Amanda Barrick + The Story Behind

Sometimes you just come across an image and you feel it. Like really feel it. Amanda Barrick of Banjosandbows had us giggling, smiling and down-right relating to her image. Let’s face it people, we’ve all been there. Just when you reach the end, you run out of steam and all you can do is lower your head and just roll with it. Throw in the impressive lighting and dazzling colors, we knew we had to feature it for all to see and read about.

IG Handle:.
@banjosandbows

Where was this photo taken?
My backyard, in Cochranton, PA.

How did the location add or hinder to your image?
Because this was in my backyard, I was comfortable and familiar with the lighting and the setting. It was shot in May when the grass is green and the dandelions pop up which adds to the color palate.

Can you tell us “The Story Behind” this shot?
My son was sliding head first down his slide one evening, and I wanted to capture this familiar, yet simple, aspect of childhood. This was just a quick shot in the midst of some backyard play. I typically have my camera either crossed over me or somewhere I can quickly grab when we’re out playing, especially during this time of day. It was easy to capture without causing much interference since I had my camera and my son was happy to slide down head first again.

DSLR, iphone, instant or film?
DSLR. Canon 6D, Sigma Art 35mm.

What were your camera settings for this image?
ISO 100, f/1.8, 1/1000

What speaks to you about this image? What specifically made you press the shutter?
Other than the moment, I was drawn to the color palate that was present. I knew his red hair would pop against the green slide, grass, and his green shirt, and the golden back light also warmed up the scene and played of of his hair color.

What was your composition technique with this shot?
I composed with the role of thirds here because of the line of the slide. I knew if I centered it, there wouldn’t be symmetry which I like in center compositions.

Was this photo happenstance or did you visualize it prior? If so, how did you envision the image and set up for it?
I didn’t visualize it prior to my son doing the sliding initially. Once he did though, I asked him to do it again for this shot. I like to see things in new perspectives, so I got down very low in the grass in front of the slide (I was most likely laying on my stomach) to get the perspective of my son coming down.

Did you have any lighting challenges/How did you light the image?
I love the lighting in my backyard in the evening. It gets beautiful warm sun and it lights up the trees between the slide and the sun. The back light also added to the color play in the image which is always something I like to add in.

Did you use a preset to edit this image, your own selective edits or a combination of both?
I use a preset that I saved after many, many tweaks that once started as a VSCO Fuji 800 preset.

For more from Cochranton, Pennsylvania’s Amanda Barrick, check out her FACEBOOK.