Long distance shot - DOF = frustration

The responses I am receiving are the reason I choose this site, thank you to all.

I am not cheap, but I am not an expert. Since I really am not sure what to buy and how much money I may be throwing away, I am cautious in what I purchase.
One thing I have learned is about tripods and mono pods. I first purchased a monopod, that was pretty cool. About a month ago, I purchased a Monfrotto tripod and ball head. I spent about $650.00...wow!!! Almost as much as my camera, who would of ever thought that was possible. (psst, don't tell my wife, I may have to move in with you ;) )

I am slowly purchasing my way to poverty :mrgreen: and I am happy with that so far.

But...I can spend a ton, get great equipment and still not know how to use it. That is the next series of steps I am pursuing.

Exposure, Aperture, ISO, manual, AV, TV, Composition, Subject, Lighting, etc... this is what I aspire to learn and actually become as good as you guys...or at least close to.
 
What post processing software do you have?

Do you capture images as JPEG image files, or as RAW data files?

You mention ND filters. They work for getting smooth looking moving water in streams and water falls. You also need is GND (graduated ND) filters for landscape work, that only subtract light from part of the scene, usually the sky.

Your first image has the sky properly exposed but the land hills and foreground are underexposed.

The other consideration for GND filters is the round ones have the graduation end in the middle of the filter, but it's rare that that is where the horizon is in you image.

So most landscape photographers us rectagular filters and a filter holder that attaches to the front of the lens. Lee Filters Camera products

That way you can move the graduation up and down to suit your composition better.

Another tactic is to make 2 exposure: one for the sky and another for the rest of the scene, and then combine the 2 using image editing software.
 
Keith
Thanks for that info, I will do some more research before my purchase.

I do have Elements 8, although I have not used it yet.

I have been using Manual mode for the last month or so.
I have been capturing the shots in Raw+jpeg - yes, I have some very large files of the photos I take.
I have also been bracketing my shots (3-exposure) - this is because I am inexperienced and by chance if one of the shots is pretty good, I can use the bracketing to see what exposure works best.


I like the idea of the 2-photo shot, exposing for the different portions of the shot
 
The lighting is difficult for me (I think lighting is one of my strongest weaknesses) at best. I have shot it in the morning, daytime, rain, cloudy days, and evening, even a couple of times after dark.
Lighting is the core of photography. One cannot underestimate its significance. It's great you've been experimenting with different times of day and weather.
The most challenging lighting situations, particularly with landscapes, are: overcast conditions, midday, in shade, before sunrise, or after sunset. It's not impossible to get good shots in these situations; sometimes the topography and features of a place will be more forgiving. But landscapes can really come alive early or late in the day, provided the sun isn't completely obscured. The main reason for this is that angled sunlight will cast some nice shadows, and shadows help imbue the scene with a sense of dimensionality, among other things. (Of course it also depends on where you are in relation to the sun but I don't mean to get too technical.)
Keep practicing, and good luck!
 
That way you can move the graduation up and down to suit your composition better.

Another tactic is to make 2 exposure: one for the sky and another for the rest of the scene, and then combine the 2 using image editing software.

To further expand on this concept, if you get photoshop ( not sure if elements has all the features needed for this explanation, but you can check. You can copy the background image ( so you have two of the same image. Adjust one until the ground is right and adjust the other until the sky looks good. Don't worry about the rest of the image. Then if you use a mask you can draw in a gradiant so that the perfect forground picture fades into the perfect background/sky picture. ( same concept as using these filters, just a way to fix the problem if you already snapped the picture and are just trying to fix the picture.
 

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