Smoky Mountain Landscape

[Suzan J]

Here are a few recent shots of my trip to the Smoky Mountains in Tennessee. It was truly awesome with some beautiful winter views. This is my first real foray into trying to capture a decent landscape image. I don't have a high end landscape lens. I used the Nikon 18-140 kit lens which came with my D7100. It was also the first trip where I used my new tripod, so this was a learning experience. Oddly, although I was aware that I should be shooting at the wide end of this lens, for some reason I had several shots in the 50 to 60mm range. I guess I was unconsciously changing the zoom. Please help me improve by offering any C and C, particularly as to how to crop or frame a waterfall. I find that most perplexing.




f 7.1 56mm SS 1/8 ISO 200 - Just before sunset

DSC_9909 by Soo J, on Flickr

f 9 18mm SS 320 ISO 200 - New Found Gap

DSC_9817 by Soo J, on Flickr


f 9 56mm SS 1/8 ISO 200

DSC_9836 by Soo J, on Flickr

[Nicks Pics]

I like number 1, and #2, even better, particularly with the tree on the side giving a contrast between far and near. I am not very experienced with waterfalls, just as an idea though, it might be nice if we could see where the waterfall was hitting the stream at the bottom. Maybe with a portrait orientation shot.

[Downrigger]

Your series is very nice, Sue.

I especially enjoy the first with it’s very gentle lavenders and blues. Compositionally you express ambiguity about whether you want foreground material or not and the compromise isn’t really that helpful. I run into this all the time shooting in wooded mountains, and I think it’s better pretty often to figure out how to have a substantial foreground or else resort to none, which tends often to be less interesting.
The second is a pretty shot with nice foreground framing and a nice use of wider angle to have it all in focus. Mid-day wide-angle shots often are washed out looking and need a tweak of PP to acquire a bit more contrast and saturation. I think maybe your lens has a titch of barrel distortion at 18mm – see the trees on right leaning right, and trees of left leaning a bit to left? Your PP software probably has correction for this you can use if it bugs you... it's pretty subtle.
I hope someone really talented helps on the waterfall question. This is just fine, and the streamside vegetation is enhancing. I think straight on down the middle of the frame is a bit of a problem in this one and it might have been worthwhile to try some different angles of view that afforded the waterfall a more interesting traverse and created some interesting diagonals and triangles.

[Shadowman]

Nice series, what's a high end landscape lens?

[Geoff F]

When viewing #1 here, against a white background, those pastel shades seem rather washed out; but it has much more impact when seen at full screen size on a dark background.

[FrankMi]

Mountain overlook vistas are usually very difficult to do well as the haze usually just makes the image flat. In this case you've caught some fairly interesting cloud formations in the first and a fairly sharp, well framed scene in the second.

For the waterfall, you have a vertical subject cut-off in a horizontal frame. I think I'd go portrait for this one or shoot more from the side to get the waterfall more on the diagonal. Hope this helps!

[GBO25]

With #1 & #2 I think they need a little contrast and saturation adjustments. If you have PS or Elements try a new layer with multiply as the blend mode and adjust the opacity to suit.

With the waterfall, because they're narrow falls I'd definitely try a portrait shot which would suit the subject better and also hopefully show the bottom of the drop.

[pnodrog]

-------- Oddly, although I was aware that I should be shooting at the wide end of this lens, for some reason I had several shots in the 50 to 60mm range. I guess I was unconsciously changing the zoom.

It is a myth that you need to use a wide angle lens for landscapes. You need to use the focal length that gives you the required composition from the position you are taking the photograph. It maybe a wide angle but on some occasions such as taking a waterfall from a distant view point it maybe a tele photo shot. It is what you choose to take not how you take it that matters.

[RhondaH]

Hi Suzan, I love your series, and image #1 the most! I wish I could offer an original suggestion, but I agree that a portrait of the waterfall would be nice.

[dje]

Hi Suzan

These are lovely shots IMO. I really like the pastel shades in #1. The second is an interesting composition and I too think it could do with a little more contrast. I'm with the others for a portrait with more of the bottom part of the falls in #3.

Dave

[Suzan J]

Thank you all for the comments. The reason I like this site so much is that one can count on reasonable and easy to understand advice. All for free! Mark's comment about being "ambiguous" in determining whether the foreground should be substantial or not in a landscape is something I will now think about when composing. Also, everyone seems to have the same thoughts on the waterfall. I had wanted to include the top of the waterfall, but that came at the expense of losing the bottom. It seems that I would have better off to zoom out and capture all of it's long and narrow size at a slightly different angle in a portrait aspect.