Ready for more C+C

[shari626]

These I took on vacation in the Smoky Mountains in Tennessee. Just wondering if you could tell me how I did, and what I could do to make them better.



#1

#2

#3

 

[tirediron]

C&C per req. You did fine, however every picture can always be better... my thoughts:


1. I like the framing/composition here, unfortunately the clouds aren't as strong as might be considered ideal. You can try using the burn tool in your post-processing software, but for future reference there are a couple of things you can do. My first choice would be to use graduated neutral density filters (G-ND) which will reduce the dynamic range betwen the bright sky and darker foreground rendering the clouds more distinctly. If you had a tripd, you could have also shot several images at varying exposures and then merged them using one of a number software applications (HDR Merge). I think perhaps cropping some of the bottom off of this one would help too, most of the area that's just tree boughs.


2. Again, this image screams for the use of a G-ND filter to enhance the clouds. Still, it's a nice image as-is. You have just a little bit of foreground detail, and only very minor blown areas in the sky.


3. This is nice, but it seems to be missing something; I think someone walking along the road would have really helped it. I would also consider cropping out the pavement in the foreground and perhaps cloning the white letters off of the road. Actually, on second thought, crop the bottom off even with the last pole on the (image) right side, and then clone out the poles. That will eliminate the writing on the road and get rid of the large black area in the foreground.


Just my $00.02 worth - your mileage may vary.

~John

 

[bazooka]

I think #3 is interesting but I'm with TI, it needs some cropping.... lose the letters and some of the pavementa the bottom. It'll probably end up being a non-standard crop, but I happen to like non-standard crops.