Spontaneous Combustion by Todd Tobey

5 questions about this photo:

Q1. What equipment did you use?
I used a Canon 5D mark ll with a Canon 16-35mm f 2.8L lens. My tripod is a Gitzo 3530 LS and I use a Really Right Stuff BH-55 ballhead.

Q2. What settings did you have on your camera?
I used the live view function on the camera to help compose and focus the shot. I also used the real time histogram, via the live view, to confirm the proper exposure for the shot. The ISO was set to 50. I used a cable release with the camera in continuous shooting mode in an effort to minimize cloud movement in the sky. The aperture was set to f 16. I took three different exposures for the shot. One for the highlights, one for the mid-tones, and one for the shadows. Shutter speeds differed for each shot, 0.7 seconds for the highlights, 3 seconds for the mid-tones and 10 seconds for the shadows.

Q3. What software did you use during the post-production?
The three exposures were tonemapped in Photomatix. I loaded the tonemapped image along with the three original images into the layers palette in Photoshop CS4. I used the tonemapped image as a base layer and blended portions of the three originals back into it. Once I was satisfied with the blend, I flattened the image and made final adjustments for color, contrast and sharpness.

Q4. What is the location?
The shot was taken at Eufaula Lake in Pittsburg County Oklahoma.

Q5. How did you come up with the idea of this shot?
I am always looking for dramatic lighting conditions and interesting subjects in nature. I thought the combination of water, the dead tree and the gorgeous light might make for an interesting photograph. On a side note, I did get really wet making this shot. It was necessary to wade into waist deep water to get the shot that I had envisioned. The wet ride home was worth it!