Ards Peninsula - Help?!

Bazza

Bazza

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Brian
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Hello chaps and chapettes!

I need some advice on how to improve an image, whether it be shutter speed, composition, colouring etc.

A friend has asked me to take a shot of an area out the front of his home to print for a 50th birthday present for his Dad. I originally called past around a month ago and shot it but due to the sun being plonked right in the middle of the sky, I've deemed them to be fairly useless.

I'm getting another opportunity to go down again this evening and have another go but with the sun setting. I'm struggling to make it creative, to the point where I was dragging in old farming tools as you can see to give it a bit of foreground. Any creative minds around that can help?

The hill in the background on the right in these needs to be in the image. I'm starting to think three square images side by side with white borders might be the way to go (one with the hill, one with water and one of... something else :runaway:

IMG_9312 by brianmcewanphoto, on Flickr

IMG_9323 by brianmcewanphoto, on Flickr

IMG_9309 by brianmcewanphoto, on Flickr

Thanks!
 
One thing that springs to mind is trying to get yourself a little higher in some way. Just a thought. Would give a better view of the lay of the land and the garden. Stepladder or ladder?

You're getting another bright evening for your shots. For a print, try lifting the shadows in software, because a print will fill them in totally if they're as dense as they are in the above shots.

Hope things work out. Let us know.

Been around the Ards Peninsula countless times over the years. A scenic part of the country.
:)
 
OK, so the road in the frame is quite distracting. It effectively kills the bottom half of the pictures. I'm not sure if the road is a "required feature" in the picture, but my instinct would be to wander down to the shoreline in mid-distance and work a nice composition from there. It looks like a very interesting area so I'm sure you'll be able to achieve something much more attractive.

Your post-sunset timing is good. Just pre-sunset could work if you play with reflections in the water and nice lighting on wet foreground rocks.

Also, have a think about pre-dawn and dawn, possibly with some mist which is quite likely at the moment due to the cool nights and warmer days.
 
I don't mind the road so much if that old plough is kept in the frame. That really is an interesting piece.
I don't think the PP is doing you any favours though. The colours in the first three are pushed much too far...neon-ish.
The colours in the 4th are much better, but in that one it looks like you've lifted the middle ground exposure too much, and there's a broad halo along there.
Might be mist, but it doesn't appear to be...doesn't look natural.
Keep at it though. Looks like a beautiful place to live!
 
Have you tried using a graduated filter? Let me know when you are going back and I could meet (in Belfast) you there for you to try.
 
Sorry guys, haven't had a chance to reply until now.

Tobers said:
OK, so the road in the frame is quite distracting. It effectively kills the bottom half of the pictures. I'm not sure if the road is a "required feature" in the picture, but my instinct would be to wander down to the shoreline in mid-distance and work a nice composition from there. It looks like a very interesting area so I'm sure you'll be able to achieve something much more attractive.

Your post-sunset timing is good. Just pre-sunset could work if you play with reflections in the water and nice lighting on wet foreground rocks.

Also, have a think about pre-dawn and dawn, possibly with some mist which is quite likely at the moment due to the cool nights and warmer days.
Click to expand...

Cheers @Tobers , the road isn't part of the 'brief' but felt it would be too much sky if I brought the composition up so struggled with this a bit. The problem is the view is literally from this guys house so accessing it at any time I want isn't always an option unfortunately :( I did try to get there before the sun went down as I reckon it'll be just right in the frame but ended up getting lost in the countryside and missed the slot lol. I'll give the dawn a shot but the weather has turned over here but fingers crossed!

viv1969 said:
I don't mind the road so much if that old plough is kept in the frame. That really is an interesting piece.
I don't think the PP is doing you any favours though. The colours in the first three are pushed much too far...neon-ish.
The colours in the 4th are much better, but in that one it looks like you've lifted the middle ground exposure too much, and there's a broad halo along there.
Might be mist, but it doesn't appear to be...doesn't look natural.
Keep at it though. Looks like a beautiful place to live!
Click to expand...

Thanks Viv, I brought the plough into it because I thought the foreground was a bit dead otherwise but I'm not sure they are overly keen on it being in the shot. When you say mist in the fourth, are you referring to the land in the distance? It was quite hazy in the distance so lost a little colour in it but can see why it doesn't look natural too.

B_M said:
Have you tried using a graduated filter? Let me know when you are going back and I could meet (in Belfast) you there for you to try.
Click to expand...

Very generous Brian, thanks! I was actually on the same lines thinking about a grad filter and have been threatening going for the Lee system for some time now but just can't face forking out (tight wad eh?!) I ordered a cheap setup off Amazon this morning to give them a go before spending proper money on them. I'm sure they'll have a colour cast but hopefully easily fixable on the RAW file. Thanks for the offer though!

:ty:
 
Give me a shout if you want to try the Lee filters - I'm not getting out enough these days!

I was on the Ards peninsula last night - stunning sunset. Wasn't prepared for it (had a car full of kids returning from a hurley match). Red sky and a very low tide - red reflections in the puddles and across the rocks. Next time, I'll leave the kids behind ...
 
Thanks Brian, I might just take you up on that offer sometime! The cheap filter kit was as expected - complete dog dirt (as expected).

OK, so ended up down there at the weekend, had a chat with them and explained that it might be a struggle to get all of the features in the same photo without losing them due to there being so much sky, so we looked at the possibility of a pano...

Whilst I'm not overly crazy about it (although I do like that the sun broke through the clouds to light the grass on the hills)... they love it :clap:

Next problem is that now they'd like it framed... any suggestions on panoramic frames/prints? :banghead: Tried a search on the forum but the threads were a good few years old!

Thanks! (y)



[URL='https://flic.kr/p/scbU8u'][/url]
 
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The pano looks like a success.

I've only printed a few of my images but when I did I got some great advice from the chap doing the printing. The pics were a mix of high contrast B&W and colour and he suggested different types of media for each. Some were matt, some gloss and some with a bit of texture but each enhanced the image and added an extra dimension that viewing on a screen just can't deliver. I couldn't believe what a difference it made.

So, in summary, if you're not going to print it yourself then ask your printer for a swatch of media and some advice. If he knows his stuff it'll make a great difference.

I'd give you the name of the chap that did mine. He was based on the IoW but I know he was winding down his business at the time.

Regarding framing, once you've got it printed then take it into a framers and again get some advice. We've got one locally and when it came to framing mine they were incredibly knowledgeable and helpful and the finished article was top drawer.

Good luck

Mark
 
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