Help me out - Llyn-y-Cwn

[Gogster]

A friend and I spent a night and a morning up Glyder Fawr back in March. I downloaded these shots when I got back and was really excited as the skies were clear and the sunlight amazing, ever since I've spent a few hour going over them I'm becoming more and more of the opinion they're so very average, perhaps it's a composition issue? I'm not, by nature, a landscape tog.

For example, I have this shot of Llyn-y-Cwn, I've spent hours fanny-ing around trying to make it look decent, but it never does. What would our veteran landscape togs do with something like this? Or is it designed for the cutting bin, simply because the composition is crap? RAW can be found here:

https://www.dropbox.com/s/cykdgt9rz86xu6n/OT9A7338.CR2?dl=0

Ignore the don't mess with my images thing, that's more for jobs I do for rugby.

 

[vtrjames]

I don't think you're going to rescue that with the sun where it is. You could try a 3:1 crop perhaps to try and improve it composition-ally but I think that's all you're going to be able to do. The problem you have is - in my opinion - is the sun is just a big blob and isn't adding much. A bracketed exposure would have helped in the situation to balance the whole the whole thing contrast wise (your rocks have lost detail because you've exposed for the sun).

Perhaps revisit when you've got another calm evening and find another composition where you aren't going to be battling with the sun.

James

EDIT
I was a bit hasty there, I assumed the image in Dropbox was the same as the one presented in your post. You can do a lot more with the one on Dropbox.

 

[Dave Canon]

Did you capture multiple exposures which I would consider essential? Also there is a lot of flare which may be causing low mid tone contrast as well as the more obvious artifacts. This is made much worse by using filters.

Dave

 

[Gogster]

I don't think you're going to rescue that with the sun where it is. You could try a 3:1 crop perhaps to try and improve it composition-ally but I think that's all you're going to be able to do. The problem you have is - in my opinion - is the sun is just a big blob and isn't adding much. A bracketed exposure would have helped in the situation to balance the whole the whole thing contrast wise (your rocks have lost detail because you've exposed for the sun).

Perhaps revisit when you've got another calm evening and find another composition where you aren't going to be battling with the sun.

James

EDIT
I was a bit hasty there, I assumed the image in Dropbox was the same as the one presented in your post. You can do a lot more with the one on Dropbox.

I'd bow to your knowledge, yep I have the RAW, also to answer Dave Canon, yep you can have the sun higher or lower - we were there for a while.

 

[vtrjames]

Here's my stab, I've no idea how you edit out lens flare.




James

 

[simonkit]

To be honest composition wise I think it's the temptation to try and fit in all the view.... the wider the lens the less impact the mountain scenery has so often the "less is more" works better... maybe a longer focal length to bring that central peak closer and give it more impact, that would remove some of the sky too which without any cloud doesn't really add much to the wider shot.. just my thoughts

Simon

 

[Gogster]

To be honest composition wise I think it's the temptation to try and fit in all the view.... the wider the lens the less impact the mountain scenery has so often the "less is more" works better... maybe a longer focal length to bring that central peak closer and give it more impact, that would remove some of the sky too which without any cloud doesn't really add much to the wider shot.. just my thoughts

Simon

Thanks, I do like what vtrjames did with the image, will play more

 

[Craig_85]

I got back and was really excited as the skies were clear and the sunlight amazing

I can appreciate what you are saying, it is a classic case of a great memory and a lovely moments spent outside in the warm sunlit nature that does not transfer to a good photograph.

Firstly the camera sees things quite differently to we do, and this then makes it difficult to convey to the viewer how you felt or what attracted you to take the shot.

The other issue is clear skies in all honesty, clouds are awesome and add so much to photos be it mood or just visual texture.

Don't get me wrong clear skies can work very effectively with the right subject but personally I tend to shoot across preferably or with the light when it is like this. If I wake up early with a sunrise location in mind shooting into the sunrise and there is not a cloud in the sky my heart sinks personally!