Find The Right Light Friday – Windmills

By Lane Erickson

“You cannot make a windmill go with a pair of bellows.” – George Herbert                 

Happy Friday everyone! It’s time once again for Find the Right Light Friday where I showcase one image and talk about how I created it.

The Setting

I took a recent trip for work. On my way home just as the sun was setting. I was near a small town called American Falls where lots of windmills are located. They line the hillside where the wind is the strongest. They are white and and many are set against the horizon where they are stark against the sky. 

The Idea

As I was looking at the windmills I suddenly had an idea of a photograph that I could create. So, I pulled off the highway and found a good location that offered a view of many of these windmills. 

The Image

I set my Fuji X-T1 camera on my Gitzo G322 Studex tripod with the XF 55-200mm f/3.5-4.8 OIS lens. Experimenting, I finally set the ISO at 400 and the aperture at about f/5.6 so that I could have a slow shutter speed. It couldn’t be too slow though. I was trying for around 1/2 to 1/3 of a second. 

Any faster of a shutter speed, and the motion of the turbines wouldn’t look right.  Any slower and the turbines wouldn’t even show up. 

After a few trial and error attempts, I was able to create this image.  

Always open to comments, I welcome your thoughts, suggestions and even your critiques. Have a great Friday and best wishes in finding the right light for your own photographs.