Kayaking into Mordor

"Narada Lake"

Not very often am I presented with such a wonderful opportunity. I use my kayak often, but typically when I go out the weather is quite mundane, or violent and terrifying. This evening the wind was calm and the cloud cover was excellent, I knew there was a great opportunity to create something to be proud of.

Kayak photography has consistently been one of the hardest conditions to work within. The rocking of the boat makes it nearly impossible to create level, sharp, and properly exposed photographs, especially when working with graduated neutral density filters attached. A calm mind and a steady hand are more important than ever, when a tripod is no longer an option and quality is of the utmost importance.

After several attempts to keep my graduated filter in place, kayak level, and composition level, I finally took a photograph I was excited about.

Canon 6D, Canon 24-105L (@32mm), 2-stop reverse graduated neutral density filter, ISO 800, F/11, 1/40th of a second.