Photo for C&C

[amandalee]

Went to the lake this weekend and saw this and had to get a picture! What do you guys think? I'm still learning! Also is there a way to make the rays stand out more? Thanks guys!

 

[tirediron]

It's a nice scene, but it's weakened by the colour banding and the blown highlights. If you have an application like Photoshop, PaintShop Pro or other higher-end editing application, you can try making some curves adjustments to enhance the rays and reduce the bright areas slightly, but you don't have much latitude here. I think the ideal execution here would have been as an HDR image.

 

[amandalee]

Ok I'll try that! I do have photoshop elements 8. Can you ecplain what HDR is?

 

[tirediron]

High Dynanic Resolution, basically shooting the scene several times, each time exposing for a different aspect (eg highlights, mid-tone and shadow) and then using a software application to merge them and [hopefully] produce an image which is a combination of the best of all of them. It can make great looking images from impossible situations, but it can also make a nice picture look like a cartoon drawing.

 

[amandalee]

I see... I will have to try that. Probably not soon since I need to get just taking the pictures down lol but I will! Thanks a bunch!

 

[fredricfei]

seems good, but the cloud was over exposure and the blue color of sky was a little strange...

 

[amandalee]

ok thanks! I will work on that!

 

[subscuck]

We have an HDR subforum right here (HDR Discussions. You'll have to scroll down past The Beginners Forum. ). Take a look. You'll see some very natural looking pics, and others, as John said, tone mapped to death that look anything but natural.

 

[Compaq]

Darken the blue and lighten the rays a bit with burn/dodge would perhaps help. If you shot raw, dial the exposure down a little bit

 

[amandalee]

Awesome thanks compaq! I will try that when I get home! I was really wanting to bring those rays out! There are so many tools on PSE8 that I forget what is there!