So the next day we trooped out at about 7:30 p.m. and found a safe-looking spot to park.
Take a risk, go out with the snakes and bugs, and get some fun photos! You certainly make a memory at the same time. Just be sure to respect the farmer's field as well, don't ruin crops.
I started with the 5D and an 85mm, and the sun was still a little high. That blew out the sky, but also made for nice silhouette stuff.
The difference in those two shots is shutter speed of 1/6400 for the silhouette and 1/2000 for the other, about 1 2/3 stops. And I had to put some light back on his face in Lightroom, but it was the one with best expression. At 1/500, the exposure was just about right, making a nicer skin tone and requiring less adjustment, even under the hat he inherited from his great uncle.
I switched to the 1D and 70-200 for a little flexibility with backgrounds. I was still shooting low apertures for the background effect, but probably didn't need that as much as I thought.
One thing to watch when shooting out in the world is the horizon line. It doesn't necessarily need to fall on the 'rule of thirds' lines, but it has to let your subject stand out. Or get higher and let the subject be surrounded by wheat. Just not intersecting with any part of the head. Be intentional with where you put it.
Of course, the key is still catching moments and expressions ... This is at f4, 1/160, (+2 1/3 exposure compensation) still working into the sun for the fun of it.
Zoomed in tighter with less sky, this is +1 exposure compensation.. had to brighten it a bit in LR also.
The sun quickly settled into beautiful glowing light, and I dragged Renee into the
Have fun with your cameras, folks.
Don J.