Grand Canyon and Lake Powell long exposure shots

[AskMeIfImASloth]

Hey guys, I just turned 14 and have been doing landscape photography (and photography in general) for about a year now, and would like some feedback on some shots I've recently taken. Both taken with a LEE big stopper filter with a LEE soft grad ND filter (3 stops) over it on a 17-40mmL and a Canon Rebel t5i. Thanks!

 

[D-B-J]

Not bad for a start! Seems like the foreground is still a bit underexposed in all three, and the middle seems quite blurry and a bit noisy. Were you shooting at high ISO's?

Jake

 

[lambertpix]

I agree -- good start. With landscape photos, when there's a visible horizon, make sure to keep it absolutely level, and give some thought to where it lies in the photo (composition). Typically, you'll want to move the horizon away from dead-center. In all three of these shots, the sky is a supporting element, so I'd compose with a little more landscape and a little less sky.

In addition to mastering the technical aspects of exposure, effective tripod shooting, and so on, great landscapes demand great composition, so be sure to experiment with different focal lengths and look for elements at different distances to help create a sense of dimension. That second photo, for instance, would benefit from composition that uses that river to draw the viewers' eyes through the landscape out to the horizon. Sometimes, the inclusion of some foreground interest can help create a path to lead the eyes out toward the vista in the distance as well. Check out some of the landscape photography on 500px and see if you can spot some of those elements of composition.

Keep up the good work.

 

[D-B-J]

And to tack on to what Lambert said, make SURE there's an interesting foreground element, leading lines, etc. Really, landscapes are 70% composition and 30% everything else. I don't care how technically amazing it is, it has to be composed well. Good luck, and keep shooting!

 

[MOREGONE]

AreYouASloth?

Nice shots, 2 are a bit dark/underexposed. Lake Powell sure is a beautiful location for pictures!

 

[AskMeIfImASloth]

Not bad for a start! Seems like the foreground is still a bit underexposed in all three, and the middle seems quite blurry and a bit noisy. Were you shooting at high ISO's?

Jake

No, the second picture was at ISO 200 and the other two at ISO 100

 

[AskMeIfImASloth]

I agree -- good start. With landscape photos, when there's a visible horizon, make sure to keep it absolutely level, and give some thought to where it lies in the photo (composition). Typically, you'll want to move the horizon away from dead-center. In all three of these shots, the sky is a supporting element, so I'd compose with a little more landscape and a little less sky.

In addition to mastering the technical aspects of exposure, effective tripod shooting, and so on, great landscapes demand great composition, so be sure to experiment with different focal lengths and look for elements at different distances to help create a sense of dimension. That second photo, for instance, would benefit from composition that uses that river to draw the viewers' eyes through the landscape out to the horizon. Sometimes, the inclusion of some foreground interest can help create a path to lead the eyes out toward the vista in the distance as well. Check out some of the landscape photography on 500px and see if you can spot some of those elements of composition.

Keep up the good work.

Alright, thank you so much. I'll try this out today and see how it goes. I'll post an update picture.

 

[xzyragon]

1 is too dark, but for me 2 and 3 are passable. But there's nothing in the foreground and no leading lines to draw me to anything. What I've found with long exposures (I've been experimenting with them too) is that the sky often get really muddled and soft, which can create a cool supporting effect, but shouldn't necessarily be the main draw of the picture.