Our Blue Hour Challenge Winner: Katrina Thompson

[alpha-jessica-a]

Congratulations to @Katrina Thompson for winning the Blue Hour Photo Challenge! Her blue hour images were stunning. 

Katrina Thompson successfully manages to pursue her passion for photography while balancing caring for her two children under three years of age. Her photographic interests include macro, landscape, and wildlife photography, which enable her to remain present and focused on her surroundings. Growing up in a rural town, Katrina has always harbored a deep appreciation for nature and wildlife. She feels fortunate to reside in Nova Scotia, where she can capture the unspoiled beauty of wildlife and nature through the lens of her camera. With over a decade of experience in photography, her work has been showcased in Carrousel Du Louvre, Canadian Geographic, and Sony Alpha Universe. Katrina's ultimate aspiration is to become a full-time photographer and adventurer. 

We connected with her to learn more about how she made this shot. 

The Scene
This photograph was taken during the blue hour on a December morning. As an individual who has developed a penchant for rising before the sun, I have come to appreciate this magical time of day. The blue hour, during which the world awakens and becomes active, has become an important part of my day, as it often provides breathtaking views. One such view is that of a group of crows that visit my yard every morning, calling out to each other. To capture this morning ritual, I used my camera gear and tripod to take shots from various angles before the crows flew off toward the ocean.

Capturing a Fleeting Moment
Capturing beautiful and memorable moments is a breeze with the exceptional Sony Alpha 7III camera, which boasts impressive features and unwavering reliability. To further enhance my photography game, I use the Manfrotto Element Traveler Small 5-section Aluminum Tripod with Ball Head. It's highly dependable and portable, making it perfect for photographers who are always on the go. 

Capturing the perfect silhouette of a crow mid-crowing has been a long-standing goal of mine. To achieve this, I had to consider the angle and settings required to produce an action shot of the bird calling while still obtaining its distinct outline. In this regard, set my camera to: 1/200, F6.3, and ISO 100 to capture the crow's silhouette mid-call. The primary objective of this photograph was to capture the crow's calling out while producing an outline of its figure.

Editing the Images 
I utilize Adobe Lightroom on my MacBook Pro and prefer to shoot in raw format. To begin the editing process, I cropped the image to achieve my desired composition. Subsequently, I increased the blue hue in Luminance and adjusted the tones slightly to brighten the photo. To further enhance the image's background, I made minor adjustments to the shadows, blacks, whites, and highlights to accentuate the crow's silhouette.

We'd love to hear what your photography goals are for the year in our latest Photography Challenge!

[ST]

Congratulations @Katrina Thompson!

[tonygale]

Congratulations @Katrina Thompson

 

[Katrina Thompson]

Oh my goodness, I just saw this post! Thank you so much for choosing my photo for the Blue Hour Challenge! I can't express how grateful I am, it really means a lot to me!

[Katrina Thompson]

Thank you so much, @ST and @tonygale

[CarolineJensen]

Congrats, Katrina! 

[Katrina Thompson]

Thanks a lot @CarolineJensen 🙂