Welcome To Behind the Image

Before we get going on Behind The Image Blog #01; I would first like to welcome you, and also introduce myself. My name is Alec Tucker. I am a landscape photographer based out of the gorgeous state of Oregon. I am self-taught and have spent thousands of hours learning, growing, and working in an attempt to one day master the craft of landscape photography. Well.. we all know that is not possible, but c’mon; let a man dream... My journey started 6 years ago in high school. I can confidently say photography has saved my life, and I mean that. Being out in the landscape capturing nature's beautiful scenes is an experience words can't describe; true bliss and one I will never take for granted.

ABOUT THE BLOG

My goal with this blog is to build a community, meet other photographers, share stories, and maybe even teach you a few things along the way. For now, each week I will feature an image of mine and break it down in every way possible. From the location, composition, on-location technique, and even any post-processing that was done. Because after all, the photograph is just a small part of the entire experience. The real stories are Behind The Image.

Behind the Image- Blog #01

The Story

Oh Fall, what a lovely time of year. Where we see rain, colder temperatures, and gorgeous foliage here in the PNW. Some call me crazy, but I live for these rainy, snowy, dark, cold, and dreary months that are upon us. Why you may ask? 1 word. Epic landscape photography. Well, maybe that’s 3 words, but you get the point. Do I enjoy summer? Sure, who doesn’t love warm weather, some vitamin D, and sunsets. But as a landscape photographer finding time to shoot in the summer with good light can be tough, and frankly uninspiring to be honest. Let’s just say I am stoked for what I plan to be a busy next few months of landscape photography shoots. I’m excited to kick off this blog with a recent image featuring a beautiful location here in Oregon. Sweet Creek Falls. Hopefully, you enjoy this one!

Location

Sweet Creek Falls… such a beautiful spot. Rigid rocks, stunning fall foliage, and waterscapes like no other. The trail is a 1.8-mile hike located near Mapleton Oregon, about 58 miles outside of Eugene off of highway 126. The hike is rated easy, and also is considered a heavily trafficked trail. So what’d I do? Got up at 5 in the morning to beat the crowd. I got there and had the place to myself for the first hour or so, and it was well worth the trip. Not only from a photography perspective, but even if I didn’t come away with an image I would've enjoyed it just as much... well maybe. I might have needed a few minutes of pouting first! Just joke’s, any day out in the outdoors is a day well spent. I have been to Sweet Creek a couple of times in the past but came back for photo redemption. And I can confirm indeed, I got my redemption with this image!

The Composition

As far as my approach to composing this location, I had a little bit of a challenging start. Oftentimes I have to “warm-up” when I arrive at a location both physically and mentally. Yes, mentally warm-up. Which is just a fancy version of saying my first few images of essentially every location that I have been to are complete rubbish... Sweet Creek was no different. Even though I came away with a final image I am quite happy with, it doesn't mean I don’t have a few ugly ones in my catalog as well; which I will be sharing further into this blog. Persistence is key. I’ve learned over time to stop forcing images, and let them come to me. When something isn’t working, which did happen in this case. I let it go and move on, rather than trying and trying. After about an hour or so of shooting a few different compositions along the creek, I laid my eyes on a spot I knew would be a winner. It was the atmosphere I dreamt about. Gorgeous rock textures, vibrant moss, fallen leaves in the foreground, and a stunning mini waterfall in the middle of the scene.

Main subject

Typically when I approach a composition that intrigues me, the first thing I do is identify my main subject, also known as the focal point. This is especially important when shooting wide-angle scenes. In this case, the mini waterfall was my main subject. This also can be described as the viewer's “end destination”. Everything else in the frame supports or adds value to the focal point.

Supporting elements

As I observed this scene, I found little details in the landscape I wanted to include in my image. Including these interesting or engaging details is the key when shooting wide scenes. The foreground is your friend, and it can make or break your images. In this case, my foreground is full of elements that tell the story of the photo. Gorgeous detailed rock and mossy textures, bright vibrant eye-catching colors, and leaves that add another dimension to the image. Let’s say a super subtle detail like the leaf in the front right of the photograph was no longer there. Put your finger over it and let’s imagine it “disappeared”. The photograph doesn’t work as well, right? The image almost feels like it's going to tip over now. That one leaf assists in creating a well-balanced image. Crazy huh? This technique changed my landscape photography drastically. When I compose a landscape, I no longer just shoot the main focal point. I am just as intrigued by what's going on around it, and how those little details can aid in creating an epic final image.

