- afternoon
- Center Framed
- clear sky
- Dark
- kissing
- Leading lines
- Mid range
- Moody
- Mountains
- Outdoor
- silhouette
- Sunset
- Warm
The story behind the image
The couple was stuck in traffic that made them 45 minutes late and cut into our hiking time. Thankfully, I spent a summer working and living in Yosemite National Park so I’m pretty familiar with the area and we were able to go somewhere else for an equally stunning sunset session, albeit just a little different.
Directions
Describe how you spoke to your subject(s)
When I saw Half Dome illuminated in the alpenglow I noticed that the couple would be in the shade and it would be really difficult to get a straight-on shot. But I saw an opportunity for a romantic silhouette shot against Half Dome. So I had them stand directly in between me and Half Dome and I exposed to capture the glow on the rock face as opposed to my couple, otherwise I would’ve blown out the background.
What did you say?
Okay guys! Go stand in between me and Half Dome, face each other, and kiss each other as if you were on the cover of a romance novel.”
Tone of Directions
Calm
Composition
I wanted to bring focus to the couple accentuated by the natural beauty of the landscape we were in. I had the couple framed within the mountain in the background to avoid any lines cutting through them. This also forms a natural frame around the couple which helps to make the image feel a lot more pleasing.
framing
Center Framed
Focusing
Describe how you spoke to your subject(s)
I used autofocus to focus on the couple instead of the backdrop, I wanted to bring the attention to them knowing that the background was so classic that it would still be recognizable as Half Dome.
Focus Mode
Single Shot Autofocus
Focus POints
Single Point
Focused on
the couple's bodies
Equipment &
Exif
Camera
Lens
Flash
Filter
1/5000 @ f/1.4 ISO100 WB-Auto
The way the EXIF is written out follows the common photographic method (with the inclusion of White Balance at the end). Here it is broken down:
Shutter Speed @ Aperture ISO White Balance.
Light & Weather
At this point I think we’d already skipped sunset and gone right into Blue Hour. We were facing East and with the sun setting in the West we had the last bit of light illuminating the background. I think the light was dreamy and worked in our favor!
Light Type
Natural Light
Editing Workflow
How did you edit this image?
I used Phil Chester’s PS Presets Ps07 Vintage, I liked that it brought a vintage tinge of green to the sky and added some warmth to the alpenglow. I used the clone tool to heal a little bit of tree that was popping in on the right hand side just to clean up the image and remove any distractions.
Editing Software
Preset Used
Challenges
Our biggest challenge was the time constraint. We were running out of sunlight very quickly and didn’t have very much time left to capture all of the photos we wanted to.
Solutions
We had to act fast! I think accepting the blue hour and alpenglow was the clear solution to make the most with what we had.
Location
Location Name
Yosemite National Park, California
Location aDDRESS
Yosemite National Park, California
Loation Type
Mountains
Country
United States
Sometimes as photographers it’s hard because we want to have full control of everything, but rarely do we get that privilege. Knowing how to work in every type of lighting situation is crucial to make sure your clients are satisfied with the images that they receive.
