running water

[JohnS.]

This is HDR. It's my 2nd time attempting it. I can't edit for crap, I barely know how to use photoshop. I just play with settings until I think a picture looks better than it did.

I know I need an ND filter. I don't have money for any gear right now (yes, even a filter) so I'm just shooting with what I have. I kind of like the look without the filter anyways.

 

[photo guy]

The water looks too smooth to me. Needs to look like it is actually running since right now part of the photo doesn't show it. Can you please show the origianl so we have a previously one to go by plus this. Thanks

 

[JohnS.]

I wasn't trying to capture the water actually running. I was purposely trying to get this effect. The original isn't too far off from this, it just looks more dull. All I really did was adjust the levels (histogram) and 2 other settings (can't remember the names but it was when I did the switch to 8bits/channel).

 

[spacefuzz]

Just going to throw it out there that you could do this shot non HDR.

Before I was able to get my hands on an ND filter, I would shoot slow water by going in the evenings and using f/18 etc. The photo can still look bright, and you will get the slow water without the filters.

 

[shootermcgavin]

Yeah not such an HDR shot, also personally I don't like the death and decay everywhere.

 

[redessa]

For me the problem is focus. I keep looking around for a place to rest my eyes but focus is soft everywhere, not just the water. And maybe some of that is just compression from uploading the pic to the web. But I would have liked it better if the rocks in the water were really sharp. I think that would have lent some stability to the movement going on around them, an anchor if you will.

 

[JohnS.]

I wanted to do this in HDR to bring out more color. I've been experimenting with HDR lately and wanted to keep going.

I don't know why the rocks look so fuzzy... It wasn't windy and I used my remote so I wouldn't move the camera. I shot at f/22 with is the biggest I could go too.

Appreciate the C&C. Like I said, I'm still a huge noob to photography. I just take pictures how I like em.

 

[redessa]

I don't know why the rocks look so fuzzy... It wasn't windy and I used my remote so I wouldn't move the camera. I shot at f/22 with is the biggest I could go too.

Well, where was your focus? Did you set it manually or auto focus? If auto focus, did you select a focal point or let the camera choose? Just having the aperture closed down does not automatically make the whole image sharp. At f/22, the entire area should be pretty clear but it's not which leads me to believe the focus was not set well to being with. Maybe you tried focusing on the water (which was moving) and that's what caused it to be soft? There's lots of things to take into account.

 

[JohnS.]

I don't know why the rocks look so fuzzy... It wasn't windy and I used my remote so I wouldn't move the camera. I shot at f/22 with is the biggest I could go too.

Well, where was your focus? Did you set it manually or auto focus? If auto focus, did you select a focal point or let the camera choose? Just having the aperture closed down does not automatically make the whole image sharp. At f/22, the entire area should be pretty clear but it's not which leads me to believe the focus was not set well to being with. Maybe you tried focusing on the water (which was moving) and that's what caused it to be soft? There's lots of things to take into account.

I had it on autofocus but I had the middle point selected so the focus wouldn't jump around. But now that you mention it, focusing on water was probably a very poor choice. See? These are things I still need to learn as a huge noob!

Thanks .

 

[shootermcgavin]

Also all the way open or closed is usually not the sharpest point for a lens. It's probably more like f10-12... but you'd have to check for your lens. And HDR doesn't really bring out more colors if it isn't needed for the shot, it's more for detail than color.

 

[JohnS.]

I tried shooting at a smaller aperture but then the shutter speed wasn't slow enough to capture the smooth water look I was going for and I was already shooting at ISO 100.

 

[JohnS.]

Here's another one I did at a different angle. I didn't like this one before but I'm starting to like it more because I feel like the water is more the subject here and everything is more in focus in general than the first one.