since this challenge began, I had a few shots in mind for the semi-final (should I make it that far). The reasoning for these selected shots are based on a wide viewing audience (hence, the open public vote). The photograph must be appealing to a larger, general audience, so many of my ideas were delineated down to a few.
...
Thanks for reading this over-winded explanation
Thank you for the information! Excellent photo!!!
frank
dr.Frank
The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork. Psalms 19:1
We now need to not destroy it and capture its beauty for all to behold.
Tom, excellent picture and thank you for the excellent write-up...
I do hope you are feeling better !
dr.Frank
The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork. Psalms 19:1
We now need to not destroy it and capture its beauty for all to behold.
Originally posted by seastack...
Okay, remember you asked ...
Well, this certainly was not a grab shot.
...
Tom
Tom,
I know you said you had 40 hours into the shot, but how much time did you spend on the beach? It sounds like there was a lot of test shots and other items you were doing, how did you keep the light if you were working that close to sunset? Or does the long exposure help you out there??
Wonderful explanation, from you and all the others. I really appreciate the insight.
I know you said you had 40 hours into the shot, but how much time did you spend on the beach? It sounds like there was a lot of test shots and other items you were doing, how did you keep the light if you were working that close to sunset? Or does the long exposure help you out there??
Wonderful explanation, from you and all the others. I really appreciate the insight.
I arrived before sunset but not as early as I would have liked. This image I captured at 9:21 p.m., 35 minutes after sunset and at the end of "civil twilight." By the time I left the beach 15 minutes later I needed a flashlight to find my way back up. All told I spent about an hour on the beach but as you mention the actual shoot was just one part of making this image.
The light is fleeting and while I had a long explanation of my thought process I was actually moving as quickly as I could. That's why I try to get to my scene as early as possible to find the angles and composition I want so I don't waste any of the precious light at the right time.
The long exposure does help give you more work time but you also have to consider the amount of noise generated by long exposures in your particular camera. Some really are better than others at long exposures. And some Canons, like my 5d, have added in-camera noise reduction as an option.
0
annnna8888Registered Users, Super ModeratorsPosts: 936SmugMug Employee
edited June 2, 2007
Now that I had a chance to catch my breath ...
Since I primarily shoot landscapes, I knew my semifinal entry would be a landscape. And for a really good landscape photo you need to shoot it at sunrise or sunset - with some exceptions, of course: if you get some absolutely stunning weather, like a storm or dark clouds or a rainbow, etc. But I couldn't rely on any of that happening in the semifinal period, so I decided to go for a sunrise picture.
I chose a location on a hill where I'd shot from before. The views from the top are spectacular and usually there are mists in the valley below. There is also a chapel. I got up at 3.45 a.m. to get there in time for predawn shots. First I was aiming for the mists, but as it turned out, the photos were nice but not as punchy as I would have liked. So I concentrated on the chapel instead. The light was poor and uncontrasty and the sky was way too bright in comparison with the ground, so the best course of action seemed bracketed exposures. I took a number of bracketed shots (on a tripod, of course ) from different angles.
When processing the shots I was still torn, but after sleeping on it my decision was made. The thing is that I like those misty shots very much - I think they are like scenes from a fairy tale, but the fact is that since they don't "pop" with color and contrast (after all, they were taken before dawn when there's no color and contrast to speak of), they wouldn't fare as well in the contest.
And this was my final entry:
It was shot at 6.14 a.m. with Canon 350D and a fisheye lens Peleng 8 mm, and made of three shots bracketed at -2, 0 and 2.
Comments
Sure. Go here. I highly recommend this relatively inexpensive addition for your kit :-)
http://www.dgrin.com/showthread.php?t=59691
Thank you for the information! Excellent photo!!!
frank
The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork. Psalms 19:1
We now need to not destroy it and capture its beauty for all to behold.
http://www.kendralla.com
Tom, excellent picture and thank you for the excellent write-up...
I do hope you are feeling better !
The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork. Psalms 19:1
We now need to not destroy it and capture its beauty for all to behold.
http://www.kendralla.com
Tom,
I know you said you had 40 hours into the shot, but how much time did you spend on the beach? It sounds like there was a lot of test shots and other items you were doing, how did you keep the light if you were working that close to sunset? Or does the long exposure help you out there??
Wonderful explanation, from you and all the others. I really appreciate the insight.
Website: Tom Price Photography
Blog: Capturing Photons
Facebook: Tom Price Photography
I arrived before sunset but not as early as I would have liked. This image I captured at 9:21 p.m., 35 minutes after sunset and at the end of "civil twilight." By the time I left the beach 15 minutes later I needed a flashlight to find my way back up. All told I spent about an hour on the beach but as you mention the actual shoot was just one part of making this image.
The light is fleeting and while I had a long explanation of my thought process I was actually moving as quickly as I could. That's why I try to get to my scene as early as possible to find the angles and composition I want so I don't waste any of the precious light at the right time.
The long exposure does help give you more work time but you also have to consider the amount of noise generated by long exposures in your particular camera. Some really are better than others at long exposures. And some Canons, like my 5d, have added in-camera noise reduction as an option.
Since I primarily shoot landscapes, I knew my semifinal entry would be a landscape. And for a really good landscape photo you need to shoot it at sunrise or sunset - with some exceptions, of course: if you get some absolutely stunning weather, like a storm or dark clouds or a rainbow, etc. But I couldn't rely on any of that happening in the semifinal period, so I decided to go for a sunrise picture.
I chose a location on a hill where I'd shot from before. The views from the top are spectacular and usually there are mists in the valley below. There is also a chapel. I got up at 3.45 a.m. to get there in time for predawn shots. First I was aiming for the mists, but as it turned out, the photos were nice but not as punchy as I would have liked. So I concentrated on the chapel instead. The light was poor and uncontrasty and the sky was way too bright in comparison with the ground, so the best course of action seemed bracketed exposures. I took a number of bracketed shots (on a tripod, of course
When processing the shots I was still torn, but after sleeping on it my decision was made. The thing is that I like those misty shots very much - I think they are like scenes from a fairy tale, but the fact is that since they don't "pop" with color and contrast (after all, they were taken before dawn when there's no color and contrast to speak of), they wouldn't fare as well in the contest.
And this was my final entry:
It was shot at 6.14 a.m. with Canon 350D and a fisheye lens Peleng 8 mm, and made of three shots bracketed at -2, 0 and 2.
I hope the explanation of my process helped.
Ana
SmugMug Support Hero Manager
My website: anapogacar.smugmug.com