Ryan Ditch is a landscape photographer based in Scottsdale, Arizona. Originally from the Pacific Northwest, he’s been lucky enough to chase scenes like this for many years. Using his Sony Alpha 7R IV and Sony 16-35mm f/2.8 G Master combination, he crafted and captured this stunning composition in Oregon. Keep reading as he shares his story behind the shot.
Photo by Ryan Ditch. Alpha 7R IV. 16-35mm f/2.8 G Master. 1/400-sec., f/8, ISO 400
Crafting The Perfect Composition
As I wandered the shores of Trillium Lake in Oregon looking for a composition I came up with an idea. I know it’s been done before and I’m sure I was inspired by a shot I’d seen in the past, but I just can’t remember when.
The water was so still that morning I thought it would be fun to create a ripple. After a few tries I realized it would be more dynamic with the water bouncing up from the surface. After about 50 pebbles and 300 photos later I finally nailed it, perfectly centered and not impending the mountain reflection.
Camera Settings For Freezing The Water Movement
The gear used for this shot was my Sony Alpha 7R IV camera and Sony 16-35mm f/2.8 G Master lens. Knowing I had to freeze the water movement, I based my settings around shutter speed. Without bumping my ISO too high, I settled on 1/400-sec. and ISO 400. Doing this allowed me to still shoot at f/8, capturing a nice crisp depth of field. Lastly, the light was extremely harsh with no cloud cover so I shot -1 EV underexposed.
I always find the photos taken correctly in camera make the easiest edits. Since I had plenty of time to compose and perfect my shot I was able to take a high quality RAW. Lowering the highlights, bumping shadows and adding some radial filters to increase the sunlight is about all I had to do. After a bit of dodging and burning on the mountain and a slight vignette the edit was finished.
See more of Ryan Ditch’s work on Instagram @ryanditchphoto and at ryanditchphoto.com.
Shop Ryan’s Kit For Landscapes:
–Alpha 7R IV
–16-35mm f/2.8 G Master
Read the stories behind more images taken by your favorite photographers here.
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