Landscapes - Archive

[Antonio Correia]

Thank you ChrisC for your post.
Your images are always nice and creative

[Letrow]

This was shot in the Bokkedoorns near Zandvoort with my new 12-24mm lens. I tried to get as close to the water edge and the log as possible. The colors are the vivid colors in my Nikon, apart from that only unsharp mask applied in Gimp. The lens itself I noticed influences some of the colors as well, especially on wide shots. I like the fact that the water is quite dark, but still with a lot of detail left.

[MiniChris]

Not sure if you've set your camera settings to "Vivid," but if you are shooting RAW, you'll want to take it off. I couldn't get a decent picture in RAW until I just about went dead neutral on all my settings. Vivid didn't work for me in any editing mode as it tended to blow out the sky, just as it has done in this shot. Upper part (the darker blue) works fine, but the lower part of the sky, where your more subtle colors lie is washed out.
Another example of this is the colors in the foreground grasses. They are great in the darker values, but whe you get to the lighter value, they tend to fade out far too quickly. I shoot both the D7000 and the D40.

[Antonio Correia]

Not sure if you've set your camera settings to "Vivid," but if you are shooting RAW, you'll want to take it off. I couldn't get a decent picture in RAW until I just about went dead neutral on all my settings. Vivid didn't work for me in any editing mode as it tended to blow out the sky, just as it has done in this shot. Upper part (the darker blue) works fine, but the lower part of the sky, where your more subtle colors lie is washed out.
Another example of this is the colors in the foreground grasses. They are great in the darker values, but whe you get to the lighter value, they tend to fade out far too quickly. I shoot both the D7000 and the D40.

Thank you ChrisC for your great comment

[sakthi]

Hello Siva
Thank you for posting here
Your photo is nice and well composed. However, I would rather the tree to be placed a little more to the left or, saying another way, more field to the right of the picture. The idea of the Sun is great as it has a great impact on the image.
However, as you may know, sun light directly into the canera shortens sensor's life. Well, just a trifle observation because we need to change camera from time to time.
And something else and you are probably aware of this: should you have closed more the aperture you would have a better star in the Sun compared to the one you have. A small bonus
Perhaps the dark side of the photo could benefit from some kind of work as we could see some detail. What do you think ?

Thanks for ur comments. ya i could place tree left but i didnt have much to work with it.

i only use the DPP software. so i couldnt do much editing and i'm very new to photo editing too. thanks for ur comments. sorry for the late response.

[Marie Hass]

Ok. Hello, everyone. I am new to this, but am ready to give it a go. Gulp... Your comments and critiques please.

This picture is backroads Ohio (Sykes Ridge Road in Clarington) about 10 minutes from home. This ancient tree facinates me. I shot it with my Canon XSI and my kit lens. Post processing with PSE8.

[MiniChris]

If you will bear through the explanation before trying to understand what all these lines mean, perhaps this demonstration will show you the difficulties in shooting a tree in such a manner as it is exactly symmetrical in almost every aspect. In this case, the symmetry doesn't allow the eye the opportunity to explore but rather to focus on the large light area in the middle.

The first set of red & blue lines show you how your original work sat in the picture plane as per near absolute symmetry.

I added about an inch and a half of foreground but even with the addition, I couldn't raise the centerline adequately enough to lose that stark symmetry. Yellow Lines.

I had to add another three inces of foreground to raise the horizontal midpoint high enough on the plane to allow some interaction between the eye and the rest of the scene (purple lines). If you can, go back and reshoot, allowing for some more foreground. It is a beautiful tree and worthy of another shot.



Even with the additional 60' or so of foreground, I would suggest you shoot at a slightly oblique or lower angle to try and lose some of that abruptness in the shot.

[Antonio Correia]

Great explanation from ChrisC

Thank you for doing so and thank you Marie Gass for posting here

[Letrow]

Not sure if you've set your camera settings to "Vivid," but if you are shooting RAW, you'll want to take it off. I couldn't get a decent picture in RAW until I just about went dead neutral on all my settings. Vivid didn't work for me in any editing mode as it tended to blow out the sky, just as it has done in this shot. Upper part (the darker blue) works fine, but the lower part of the sky, where your more subtle colors lie is washed out.
Another example of this is the colors in the foreground grasses. They are great in the darker values, but whe you get to the lighter value, they tend to fade out far too quickly. I shoot both the D7000 and the D40.

Yes, as I mentioned in the original shot, I had my settings on Vivid. TBH, I had saturation on +3 as well. Agree with your comments, the colors show it too much. Just experimenting really at the moment with the camera settings.
I shoot JPEG, not RAW.

[MiniChris]

Yes, as I mentioned in the original shot, I had my settings on Vivid. TBH, I had saturation on +3 as well. Agree with your comments, the colors show it too much. Just experimenting really at the moment with the camera settings.
I shoot JPEG, not RAW.

If possible, you should take the plunge into RAW...soooooooooo much better output...but if not, I'd still take out or lower those values. I know Ken Rockwell is very fond of highly vivid photos but I am not sure everything he suggests works the same way...it's like there's something in the translation that never makes it to the user end.

[Black Pearl]

Hello,

First proper post on here so though I'd make a one that pushes the landscape theme a little. This is a shot taken with my Nikon D300s + 35mm f1.8 of me holding my iPhone 4 while taking a landscape picture.

[Marie Hass]

Thank you Chris for taking the time to explain the technical aspects of composing this shot. Your teaching is invaluable. I will try again, using the skills you have provided. :-P Marie

[Marie Hass]

Somehow my reply post to Chris ended up on page 8. Sorry. I am new . Thanks to you Antonio for your encouragement.

[Pohled]

Hello,

First proper post on here so though I'd make a one that pushes the landscape theme a little. This is a shot taken with my Nikon D300s + 35mm f1.8 of me holding my iPhone 4 while taking a landscape picture.

So nice! I think that it was my literature teachers called 'metalinguagem'

[Antonio Correia]

Hello, First proper post on here so though I'd make a one that pushes the landscape theme a little. This is a shot taken with my Nikon D300s + 35mm f1.8 of me holding my iPhone 4 while taking a landscape picture

Thank you Robin for posting here
I think your photo is quite interesting as it is in fact a photo inside another one and can be an excellent example of DoF or the lack or it
I perfectly understand that you were holding your camera with your hand while the iPhone was in the other and this why I think you can do better than what you show us here today.
Perhaps if you get a tripod or sit the camera somehow you can be more careful on the composition and get a better picture.
No, not that this is not good. No. This is just fine but I think you can improve a bit. How about that ?
For example: try to get the same scenario on the iPhone and on the camera. How ? I don't know. It's up to you.

[Black Pearl]

Thanks for the comment.

It was a grab shot and not something I'll likely do again, just a spur of the moment "Ooo that looks interesting'

[Antonio Correia]

Thanks for the comment. It was a grab shot and not something I'll likely do again, just a spur of the moment "Ooo that looks interesting'

Just my point of view Robin...

[MiniChris]

Nikon D7000 with Tamrom 70-300 zoom at 300 f/5.7. Paynes Prarie, Gainesville, FL 1/22/2011 9:41am

[Antonio Correia]

Congrats for your new European car and for the nice image

Thank you for posting here again

[MiniChris]

My "new" European car is a pocket rocket and is almost seven years old with 115,000 miles on it...and will tear up most other cars on the highway as well as most roads...I do so love Minis.