I absolutely SUCK at taking landscape photos!

[mrsmacdeezy]

I REALLY am at a loss taking landscape photos! I enjoy photographing people, architecture, and animals a great deal more. However, My husband and I are getting ready to move back home to the east coast this fall and I do want to capture some good shots of the area around here before I leave because I may never see this part of the country again!

The first two are from a quick day trip to Mt. St. Helens, and the last 3 from Oregon. Most of the pictures from Mt. St. Helens bother me to no end because I shot with my ISO at 1600 and didn't realize that would make them look so grainy!(lesson learned there!) I just don't seem to take many landscape photos that I like at all and I want to change that. I've read up on some things on the net, and will continue to do so but I would like some specific advice with these so that maybe when I go out on Saturday I can take some better pics! so PLEASE feel free to give me ANY honest opinion about these that you have

1)

2)

3)

4)

5)

 

[danielsmith4213]

In Landscape photography you should always have a circular polarizing filter. It will get rid of the haze in the first two pictures and make the mountains in the background clearer.
I like number 3 and 5, it looks like a really beautiful place. In number 4 the water is overexposed and you should have used a smaller aperture. It would have been an interesting shot though.

 

[edouble]

In Landscape photography you should always have a circular polarizing filter. It will get rid of the haze in the first two pictures and make the mountains in the background clearer.
I like number 3 and 5, it looks like a really beautiful place. In number 4 the water is overexposed and you should have used a smaller aperture. It would have been an interesting shot though.

I have to disagree with you on always have a CP filter. A CP filter is an easy solution for a lot of photos that include a bright skyline but in my opinion it isn't always required.

For landscape photography I have a few useful guidelines that I always use.
1. Camera tripod
2. Manual focus
3. Low ISO
4. Knowing the sharpest aperature to use for the lens in use
5. Turn VR off

 

[tkruf]

I like 3 and 5. 5 would be my favorite.

 

[Morpheuss]

i would say pp them a little play with the contrast a little with all of them to make the colors stand out a little more and that one you took at a funny angle i would crop it so it looks strait

 

[danielsmith4213]

In Landscape photography you should always have a circular polarizing filter. It will get rid of the haze in the first two pictures and make the mountains in the background clearer.
I like number 3 and 5, it looks like a really beautiful place. In number 4 the water is overexposed and you should have used a smaller aperture. It would have been an interesting shot though.

I have to disagree with you on always have a CP filter. A CP filter is an easy solution for a lot of photos that include a bright skyline but in my opinion it isn't always required.

Good point A CP filter is always handy when you're shooting distant subjects with haze that gets caught in between. They are handy to have, but not essential to taking good landscapes.

 

[LaFoto]

Compositionally, these aren't too bad, after all, and the effect of the high ISO can be remedied with the help of programmes such as NeatImage (demo version downloadable for free - still today? - under www.neatimage.com ). What they do need is a bit of post processing. Not sure if the overexposure in 4 can be remedied in post, but all in all these could still do with a bit of "punch" (contrasts, sharpness, all that jazz).

 

[mrsmacdeezy]

Thanks for your feedback, guys!

edouble- Is VR the same as IS?
daniel- I'll have to invest in a CP before I leave here.
Lafoto- Thank you!! I'll have to check that out

I guess I just feel that compositionally (yes I'm pretty sure I just made up my own word, lol.) I think they are pretty boring too. I haven't really done much pp with these, I think I sharpened and darkened 1 and 2 but I haven't done any touch up on the Oregon photos. Maybe I'm just a bit more critical since I'm the one that took them. I am def. my own worst critic, haha! But I don't mind because it keeps me always pushing to improve.

 

[epp_b]

Wow, no one has addressed the real problem yet?

These shots are all taken during harsh daylight, which nearly always makes landscapes dull and uninspired. Head out within an hour or two around sunrise and sunset. Yes, this requires sucking it up to get up early and stay out late. Do you want good landscape photos or not?

As for your compositions... well, yes, they are kind of weak, but not awful. Landscape photography is like any other type: you need to have feelings for your subject. If you have no interest in being outdoors, you're not likely to be a good and original landscape photographer. Call me a psychopath, I have no interest in getting to know new people, so I have decided not to get into the whole weddings-and-portraits thing.

Is VR the same as IS?

Yes.

 

[eccs19]

One thing that has not been mentioned, so maybe it's just me, but I find that they are all to tightly cropped. I would have liked to seen more at the top & bottom of the waterfalls, and more of the sides of the mountains / landscapes.

 

[dak1b]

ya you should of had ur iso around 200-400 tops. especially on these sunny days

 

[mrsmacdeezy]

One thing that has not been mentioned, so maybe it's just me, but I find that they are all to tightly cropped. I would have liked to seen more at the top & bottom of the waterfalls, and more of the sides of the mountains / landscapes.

Haha, actually both waterfalls were so tall I was zoomed all the way out for both of those shots! They were two different places (but close, and shot on the same day) I didn't crop or zoom it at all for either of those. I can honestly say I've never encountered this before with this camera!!

 

[eccs19]

One thing that has not been mentioned, so maybe it's just me, but I find that they are all to tightly cropped. I would have liked to seen more at the top & bottom of the waterfalls, and more of the sides of the mountains / landscapes.

Haha, actually both waterfalls were so tall I was zoomed all the way out for both of those shots! They were two different places (but close, and shot on the same day) I didn't crop or zoom it at all for either of those. I can honestly say I've never encountered this before with this camera!!

How wide is your lens? I'm not sure what camera your using, but if you like to do a lot of landscapes, getting a wider lens may not be a bad idea.

 

[creisinger]

Most of the pictures from Mt. St. Helens bother me to no end because I shot with my ISO at 1600 and didn't realize that would make them look so grainy!

I don't understand. Did you intentionally set ISO to 1600? It didn't sound like you set it to 1600 accidentally.

If you set it to 1600 intentionally what was your intention?

The EXIF information of the first image shows that you shot in Manual mode.
Your exposure time was 1/4000. So both ISO 1600 and 1/4000 are quite extreme values for landscape shots.

Did you intentionally set these values?

 

[mrsmacdeezy]

Thanks so much for your feedback! I actually am an outdoors person, I LOVE being outside as long as it's warm... I'm not a cold weather person at all, haha! But a good amount of time when I'm outside I feel more overwhelmed than when I'm shooting other things. Maybe it's just because I haven't done it as much. It just feels like such a different ball game to me.

Wow, no one has addressed the real problem yet?

These shots are all taken during harsh daylight, which nearly always makes landscapes dull and uninspired. Head out within an hour or two around sunrise and sunset. Yes, this requires sucking it up to get up early and stay out late. Do you want good landscape photos or not?

As for your compositions... well, yes, they are kind of weak, but not awful. Landscape photography is like any other type: you need to have feelings for your subject. If you have no interest in being outdoors, you're not likely to be a good and original landscape photographer. Call me a psychopath, I have no interest in getting to know new people, so I have decided not to get into the whole weddings-and-portraits thing.

Is VR the same as IS?

Yes.