Rutland Water

[antc]

Decided after nursing my bad back for the last 2 days I would have a little trip out to Rutland Water to attempt for the first time some landscape shots. Was a lovely sunny day with a gentle breeze, plenty of things going on and plenty of people about.

This is a selection of what I have captured.

C+C welcome.

1.
http://www.anthony-clay.co.uk/jGallery/albums/Landscapes/IMG_0047.JPG

2.
http://www.anthony-clay.co.uk/jGallery/albums/Landscapes/IMG_0054.JPG

3.
http://www.anthony-clay.co.uk/jGallery/albums/Landscapes/IMG_0058.JPG

4.
http://www.anthony-clay.co.uk/jGallery/albums/Landscapes/IMG_0073.JPG

5.
http://www.anthony-clay.co.uk/jGallery/albums/Landscapes/IMG_0088.JPG

[antc]

Had a little play with one of the above images in photomatix and this is what I ended up with.

6.
http://www.anthony-clay.co.uk/jGallery/albums/HDR/Rutland%20Bell%20HDR.jpg

[RobertP]

#6 could be a bit of a mistake :)

I've not had ND grad filters very long but I'm realising more and more how useful they are. The skies in these shots dominate the picture and toning them down just a small amount would probably improve things. Nice scenes and well exposed overall but I just seem to notice the clouds.

[antc]

Any one else have any comments. There has been a lot of people view this thread, but just the one good man commented so far!! Thanks RobertP :thumbs:

[Slapo]

1, 4 and 5 don't seem to have a stronger subject, something one's eye could easily focus on immediately after seeing the photo.

No. 2 doesn't have what could be the main subject composed in very well.

No. 3 looks best to me so far.

The weather must have been fine and the walk nice, though.

[Sharkey]

antc, if anything could have helped give these images a bit more clout its probably a polarizing filter rather than a nd/grad. plus a bit more exposure, I have only started recently to do the odd landscape so not best qualified but I have found those two things of use. Hope you do to.

Regards

[Slapo]

I think what you could have for no. 7 is this (in png):

http://www.imageshock.eu/img/IMG_0058_02-owm1.png

[Janice]

Ant....it is very easy to fall into the trap of taking a walk and thinking "that looks quite nice" and snapping away.

Unless an imagine strikes you as stunning.. then usually it will not come over very well as a photograph.

I must say that apart from the ones with the boat the others have no subject matter really. And the composition of the boat ones is not best.

I am not actually being critical... just saying this.... that I hope you will remember next time you put the camera up to your eye.

I nearly always think of one word of advice or another from the forum when going to take a shot.

Eventually all the pieces of advice add up to you being a much better photographer than before you joined!

Great landscapes dont just happen because you take a walk. I go lots and lots of places, come home and bin them all! Every so often there is a good 'un!! :D

Practice makes perfect.!! Keep em coming. :thumbs:

[antc]

I think what you could have for no. 7 is this (in png):

http://www.imageshock.eu/img/IMG_0058_02.png

That looks quite a bit better. What did you do? Can you run it by me step by step? :thumbs:

I can see the sky is a lot stronger blue and the fields in the background appear more green to my eyes anyway.

[antc]

Ant....it is very easy to fall into the trap of taking a walk and thinking "that looks quite nice" and snapping away.

Unless an imagine strikes you as stunning.. then usually it will not come over very well as a photograph.

I must say that apart from the ones with the boat the others have no subject matter really. And the composition of the boat ones is not best.

I am not actually being critical... just saying this.... that I hope you will remember next time you put the camera up to your eye.

I nearly always think of one word of advice or another from the forum when going to take a shot.

Eventually all the pieces of advice add up to you being a much better photographer than before you joined!

Great landscapes dont just happen because you take a walk. I go lots and lots of places, come home and bin them all! Every so often there is a good 'un!! :D

Practice makes perfect.!! Keep em coming. :thumbs:

Thanks Janice, i will try to remember that when im out in future. I think i just need to get out and get more practice!

[Slapo]

They could all use a bit of pp:

http://www.imageshock.eu/img/IMG_0073_02.png

[Slapo]

I did pretty much the same thing I did here:
http://www.talkphotography.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=30943
Maybe some curves on the lightening layer.

[Rich]

I go lots and lots of places, come home and bin them all! Every so often there is a good 'un!! :D

God almighty do I ever agree with that one :lol:

Same as the others really. Look for some subject matter in your shots. A beautiful scene does not necessarily make a beautiful photograph.

A few things that have helped me improve with landscapes are as follows:

*reading this (and other) forums.
*Posting and asking for feedback.
*Using a narrower aperture to get a wider depth of field (sharper further away). This is a biggy for me. When i first started with my Kodak point and shoot, I always wondered why things seemed hazy further away...
*Using the rule of thirds - This one is more important because it makes you think about what you are taking the picture of. Stopping and thinking is the most important part!
*Foreground interest! Most good landscape shots have something in the immediate foreground that leads you into the shot.

Anyway, I am not the most qualified to speak on this subject by a million miles. Just sharing some of the things I have picked up on my journey from TERRIBLE to not so terrible :lol:

[antc]

God almighty do I ever agree with that one :lol:

Same as the others really. Look for some subject matter in your shots. A beautiful scene does not necessarily make a beautiful photograph.

A few things that have helped me improve with landscapes are as follows:

*reading this (and other) forums.
*Posting and asking for feedback.
*Using a narrower aperture to get a wider depth of field (sharper further away). This is a biggy for me. When i first started with my Kodak point and shoot, I always wondered why things seemed hazy further away...
*Using the rule of thirds - This one is more important because it makes you think about what you are taking the picture of. Stopping and thinking is the most important part!
*Foreground interest! Most good landscape shots have something in the immediate foreground that leads you into the shot.

Anyway, I am not the most qualified to speak on this subject by a million miles. Just sharing some of the things I have picked up on my journey from TERRIBLE to not so terrible :lol:

Thanks for the advice Rich. It all helps!

[photostar_1]

I've often thought of going up to Rutland Water, but it's such a flat area, it's difficult to get a good landscape shot. Might be worth trying to close in on a feature, rather than trying to get as much in as you can.

[moomike]

Think I'd have to agree with the majority of the comments in this thread (especially the great advice offered by Janice) - it is very difficult to put together a landscape that will translate well to a photograph but practising & reading up as much as possible will help so much in the long run. I would also second the ND's & polariser suggestions, they make a massive difference.