Ever scroll through your Instagram feed and see some amazing photography and wonder how that picture came to life? Yeah, we do too! So we’re bringing you the story Behind the Instagram!

Say hello to the first edition of the column featuring Brendan van Son, a photographer from Canada.

We were able to catch up with him via email and get the story behind his Instagram pic.

CheapOair: Was this photo planned?
Brendan van Son: I think all good landscape photos are planned. There is so much that goes into an image. I shot this location at sunrise, and looked at maps before to find out which direction the sun would be shining before choosing this location. I woke up at 5 a.m. to get to the location 30 minutes before the dawn light started coming in, so I was wandering around looking for the scene in the dark. So, yeah, it was planned. With landscape photography, planning is often what makes or breaks a photo.

C: How long did it take to get this picture?
BVS: The exposure is about 15 seconds, so there’s that. Other than that, I was in the location at Moraine Lake for about an hour shooting different angles, lines, and light that morning.

C: Was the photo taken with a camera or a cell phone? If so, which?
BVS: It was taken on a DSLR camera. I shot this using a Canon 60D and a 10-20mm Sigma lens.

C: The obligatory Instagram question, was there a filter put on it?
BVS: Haha, yes and no. There was no Instagram filter put on the photo. However, I used a classic traditional filter on the front of my lens when I shot the image. I was using a gradient ND filter to get the exposure and light just right.

C: What inspired you to take this picture?
BVS: Moraine Lake is my favourite place in the world to watch the sunrise. It’s so peaceful out there and then when you finally see the scene develop it’s really exciting. I’ve been here about 20 times and never really captured the peacefulness of it in an image, so that’s what I was trying to do here: peace meets awe.

Do you want to learn from an expert like Brendan? He’s actually going to be putting on a workshop in Peru next year. For more details, click here!

If you’d like to have your Instagram photo featured then tweet us @CheapOair!

Photo: Brendan van Son