Surprise! Today’s Member Monday feature is Rolf Hartbrich, the photographer who recently won our #KelbyOneLexar photo competition—see his winning image here. Rather than show you another architecture shot from Rolf, we thought it’d be a good idea to explore another one of his photos called “Bamboo Forest.”

1.)  Can you tell us a little bit about the image (full image below)? 

Where: It is taken at Arashiyama a little town near Kyoto, Japan
When: June 2014

Why did I take the picture: I like it because of the incredible colors and the leading lines which gives a lot depth and dimension. There are two pictures with the size of 2 meters (80 inches) wide on the wall of friends and if you are standing in front of the picture it really tears you into the scene.

The story behind the scenes:

In 2011 in New Zealand, I met a gorgeous Japanese girl. We knew each other only 2 days, because it was at the end of my trip, but she invited me to see her in Japan. So I went there in 2014. Before I went, I asked her to show me a bamboo forest and that’s what she did.

The contrast was so high that I had to shoot multiple exposures. But the place was so crowded and I had no tripod with me, so I sat down and waited until there were only a few people in the picture and I removed them with photoshop. To get the colors I saw, I had to use Nik Color Efex 4.

2.)  What gear/software did you use to create this image?

For this picture I used a Canon 5D Mark III, Canon EF 17-40 mm f/4.
I had to shoot 3 pictures and did a HDR with Photomatrix. For editing I used Lightroom, Photoshop and Nik Color Efex 4.

3.)  What do you like to photograph?

My absolute favorite is going on some hikes and shooting landscapes. And I like to shoot sports and events a lot.

4.) How long have you been a KelbyOne member and what made you decide to become a member?

I became a member on the 28.12.2012. There are so many fantastic courses and incredible instructors. So I didn’t hesitate and became a member.

To see more work by Rolf, take a look at his website and make sure to follow him on Facebook and Instagram.