- afternoon
- Black Beach
- calm
- Dark Sand
- DJI Mavic
- DJI Mavic Pro
- Drone
- High Angle
- holding each other
- intimate
- Ocean
- off center
- Shade
- Soft Light
- Waves
- Wide
The story behind the image
Directions
Describe how you spoke to your subject(s)
The directions we gave were pretty simple – we just asked them to lay down at the sand, facing each other, and let them know that we’d be flying the drone above and taking pictures from that angle.
What did you say?
So, please, could you lay down on the blanket, face each other and just relax. You can kiss, hug or do whatever you want. Don’t forget to smile – we’ll see it all from the skies! :)
Tone of Directions
Calm
Composition
The composition here is pretty simple and easy, and it doesn’t always need to be complicated. Here we wanted to show the scale and the fresh texture of ocean waves/black sand beach and the tiny couple lying on the sand. So we just put the couple to the center of the lower side of the frame to allow the ocean a bit more dominance in the frame. This makes the image feel a lot more interesting as the viewers are first presented with the rough seas, and then the calm couple.
Focusing
Describe how you spoke to your subject(s)
Focusing was pretty easy here, we just focused on the couple and set up burst shooting mode (5 frames per second), and made several attempts to catch the ideally beautiful waves as they came closer to the couple.
Focus Mode
Single Shot Autofocus
Focus POints
Single Point
Focused on
the couple
Equipment &
Exif
Camera
Lens
Flash
Filter
1/240 @ f/2.2 ISO100 WB-6800K
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
Since the beach was cast in such a deep shadow formed from the rocks to the right, the light direction really didn’t play such a big role. In fact, it allowed us to position our couple wherever we wanted to as it was soft in all directions.
Light Type
Natural Light
Time of day
Afternoon
Editing Workflow
How did you edit this image?
DJI Mavic’s camera always tends to make the white balance a bit too magenta. We corrected this and also adjusted the picture to be warmer – we lifted it up to 6800K. Then adjust the exposure and used our color preset #2. Afterward, we adjusted some HSL sliders according to the situation and colors in the picture, so that the picture stands out a little more. We finally added a little bit of grain and that was basically it.
Editing Software
Adobe Lightroom Classic
Preset Used
Challenges
The main problem during the shoot was the fact that the couple was pretty close to the waves, and we didn’t want them to get soaked :)
Solutions
We needed to know how big the next wave was going to be, so it was very important to have an assistant keep an eye on the size of the waves. That’s why Tony was flying the drone and shooting, while Jane was trying to predict how big the next wave will be and warn the couple. It worked out!
Location
Location Name
Reynisfjara beach
Location aDDRESS
Reynisfjara beach, Vik, Iceland
Loation Type
Beach / Coastal
Country
Iceland
To create something very new, don’t be afraid to experiment. However you always need to plan everything thoroughly and, of course, you need a couple who trust you completely.
