STORY BEHIND THE STILL
We find out how Pedro Quintela produced his beautiful fine art image
PHOTOGRAPHER: Pedro Quintela WEBSITE: pedroquintelaimages.weebly.com LOCATION: Portugal
TYPE OF COMMISSION: Personal work SHOT DETAILS: Canon eoS 6d, 16mm, multiple exposures, f11, iSo 100
Pedro Quintela is not afraid to use digital tools to create the images he envisions. When family commitments made it almost impossible for him to travel far to take new images in recent years, Pedro realised he could fulfil his personal (and his clients’) requirements by embracing a fine art approach.
“I made this image in two stages, one shot for the foreground and a second one for the sky/light,” Pedro explains. “The first time the sky was flat, so I shot the foreground and waited for another chance to shoot the sky. As always I used an aperture of f11 to prevent diffraction, ISO 100 to be noise free and a shutter speed of about 1/50sec, to get enough sharpness. A GND filter was used to help retain some detail in the sky and make the blend smoother.
“Then came another challenge – the processing. I blended the frames, played with light by using curves adjustments, dodged and burned and even used some elementary matte painting, to remove some roughness and help to create ‘mood’. This was also used to give density to the story and maintain the vision I had for the moment. The final touch was the amazing Orton Effect – a must-have to get the surreal touch I wanted. This wasn’t about getting reality, but getting ‘my’ reality. This image is from a large set I started creating a year ago, in honour of my late grandmother, who stood with dignity until her last breath, like those amazing trees that defy the elements. If you really want something, your mind and soul will provide the answer. Just stay focused and never quit. You have only one shot in life, so don’t spend your precious life moaning. Go for it!”