Can't keep sky from blowing out...

[Nolan]

Take 2 shots. One exposed for the sky, and the other for the bridge. Then merge the 2 in PS. Do this and you will a have nice balanced exposer for the photograph.

 

[512_SIR II]

@512 -

I am going to be in Austin on Saturday and would love to grab some of these photos from this spot .... can you tell me where exactly it is. I live in Dallas and don't know that area well. The photography club here is meeting up with the Austin photography club there and we're going out shooting for the day. If you're interested in joining us - I can tell ya where it is that we are meeting up on the 5 Feb 2011.

the bridge is at north capital of texas hwy and west courtyard dr.
I'd love to join you guys but i'm going to a car show that day here in town. (cupcakemeet.com)

Is the area where you are at in those photos hard to get too? Parking near by?

Yea its real easy, unless your in a wheel chair. Just go through the light at courtyard dr. and there will be parking (dirt) on the right just before the bridge. walk up the cliff and your there. you can walk up either the right side or the left but the left is a lot steeper.

 

[Croissant Seven]

I need practice with Photoshop, so I dropped the image in and played with some layer masks and came up with this, it's not a meticulous job and it looks sort of phony, but it kind of illustrates the value of Photoshop IMO.

I made 3 separate masks, one for the sky, the water, and the trees in the background, which were sort of washed out by the haze in the air.

With the sky, I dialed back the exposure and added some blue and green in the channel mixer. Again, I didn't go through the details in the branches to get it perfect.

With the water, I did pretty much the same thing, but added a bit of saturation and vibrance to make it more colorful, which helps it match the sky. I live in a clear water area, so I don't honestly know what river water looks like in Texas.

With the trees, I just brought the exposure down a notch to make them stand out a little bit.

Not sure if this helps you, but it's how I'd go about fixing that image, which I think is fantastic from a composition standpoint.

/hack photoshop job.
C7

 

[512_SIR II]

Nice man, thanks. Looks a lot cleaner. About the color of the river water in texas....it's um, not so nice looking. pretty dark and sorta green. the problem is i dont have photoshop or ligtroom so i cant do all that layer stuff. i appreciate you taking the time to do it for me though =]

 

[512_SIR II]

wow. i just went and looked at the original. looks so much better man! i need photoshop...or the skills to shoot it right the first time ha, both will come with time

 

[Croissant Seven]

Nice man, thanks. Looks a lot cleaner. About the color of the river water in texas....it's um, not so nice looking. pretty dark and sorta green. the problem is i dont have photoshop or ligtroom so i cant do all that layer stuff. i appreciate you taking the time to do it for me though =]

If you enroll in a Photoshop course at the local community college, you basically get the class and PS for the price you'd pay for PS if you're not a student. Just a thought if you have a little scratch to throw around. It's a fantastic program to have and you'd get a semester of instruction on how to use it properly.

 

[Croissant Seven]

wow. i just went and looked at the original. looks so much better man! i need photoshop...or the skills to shoot it right the first time ha, both will come with time

There are some things that you're not going to be able to get with the camera, due to weather conditions or perhaps a lack of time to get the perfect shot, that can be "fixed" in PS with just small tweaks. It adds a whole new dimension to digital photography, and there are very few pros out there who don't use it for at least SOME editing work.

 

[manaheim]

the part it screws onto is the focus ring. so every time it goes to focus the end of the lens rotates and if there is a filter attached then the filter will rotate too.

This doesn't matter at all.... you'll get the same look no matter where the filter is at, considering its all the same in a complete circle :lmao::lmao:

the part it screws onto is the focus ring. so every time it goes to focus the end of the lens rotates and if there is a filter attached then the filter will rotate too.

This is true for a gradient filter, but a circular polarizer is made for this situation. Anyway, you can always adjust it after focusing.

Are you guys 100% sure of this?

 

[enzodm]

Are you guys 100% sure of this?

no; I forgot to switch brain on before answering :blushing:. You have to adjust polarizer after focus, of course.

 

[vtf]

the part it screws onto is the focus ring. so every time it goes to focus the end of the lens rotates and if there is a filter attached then the filter will rotate too.

This doesn't matter at all.... you'll get the same look no matter where the filter is at, considering its all the same in a complete circle :lmao::lmao:

the part it screws onto is the focus ring. so every time it goes to focus the end of the lens rotates and if there is a filter attached then the filter will rotate too.

This is true for a gradient filter, but a circular polarizer is made for this situation. Anyway, you can always adjust it after focusing.

Are you guys 100% sure of this?

It all depends on the lens you use. ie my 50 mm outer shell spins but the lens barrel where the filter secures does not. On my 18-55 the lens barrel spins where the lens attaches.

 

[Buckster]

This doesn't matter at all.... you'll get the same look no matter where the filter is at, considering its all the same in a complete circle :lmao::lmao:

This is true for a gradient filter, but a circular polarizer is made for this situation. Anyway, you can always adjust it after focusing.

Are you guys 100% sure of this?

It all depends on the lens you use. ie my 50 mm outer shell spins but the lens barrel where the filter secures does not. On my 18-55 the lens barrel spins where the lens attaches.

You missed the point. They're saying that it doesn't matter if the polarizer spins - it will act the same no matter how it's rotated. That's not true. They're mistaken.

 

[vtf]

Are you guys 100% sure of this?

It all depends on the lens you use. ie my 50 mm outer shell spins but the lens barrel where the filter secures does not. On my 18-55 the lens barrel spins where the lens attaches.

You missed the point. They're saying that it doesn't matter if the polarizer spins - it will act the same no matter how it's rotated. That's not true. They're mistaken.

You're right, I missed that. I was only mentioning that once its adjusted for the scene that readjusting it after focusing each time is only dependant on the lens barrel.

 

[Croissant Seven]

You missed the point. They're saying that it doesn't matter if the polarizer spins - it will act the same no matter how it's rotated. That's not true. They're mistaken.

Help a brotha out, here. I have a circular polarizer but I haven't slapped it on my lens yet (haven't had any bluebird powpow days since I bought it). Is there a particular orientation I need to use? My lens doesn't rotate.
Thanks!

 

[Buckster]

You missed the point. They're saying that it doesn't matter if the polarizer spins - it will act the same no matter how it's rotated. That's not true. They're mistaken.

Help a brotha out, here. I have a circular polarizer but I haven't slapped it on my lens yet (haven't had any bluebird powpow days since I bought it). Is there a particular orientation I need to use? My lens doesn't rotate.
Thanks!

The polarizer rotates on it's own. You rotate it to get different effects, depending on where the light is coming from, which determines how the reflections are occuring. You can see the differences as you rotate. Stop rotating when it looks good to you.

 

[vtf]

You missed the point. They're saying that it doesn't matter if the polarizer spins - it will act the same no matter how it's rotated. That's not true. They're mistaken.

Help a brotha out, here. I have a circular polarizer but I haven't slapped it on my lens yet (haven't had any bluebird powpow days since I bought it). Is there a particular orientation I need to use? My lens doesn't rotate.
Thanks!

You will focus then you will rotate the filter to obtain the desired effect you want. If the barrel that the filter attaches to does not rotate thats all you do.
If the barrel that the filter attaches does rotate each time you focus, you need to readjust filter each time.
This might help.
How To Use A Polarizing Filter