Lough Erne at Night - Critique

[mole2k]

Well a few of these shots have already been posted in the landscape section here (http://www.talkphotography.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=29190)

I would like some more indepth critique on a few of them though as to how to improve them :help:.

http://www.mole2k.co.uk/rand/_MG_2479.jpg


Personally I think its a bit dark but since its taken at night when i change the levels it looks a bit too much "daytime" to me.

Feel free to rip me apart :thumbs:

[petemc]

Personally I think everything but the sky is a bit dull. The random tuft of grass is a bit boring and the pier seems to blend into the dark reflection of the hill. I don't think the 2 work well together, sky and landscape. I'd be inclined to find a more stunning landscape that would suit the really excellent sky you can get.

[antonroland]

What about moving a few paces forward to get only water, pier and sky in the image - could you crop and clone it this way...:shrug:

[GAELICSTORM7]

Hi,

How about taking it from the end of the pier looking along the lake ideally on a cloudless night in the depths of winter (the night sky never really gets dark on the horizon at this time of the year), to let the stars really show and maybe even reflect in the water if it's still enough ?, think this shot as always gonna be compromised taking it in summertime.

Alan

[RobertP]

What you have got is impressive for a night shot - if you know that is what it is.

It looks wrong having stars with that ambient light level and colour in the sky. You can do things with the composition but the sky like that still does not fit to me. Maybe you need a moon behind some clouds to explain the light level.

Might be what Alan said above (should have read that before I typed :) )

[mole2k]

I was quite surprised when taking the shots just how much like daylight I could make some of the shots look, obviously I want these recognisable as night shots and not just a quick photoshop job where somebody has plastered a few stars onto a random daylight shot.

I have a few places in mine around here that might work better from a landscape point of view, alot of the water here tends to nearly always be windswept so its quite rare to get a reflection in the water. I might see about going out tonight and giving it a try in some different locations, the main problem im having is as Pete said. I get nice skys fairly easily its just having it tied to an awesome landscape that looks like its under moonlight, I've had trouble including the moon as its so much brighter than everything else it almost looks like a sun.

[G_Dem]

I was quite surprised when taking the shots just how much like daylight I could make some of the shots look, obviously I want these recognisable as night shots and not just a quick photoshop job where somebody has plastered a few stars onto a random daylight shot.

I have a few places in mine around here that might work better from a landscape point of view, alot of the water here tends to nearly always be windswept so its quite rare to get a reflection in the water. I might see about going out tonight and giving it a try in some different locations, the main problem im having is as Pete said. I get nice skys fairly easily its just having it tied to an awesome landscape that looks like its under moonlight, I've had trouble including the moon as its so much brighter than everything else it almost looks like a sun.

I've never done it myself but maybe taking a couple of exposures would help. One for the general scene and one for the moon :shrug:

[mole2k]

One of the main problems with that is the light bleeding means you get the big white halo around it so it takes lots of editing to get a nice merge.

[jamie-dm]

What lens did you use?

thanks
jamie-dm

[mole2k]

17-40 f4L at 17mm.