landscapes

[Javelin]

I don't do landscapes very often and would like to get feedback on this. they were just opportunistic shots. and was trying to get the best out of them so I took a lot of frames and a pano. the pano is more so you can see the whole scene. in particular I'd like to know if you would have picked a different composition for this shot.



Here is a link to the pano. it's a bit big to post here.

[harvey]

Did you try a polarizer for the single shot? I tend to use them too much but they quite often bring out the clouds
although this would likely affect the reflection of the sky as well.

I like the left part that you picked and if I was choosing from the pano would have chopped off the right 20%.

Harvey

[harveyzone]

I don't do landscapes very often and would like to get feedback on this. they were just opportunistic shots. and was trying to get the best out of them so I took a lot of frames and a pano. the pano is more so you can see the whole scene. in particular I'd like to know if you would have picked a different composition for this shot.

A couple of comments from me...
First, a lot of your posts seem to have a red/pink cast on them. I have noticed it before and I have viewed them on several machines, so don't think it is an issue with my monitors. You may want to check your moitor calibration.

Second, I always think that images with a lot of water on them need to be very level (unless deliberatly angled for effect). Both of these seem to have a sloped horizon that disturbs me.

The crisp reflections are great, but I am feeling too much sky and water at top and bottom. I would possibly crop the pano to be very long/thin.

[Javelin]

Did you try a polarizer for the single shot? I tend to use them too much but they quite often bring out the clouds
although this would likely affect the reflection of the sky as well.

I like the left part that you picked and if I was choosing from the pano would have chopped off the right 20%.

Harvey

Thanks Harvey. no I have 3 polarizers linear and circular and none of them fit the wides I have and have been meaning to pick one up for some time now. Only the bigger camera shops in the city have decent ones and I don't get in there often and the last 2 times I've forgotten them. normally I would have used one myself on my F717 I wasn't going to get one for my 17-35 but am defiantly going to get one for my 28-135 which I think is going to be on the camera the most this summer.

A couple of comments from me...
First, a lot of your posts seem to have a red/pink cast on them. I have noticed it before and I have viewed them on several machines, so don't think it is an issue with my monitors. You may want to check your monitor calibration.

Second, I always think that images with a lot of water on them need to be very level (unless deliberatly angled for effect). Both of these seem to have a sloped horizon that disturbs me.

The crisp reflections are great, but I am feeling too much sky and water at top and bottom. I would possibly crop the pano to be very long/thin.

I wonder if the cast you see is because most of what I have posted here recently has been taken in late day sun where the sky is starting to turn pink. I actually have been trying to preserve those colours in my shots where I could easily cool them out and desaturated them a bit to get rid of it? You think thats what I should do here? This little pond has an irregular shore on the opposite side. which makes it look crooked. the right side shoreline is further away than the left but I think it's pretty straight in terms of the horizon. I actually noticed that in the viewfinder and really didn't know what to do about it. to make matters worse the treeline on the right side also gets closer to the point of view the closer it is. like looking across the deepest part of a trapezoid.

[harvey]

Thanks Harvey. no I have 3 polarizers linear and circular and none of them fit the wides I have and have been meaning to pick one up for some time now. Only the bigger camera shops in the city have decent ones and I don't get in there often and the last 2 times I've forgotten them. normally I would have used one myself on my F717 I wasn't going to get one for my 17-35 but am defiantly going to get one for my 28-135 which I think is going to be on the camera the most this summer.

You have to watch the wide-angle lenses because the polarizer effect can vary a lot across the frame, sometimes
I don't notice this through the viewfinder.
It gets pretty expensive if you get a CP for each lens, fortunately some of my lenses share the same thread size.

[Javelin]

Thanks for the tip on the polorizer. I think i'll stick to one forthe 28-135 anyway it seems like the best lens I have for this type of picture. and I think it would get a lot of use.

Heres another version of the same scene. maybe this one would be considered better? I took some of the pink and yellow out and cooled the WB a bit.

[Dr. Harout]

That's much better.

[harveyzone]

I wonder if the cast you see is because most of what I have posted here recently has been taken in late day sun where the sky is starting to turn pink. I actually have been trying to preserve those colours in my shots where I could easily cool them out and desaturated them a bit to get rid of it? You think thats what I should do here?

I can see the warm glow, but the cast is in the shadows too where it wouldn't be. It is also on other shots of yours like the macros. Your second version is muchbetter.

This little pond has an irregular shore on the opposite side. which makes it look crooked. the right side shoreline is further away than the left but I think it's pretty straight in terms of the horizon. I actually noticed that in the viewfinder and really didn't know what to do about it. to make matters worse the treeline on the right side also gets closer to the point of view the closer it is. like looking across the deepest part of a trapezoid.

There is a definite slope on these - not much, but it is there. When you have lovely crisp reflections like these the easiest way to confirm the slope is that the tip of the trees should be directly over the tips of the trees in the reflections. If you draw a line from the tree tips to their reflection you can see the slope.

This is an edit on your second JPG, and I may have over done it a little, (and I hope you don't mind me having a play), but my take would be something like this...



[EDIT - updated image posted]

[Javelin]

Ok here is another one from a little later in the day (today). This little guy wanted to let me know he didn't approve of me. He was a Little yellow and had that pink cast as well. hardly fitting a warrior of his stature. I used PS and pulled the red Chanel down a bit.



PS> He's running and snarling at the same time. mighta looked more fierce when he was younger.

[harveyzone]

Ok here is another one from a little later in the day (today). This little guy wanted to let me know he didn't approve of me. He was a Little yellow and had that pink cast as well. hardly fitting a warrior of his stature. I used PS and pulled the red Chanel down a bit.

Again this looks very pinky/blue on my monitor. Here is my quick correction. How does this compare on your monitor (and others)?...

[Javelin]

hrm... i'll have a look when I get home. maybe my monitor is going bad ..

[Dr. Harout]

Tom, it's a bit greenish on mine. Not only the last shot.

[David Kilpatrick]

On my calibrated Mac monitor the last shot is correct. It's not greenish. The original is very pink indeed. If the revised image was taken any further, it would look yellow/green in shift. But it has been corrected just about perfectly to my eye, on a well trusted system.

David

[Javelin]

well I can certainly see it now. the first dog is certainly pink I guess I was looking in the highlights. I think I just don't have an eye for these subtle colours because I certainly didn't see it untill it was pointed out so clearly. I have some more shots to process from RAW..maybe I should give on on the raw processing and just let the camera decide the colours in jpg, Don pointed out that I was having trouble geting the colour right too. thanks for your help here.

[Javelin]

here is a similar scene. I think it's the saturation slider thats adding the cast in ACR