Seals of Glacier Lagoon
Lesson 10 from: The Photographic Style & Aesthetic WorkshopBenjamin Hardman
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Seals of Glacier Lagoon
Lesson 10 from: The Photographic Style & Aesthetic WorkshopBenjamin Hardman
Lesson Info
10. Seals of Glacier Lagoon
Lessons
M0: Orientation
1Series Hello & Introducing Benjamin Hardman
01:43 2Coffee with Alex - Benjamin's Story
22:38 3Benjamin's Workshop Introduction
01:39M1: Gear & Prep
4High-Resolution Setup
07:26 5Lightweight Gear Setup
05:33 6Backpack Breakdown
11:38Aerial Photography
05:51 8Gear & Clothing
07:26 9Research & Preparation
06:18M2: Shooting & Editing
10Seals of Glacier Lagoon
06:56 11Editing: Adobe Lightroom Basics
40:59 12Capturing Glacial Detail
08:23 13Editing: Macro Detail
15:17 14Exploring on Foot
09:47 15Editing: Image Stitching
17:18 16Photographing the Elusive Reindeer
07:21 17Editing: Subjects in Sunset Light
16:58 18Documenting Iceland's Jagged Peaks
06:21 19Editing: Atmospheric Mountains
14:56 20Mountain Drone Photography
10:50 21Editing: Aerial Abstraction
17:20M3: Finding Your Style, Curation, and Social Media
22Benjamin's Style
03:30 23What Inspires Benjamin
02:40 24Creating Your Own Voice
03:01 25Curation: Computer to Phone & UNUM
10:16 26Social Media Q&A with Alex
08:47M4: Running A Creative Business
27Benjamin's Story & Business Tips
05:23 28Presenting Professionally
01:39 29Printing Your Work
12:29 30Staying Inspired
01:02M5: Wrap Up
31Workshop Takeaways
06:03 32Workshop Summary with Alex
32:50Lesson Info
Seals of Glacier Lagoon
Hey, everyone. Welcome to our downtown studio space here in Reykjavík. This module is an interesting one because we've been out in the field shooting some really crazy things and we've had some awesome adventures. Editing and being in the field for me are 50, 50. They're both so important. So I figured the best way to break down my process is to combine the field segments with the editing of each image that I've picked from the shoot. And that's exactly what we're gonna do. So now we're gonna jump back in time and begin our shooting in the field. And I'll see you back here very shortly where we're gonna break down some editing. Oh yeah, bit sketchy, but it's always fun. We are driving my Land Rover, trustee old defender never seems to fail me. I think right now we are relying heavily on the fact that there is little nails in the tires because we are driving just on legit straight ice and there's pretty intense wind, so little bit of drifting going on but we're still going straight. So ...
come down to the glacier lagoon, Jökulsárlón, and this is a popular place to see seals in Iceland. This location, in particular, we have kind of a perimeter of the sea ice that has frozen a top layer over the lagoon. And the seals have basically gone from that sea ice to the shore. And they're just swimming around right next to us popping their head out every now and then. And it's the perfect opportunity to try and get a really low-angle seal portrait. And again, using the 400, my focus here is to be as low as I can. So I'm looking to lay on the ground and try and get eye level with the seal. Or shall I say, my subject? The challenging thing with this place right now is that we have really bright sky. So it is a case of mitigating the annoyances of bright light and harsh shadows. And my way of doing that is finding a background that is already in the shadow so that the entire frame can be one neutral exposure. And that is challenging. I might have to do some searching around but we'll see what we can find. So this guy I'm waiting for him to pop his head out a little bit, hoping at least that he or she will get a little intrigued by us, but my aim is always not to try and disturb them too much, though I am not massively familiar with specific traits of the seal but from my experience, at least a little noise every now and then hasn't done any harm for me but of course, I would never run out of seal. Or of course you would never try and get their attention by throwing a rock or anything like that. That's just really bad. Try and be as low-key and as quiet as you can, I guess. (camera shutter clicking) That's a different type of seal. I don't know exactly what type of seal that is but that was a different, different creature than what I've seen previously. So that's confusing, but pretty cool. Need to get my phone out and probably research what that guy is. If I got a photo, they can check and shape his face. Super long nose. What is that guy? So by laying down here, what I'm looking for is both as I said, a low-angle over the subject and also looking for a nice background, which is proving quite difficult because the light is cutting through the middle of almost every iceberg around us. I'm thinking maybe to hike a little further down along the edge of the water, but the biggest key for me when I'm shooting wildlife is to stay quiet and inconspicuous and I don't want to disturb them. That's the key for me at least is to just remain a spectator and let them act in their natural habitat as they would like. And if we can leave with a photo, that's awesome but I would never want to step over the line for the sake of getting a shot. So we've just found the whole squad. I think there's big mama, big daddy and all the kids here. Judging by that photo, we think it may be the same species but just like one that is much older and has a massive big old head on him. So hopefully these guys just stay close to us. I'm gonna stop talking now and approach them and just try and lay back down, see what we can get, see what type of backgrounds we can get, because I think it's better facing this way but the seals are that way. See what we can do. Currently with the 1.4 times converter getting F eight, which is not ideal. But given that we have so much light, we're still able to pull off a shot speed of 1/500 of a second using ISO 500. So pretty reasonable settings and fast enough to capture a little bit of movement. I may also try bumping the ISO a little further and getting a bit of a faster shutter in case they do a jump out of the water or something cool like that. Still having challenges with the backgrounds but this direction is proving to be good. So I just need all the seals to move this way. And then we've got a good shot at them. This is weird. There is again, never seen so many seals in one place in my life. I've been here quite a lot. (camera shutter clicking) So we've got the burst mode going on as fast as I can get it. I think it's 10 frames per second. I just basically don't want to miss the moment at any of the seals put their head up and kind of check us out. So I think that direct eye contact as well as the seal kind of jumping up a little bit is really quite an engaging photo. So see what we can do, but I reckon we're getting close to getting a usable image now just because there's 17 of these guys just swimming around. That's so wild. (tranquil music) (wind whistling)
Class Materials
Bonus Materials with Purchase
Ratings and Reviews
Matt Grandbois
Very Informative & Awe Inspiring Both Benjamin and Alex have played huge roles in my photographic style development over the years and it is great to hear first hand exactly what inspires and drives Ben to keep pushing his creative boundaries. Personally, I love his minimalist approach and it was super insightful to watch him explain how he developed that style and how he actively produces photographs in a cohesive manner. 10/10 recommend this workshop to anyone looking for a very unique and profound perspective with the intent of expanding your creative horizons.
Alec Brown
First Workshop The first workshop I have ever purchased. I've always been hesitant to invest in a workshop, however this went above and beyond my expectations. Fluid in progression, great insight and a super relaxed learning curve full of information. I feel this has prepared me to take my own personal photographic journey to the next level. Executed to perfection. Nice work guys! 10/10 recommended.
Janelle Dransfield
Moving to Iceland now...? Loved this workshop! I really liked the way the modules are split up, and the way you watch Benjamin go out on location for a shot, then immediately sit down and watch his editing process for that specific shot. So much editing to learn too, since he doesn't use presets! The workbook is also super thorough, so printing it out allowed me to pay close attention and just add little notes here and there. The Iceland road guide is also SO helpful and in depth. Can't wait to use it. Also loved that Ben talked about printing your own work. Would be cool to maybe see something from Wildist in the future that goes even more into depth on that (calibrating your own printer, working with a print shop, dropship sites, etc.) Awesome course. Thanks, Hardman.