I purchase my first digital camera in 2010, a Canon 5D11. My background has always been working with a large format camera and the new smaller digital camera felt more like a toy to me than a real camera. I spent the next year working in the field with my view camera as well as using the new digital equipment. I had to convince myself that I could made an acceptable image with the digital equipment as I could with my more traditional film cameras. I have always enjoyed making photographs long after the sun has set using long exposures of several minutes or more. I feel this is the best time of day to capture the soft glow of the light that is present. I remember making this image first with my view camera setup and then switching over to the digital camera. It was no easy task to carry double the equipment with me when going into the field to photograph but I felt the need to do it for myself. I wasn't ready to abandon my film unless I could capture an image that had the soft glow of light that I was use to in my images. My Photoshop skills are limited when compared to other photographers I come in contact with. My approach when processing a digital image is apply to my thought pattern of when I was making a print in the darkroom. I had a very disciplined approach to my work where I only made one change to the print at a time and then analyze if that was a step in the right direction or not. If I took a wrong turn I had only one step to backup and start the process over over. It takes restraint to work like this because we all want to see the final image quickly, but the slow and thoughtful approach will produce more satisfying images in the long run than making a multiple changes all at once. I made this image in Texas at Mckinney Falls state Park just south of Austin. It was during a severe drought and the falls were mostly dried up but it was still an enjoyable place to visit.
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