A few for C&C with the new camera

[Scuba]

First few pics with my 5D classic I just picked up. I went down to the local park and played around a little. Let me know what you think. All taken with my 50mm 1.8 that I just picked up.

#1


#2


#3


#4

 

[Scuba]

crickets.....

 

[BlackSheep]

They are all very nice, but sadly sunset shots are a bit overdone in general, so you might not get alot of feedback, hence the crickets

That being said, I love the colours, and all of your shots are nice and clear. My constructive feedback is to avoid putting the subject (i.e. the sun) in the centre of the frame all the time - try for some different angles. The old pier in the foreground provides a lot of opportunities for some very unique shots, all you have to do is take advantage of that.

 

[Scuba]

Yeah, I know the sunsets are overdone and I totally understand the crckets. I just really wanted to shoot something and since the tree's are past their prime that was all that was left that day. However I just happened to find those piers and I think a sunrise shot would be much more interesting with the sun behind and I am sure fog rising from the water so I will have to capture that.

Thanks for the input! I did take some shots with it off center as well, but to the right and left there were non photogenic objects. Houses, powerlines, etc. I kinda forced these shots just to try out the new equip. Honestly I wasn't that impressed myself with these shots. I think they are nice but they didn't wow me.

I think since the leaves are gone it may be time to venture into the city.

 

[HikinMike]

I like sunsets. These seem to lack composition. Most of my "WOW" sunsets were taken AFTER the sun set.

 

[heroes19]

I like the colour.

 

[Scuba]

I like sunsets. These seem to lack composition. Most of my "WOW" sunsets were taken AFTER the sun set.

Thank you for your feedback. How would you suggest to make the composition better on these if possible?

I will have to try the after the sun has set.

 

[MLeeK]

I think they are beautiful, overdone and really rather dark. The first one has amazing potential. I think the ones with whatever is in the water might be incredibly cool images if it weren't just black something's sticking out of the water.

 

[Scuba]

MLeeK i guess thank you first. When you say over done can you be more specific? These are only lightly edited. You say the first one has amazing potential again can you explain. The piers are what is sticking out of the water, however I don't know how to make them anything but silhouettes being that they are back lit by a sunset. Do you have a suggestion? I tried a shot or two with my flash but it didn't help. The only other way I can think of would be to use a graduated ND filter or do an HDR.

 

[HikinMike]

Thank you for your feedback. How would you suggest to make the composition better on these if possible?

I will have to try the after the sun has set.

Find some interesting foreground elements, like rocks, plants, logs etc if possible. Sometimes there's nothing there (been there, done it...LOL), then wait until the sun sets. If you must include the sunset, don't put it dead center, if possible.

Remember, never pack until it's black. What does that mean? Sometimes the magical light happens AFTER the sunsets, and even way after you think the colors are done. One this shot, it was at least 15-20 minutes after the sun set. http://www.imagesinthebackcountry.com/pictures/01-085-sunset-merced-nwr.html.

 

[Scuba]

thank you for the feedback that was very helpful. This was one of those cases where there wasn't anything I could have used in the foreground other then those pieces of the pier. It was literally grass up to the water. I imagine it is easier to get detail in the foreground if I was to wait until after sunset.

 

[andrewleephoto]

pull the exposure up a bit it seems a bit dark, and next time, wait for after the sunset because that's when really nice colors come out!

Happy shooting!

 

[MLeeK]

MLeeK i guess thank you first. When you say over done can you be more specific? These are only lightly edited. You say the first one has amazing potential again can you explain. The piers are what is sticking out of the water, however I don't know how to make them anything but silhouettes being that they are back lit by a sunset. Do you have a suggestion? I tried a shot or two with my flash but it didn't help. The only other way I can think of would be to use a graduated ND filter or do an HDR.

I think if they weren't so underexposed the pier silhouettes would look fine as silhouettes. As it is they are there is no telling where the reflection begins and the pier ends, they are just one solid black spot. You want to try to have a little detail. Even the skies are underexposed so increasing exposure wouldn't have hurt you any. The saturation on the oranges is what is a bit over the top.
With a landscape you don't want your sun to be dead center or your horizon line to be dead center. You've done pretty fair here. The movement in the clouds helps your composition a bit. Your far side trees also blend and there is no telling where the reflection begins or ends. A full stop higher on the exposure would have kept them still a silhouette, but given you some more visual interest instead of great expanses of solid black that won't look very great in print.

 

[Scuba]

I think if they weren't so underexposed the pier silhouettes would look fine as silhouettes. As it is they are there is no telling where the reflection begins and the pier ends, they are just one solid black spot. You want to try to have a little detail. Even the skies are underexposed so increasing exposure wouldn't have hurt you any. The saturation on the oranges is what is a bit over the top.
With a landscape you don't want your sun to be dead center or your horizon line to be dead center. You've done pretty fair here. The movement in the clouds helps your composition a bit. Your far side trees also blend and there is no telling where the reflection begins or ends. A full stop higher on the exposure would have kept them still a silhouette, but given you some more visual interest instead of great expanses of solid black that won't look very great in print.

Thanks again for the response. Looking at the images I see what you are saying with the tree shadow/reflection and the pier silhouette blending and no clear line there. As for the saturation, of the oranges are you referring to #3 particularly? I just checked and that only had a +8 global saturation bump in LR. #1 had no saturation changes at all. Maybe I needed to bring them down. As for increasing the exposure I agree and I tried that and to get the piers to have any detail at all the sky was blown out. I have some images from this set that are just white sky when there was any detail in the pier. I think the piers would look better at sunrise when the sun would be behind me and I could get some steam coming off the lake.

Here is one more from the set that has an increased exposure. I have added a graduated filter in LR to the sky to help as it was washed out and a little fill light. +4 global saturation, +10 orange. Just did this one real quick as I hadn't messed with it originally. I feel by increasing the exposure on the piers almost everything was lost in the sky. Was this sunset part of the issue or could this have been captured effectively?

 

[MLeeK]

Lightroom has a great tool for those double exposure situations... the adjustment brush. Keep the exposure down in the sky, and raise in the piers/shadow areas.
+8 is a quite a saturation bump! 1&3 were pretty heavy on the saturation. The adjustment you made to the piers is much better. I'd like to see just a LITTLE bit more, but that definitely cuts up your black blobs a little!