Framing

Now let's talk about how I decided on framing this. Because in reality, we all know there are a million ways to frame up a scene. Things I typically look for when composing a landscape photograph are leading lines or curves; anything interesting that guides your eye throughout the photo. In this case, the beautifully curved rock shape in the foreground that moves through the center of the image is what I liked, and found it worked well on directing the viewer to the main focal point. Allowing myself to get low, and shoot closer to the ground emphasizes the scale of the image, and creates a cool perspective to the environment. More often than not we see everything from an eye-level, top-down perspective, duh I know. It might seem like an obvious observation, but shooting at ground level creates shapes, patterns, and scenes that are new to us. This of course is strictly based on the type of image you're shooting, the location, and also composition, but when the time is right I give the lower approach a try.

*Beautiful rock curvature in the foreground used to frame the image*

Rejected compositions

Above are a few rejected compositions that I shot at Sweet Creek. I will explain a little bit on why I don’t think they are working, and how they can be improved. Remember there is no right or wrong when it comes to composition. It’s solely based on the type of image you’re going for, and your particular style. These are just things that I see, not right or wrong statements!

This overall composition has a lot of potential, and I think it’s set up and framed well. The way the rock spirals from the left side of the photograph and wraps the viewer's eyes around the waterfall is nice. I just find the image to be a bit busy. A lot is going on, and I think it distracts from the rest of the scene. On top of it being busy with an excess amount of leaves, moss, and other textures. The top left corner has what looks to be burnt orange brush, which sticks out like a sore thumb, grabs my attention instantly, and also distracts from the rest of the image.
This was one of my first attempts at composing this scene. Again, It has some potential. I think the foreground is working well, but missing a few things. The cracks in the foreground rock, on the right side, are pointing directly towards the focal point, which works perfectly. I just find it to be a bit boring when it comes to the elements in the foreground. Sure you have a few leaves, but it’s missing the moss that image #4 has, and I believe that is an essential addition. Also, I think there is a little too much background and not enough foreground. If the camera was pointed down a hair, the overall composition might work better.
This composition is getting closer but also needs some adjustments. To me, it doesn’t feel like it was framed with a purpose. The leaves are floating in the middle of the composition, there’s an empty gap on the right side of the image, and it was shot at an odd height. Which is a perfect example of what I was saying earlier about getting lower, which I did in image #4.
The refined, and final composition!

In CAmera

Specs

I shot this image at F/10, ISO 50, with a 2.5-second shutter speed. Paired with a 16-35mm lens, and a KASE magnetic CPL filter. A CPL filter is an essential piece of gear for me and is in my bag everywhere I go. Here in the PNW, most of the time we live in a wet environment, and cutting glares out of the landscape becomes a necessity.

Focus Stacking

Given this was shot at 16mm wide and has critical detail in the foreground of the composition, focus stacking was certainly needed. I used 3 focal points to complete this focus stack. 1 for the foreground, mid, and background. Now, this way I will have a completely focused image that provides sharp detail throughout the entire photograph. If you want to know how exactly I stack my photos, I could always make an in-depth blog dedicated to explaining my process. A quick tip: Always shoot more images than needed for exposure bracketing, and focus stacking; just in case. Better to have too many, than not enough.

Post Processing

My mindset will always be the same when it comes to this topic; I edit with intention, letting the beauty of the landscape speak, not my editing. Other than focus stacking, basic color, and exposure adjustments were applied to this image. Essentially my thought process and intention with this one when it came to editing was to crop and straighten the horizon line out, adjust and correct the color balance, bring up the shadows and highlights and accentuate certain details and colors utilizing the brush tool in Lightroom. As you can see below, all of these little adjustments really can make a difference and bring your image to the next level.

Wrapping up

Be sure to check out this image in print, which is offered on my shop, HERE. Alright, you’re probably tired of hearing about this photo, and I honestly don’t have anything more to say about it. Overall I’m really happy with the final result and think it was a perfect photograph to feature, and kickoff Blog #01 with. Be sure to subscribe below, so you won’t miss next week's blog post!

Feedback is always welcome, the comment section is open!

Until next week, happy photographing!

Thanks for reading,

Alec

Behind The Image- Blog #01 - Sweet Creek Falls, OR.