Landscape shots not working out :(

[stewart.a]

Hi Guys,

New here, but looks like a ton of resources and help available.

So, I have been taking photos for many years on the old point and shoot jobby, and my boss just got me a Sony a700 to take shots of places we go in British Columbia. Awesome I thought. During thelast few weeks, I have been learning (well trying) what all the different options are, ut I just can't get it right. If I leave everything automatic as the dial says (like Auto mode, or Landscape mode) I generally find I am not capturing enough light. Everything looks dark and grey, not like what I would see on the day.

I am taking photos from a boat. The shots I am having trouble with are those that have water, close landscape, and landscape in the distance. Everything seems very very hazy. Below is a classic of what I can't figure out how to fix.

This is using: ss: 1/250, F11, ISO400, exp: +1

The same settings up close:

Help???

I am going to be spending a bit of time at this forum I think!

Thanks,

Stew

 

[Donald Harvey]

Well, try throwing it into Photoshop and lower all your levels, and exposure, seems as if your exposure level on your camera is a bit hot, which is why you see lots of blow light. You might be able to try to lower your exposure level and snap a couple, or if anything with those picture, take em in photoshop or if your using a Mac, a simple program is Iphoto, edit the pictures and see what you can get with that. I am not a professional, but that looks like a blow exposure. Can be fixed, just a simple problem.

 

[phogan22]

I think for one thing, the ISO might do better at 100 as opposed to 400. The higher the rating, the faster light is captured by the sensor and the grainier the picture turns out. Also, when it says exp. +1, I think that means it is overexposed by one stop..

 

[stewart.a]

With the exp, what I mean is that on the camera (and I assume there is a similar thing on most cameras) there is an option to increase or decrease the exposure by +/- 3 with 2 points in between. so (roughly), +0.3, +0.6, +1, +1.3 etc

 

[tron]

using photoshop probably isnt a good way to fix the problem, no use in a band aid fix. not to mention the details that got blown out wont come back by screwing with the curves.

try this out, i took a couple outdoor pics using this setup:
f/11
iso 100
1/160

your iso is too high and the exposure compensation shouldnt be at +1. also dont be afraid to use the flash, it helps cut down on ugly shadows outdoors.

hope this helps

 

[phogan22]

I have heard that as a general rule you should expose for the highlights, because it easier to pull detail out of the underexposed parts than it is to pull detail out of the overexposed parts.

 

[Alex_B]

both overexposed.

 

[tron]

both overexposed.

pretty sure anyone with eyes could have made that ground breaking conclusion :roll:

 

[Alex_B]

pretty sure anyone with eyes could have made that ground breaking conclusion :roll:

are you sure the poster was aware of it?

OK, I should have read the other replies, but in the OT it said

"Everything seems very very hazy. Below is a classic of what I can't figure out how to fix."

So this tells me he was not aware that overexposure is his only problem.

 

[KhronoS]

With the exp, what I mean is that on the camera (and I assume there is a similar thing on most cameras) there is an option to increase or decrease the exposure by +/- 3 with 2 points in between. so (roughly), +0.3, +0.6, +1, +1.3 etc

Make a a dozen of tests to see what's the best option.
Are you shooting Manual or Automatic?
If manual, try to dial the shutter, aperture and iso so that the arrow thingie, stays in the middle pointing to 0.

If automatic then check you exposure compensation and dial it to 0.

also dont be afraid to use the flash, it helps cut down on ugly shadows outdoors.

Using flash for a landscape won't help you with anything. Your advice will work best when you have a subject, or making a portrait in the harsh light of the sun.

pretty sure anyone with eyes could have made that ground breaking conclusion :roll:

He just said his opinion. Your comment is pretty dumb i might add.

 

[tron]

Using flash for a landscape won't help you with anything. Your advice will work best when you have a subject, or making a portrait in the harsh light of the sun.

itll change the general colors of the image since the flash is pretty close to the lens. also if there is any nearby foreground, you wont lose as much detail due to shadowing.

He just said his opinion. Your comment is pretty dumb i might add.

yeah well my opinion is grass is green. ground breaking. the guy already knows somethings wrong with his pictures, otherwise he wouldnt be asking for help. oh yeah i forgot youre the leader of the censoring committee around here. im so sorry ive offended your superior intellect :hail:

 

[Alex_B]

No reason to fight about a post I have made.

Since I only have things to tell which anyone with eyes could see and anyone with a brain could figure out by himself ... I should probably stop posting altogether. :lmao:

I never told anyone on here anything beyond what he could have figured out by himself Honestly!



stewart.a please ignore the silly fighting in your thread ... it just happens sometimes

 

[im_trying11]

use a uv or polorizing filter

 

[Hertz van Rental]

Landscapes with a large area of sky are always a bit tricky, especially if the sky has a lot of thin cloud. It makes the dynamic range of the scene more than you can comfortably capture so you either get detail in the sky and the land is too dark, or detail in the land and the sky is blown out.
Realising this gives you a number of options:
Expose for the land and live with white, featureless skies.
Use a grad filter to darken the sky (I find grad filters a bit tacky but if you want to use one, then go ahead).
Wait until you have clear blue sky (with maybe a few cute clouds) and use a polarising filter.
Take you pictures early morning or late evening when the sky is darker because the sun is lower.

The only way to find out which one works for you is to try playing around with them all (maybe even combining them) to see which effect you like.

The haze you have to learn to live with. Water vapour and dust always get into the air to make distances look misty (reducing the contrast as you get nearer the horizon) and over bodies of water this can be a real problem.
Haze is never quite so bad after rain or when it is windy.
UV filters tend to have little or no effect on haze but you can always try one.

Some hints:
Shoot at the lowest ISO setting you can get away with. ISO 100 is always my choice. Only use a higher one if you need to.
Use the smallest aperture you can get away with - although f11 is a good one to pick.
Meter for the lightest area (the sky usually) and then increase exposure by 3 stops (three and a half if you don't mind losing detail in the whitest bits) and then assess your exposure from that (making sure the exposure compensation is 0).

Best of luck.

 

[toofpaste]

Some things, even PS can't fix.