What is the best way to take/edit this sunset picture? C+C

reissigree · Oct 12, 2011

DSC_0187 by reissigree, on Flickr
Thanks!!

Alter_Ego · Oct 12, 2011

Probably not the most interesting sunset but a good crop might help since theres a lot on the top. What lens did you use?

Most people will suggest to get lower on the shot to get some interesting foreground but if your getting good clouds and pretty colors then hanging up top isnt so bad either.

For an edit i would do something pretty abstract to get some interest going and maybe clone out the bird cause its a tad distracting.
Just my 2c. Keep shooting and reading is what i would recommend.

reissigree · Oct 12, 2011

I have the Nikon D3100 with an 18-55 VR zoom lens.
[h=1]I guess I just like it because we're in a drought and you can see the bird walking across the lake where it was once 8 feet deep.[/h]

Gaerek · Oct 12, 2011

The secret to a good landscape is layers. This includes sunrises/sunsets. Here's the thing, I can look out my living room window around sunset and half the time (when it's not overcase) I can see amazing colors, and beautiful sunsets. The sun being in the shot, the colors being in the shot, reflection off the water in the shot, simply is not enough to make a good sunset.

Back to the layers thing. Think about each landscape (will talk about landscapes in general, since that's all a sunset/sunrise is), in terms of foreground, background and middleground. When most people shoot a landscape, they believe the background is the main subject. This couldn't be further from the truth (ok, not in all instances, but in general, for sure). To a landscape photographer, the sunset (or mountain, or prairie, or ocean, or whatever) is the background. You still need to have something to provide some interest, at the very least, in the foreground, and preferably in the middle ground as well. I don't remember where I heard it, but a read a quote from a photographer that was something along the lines of, "A good landscape photo is a photo of an interesting subject, with an amazing background." Think about this when you shoot.

There isn't much interest in the shot you've posted. Sure, the sun is pretty, the water is kinda neat to look at, but it's something that every single person has seen hundreds of times. More than half your frame is filled with, um, nothing but most blue, with a little orange sky. The bottom half of your frame has a little more interest, but it's a couple dark blobs situated in the water. Does this make sense? I don't know how you set up at all, but here's some things to think about:

1) Tripod, tripod, tripod - I don't care if there's plenty of light, or whatever. If you're shooting a landscape, shoot from a tripod. This is the only way to ensure the sharpest image possible.
2) Stop down - You'll have to be your own judge, but f/11 seems pretty standard. Don't be afraid to move around a bit. Maybe try to keep your range between f/8 and f/16. This helps with sharpness across the frame. In addition, if you're adding close foreground elements, you'll need that wide DoF to have everything in satisfactory focus.
3) Shoot a lot - Don't just shoot a couple shots. Shoot many. Wait for lighting to change. Wait for different objects to move into/out of frame. In the case of a sunrise/sunset, the look and colors can change dramatically in a matter of seconds. Two shots made 10 seconds apart can look vastly different.
4) Keep in mind that horizontal orientation is also called landscape for a reason - This doesn't mean you can't use vertical, and I always make sure to make at least a few frames vertical whenever I shoot, but 19 times out of 20, the horizontal orientation will look better.

Here are some examples of good landscapes. Some sunsets/sunrises are included. Study these and see what the photographers did, and why they did what they did:

New photos | Landscape photos | landscapes with a soul
Landscape Photos - National Geographic

Keep shooting, and above all else, never stop learning, and always have fun.

Kerbouchard · Oct 12, 2011

I would do something like this...

With the original photo, you shouldn't run into the banding problems that I did. Might have even went with a horizontal crop if there was a more of the image to work with. Either way, fun shot, and definitely some interesting aspects. Thanks for sharing.

dots · Oct 12, 2011

reissigree said:
DSC_0187 by reissigree, on Flickr
Thanks!!

reissigree · Oct 12, 2011

Gaerek said:
The secret to a good landscape is layers. This includes sunrises/sunsets. Here's the thing, I can look out my living room window around sunset and half the time (when it's not overcase) I can see amazing colors, and beautiful sunsets. The sun being in the shot, the colors being in the shot, reflection off the water in the shot, simply is not enough to make a good sunset.

Back to the layers thing. Think about each landscape (will talk about landscapes in general, since that's all a sunset/sunrise is), in terms of foreground, background and middleground. When most people shoot a landscape, they believe the background is the main subject. This couldn't be further from the truth (ok, not in all instances, but in general, for sure). To a landscape photographer, the sunset (or mountain, or prairie, or ocean, or whatever) is the background. You still need to have something to provide some interest, at the very least, in the foreground, and preferably in the middle ground as well. I don't remember where I heard it, but a read a quote from a photographer that was something along the lines of, "A good landscape photo is a photo of an interesting subject, with an amazing background." Think about this when you shoot.

There isn't much interest in the shot you've posted. Sure, the sun is pretty, the water is kinda neat to look at, but it's something that every single person has seen hundreds of times. More than half your frame is filled with, um, nothing but most blue, with a little orange sky. The bottom half of your frame has a little more interest, but it's a couple dark blobs situated in the water. Does this make sense? I don't know how you set up at all, but here's some things to think about:

1) Tripod, tripod, tripod - I don't care if there's plenty of light, or whatever. If you're shooting a landscape, shoot from a tripod. This is the only way to ensure the sharpest image possible.
2) Stop down - You'll have to be your own judge, but f/11 seems pretty standard. Don't be afraid to move around a bit. Maybe try to keep your range between f/8 and f/16. This helps with sharpness across the frame. In addition, if you're adding close foreground elements, you'll need that wide DoF to have everything in satisfactory focus.
3) Shoot a lot - Don't just shoot a couple shots. Shoot many. Wait for lighting to change. Wait for different objects to move into/out of frame. In the case of a sunrise/sunset, the look and colors can change dramatically in a matter of seconds. Two shots made 10 seconds apart can look vastly different.
4) Keep in mind that horizontal orientation is also called landscape for a reason - This doesn't mean you can't use vertical, and I always make sure to make at least a few frames vertical whenever I shoot, but 19 times out of 20, the horizontal orientation will look better.

Here are some examples of good landscapes. Some sunsets/sunrises are included. Study these and see what the photographers did, and why they did what they did:

New photos | Landscape photos | landscapes with a soul
Landscape Photos - National Geographic

Keep shooting, and above all else, never stop learning, and always have fun.

Thank you so much for the advice! I'll be sure to take everything you've said and apply it next time!

reissigree · Oct 12, 2011

Kerbouchard said:
I would do something like this...

With the original photo, you shouldn't run into the banding problems that I did. Might have even went with a horizontal crop if there was a more of the image to work with. Either way, fun shot, and definitely some interesting aspects. Thanks for sharing.

Thank you for sharing! Would you mind telling how you got those colors to come out?

Kerbouchard · Oct 12, 2011

Curves and a Hue/Saturation layer emphasizing the reds, then a layer mask to paint in the areas that I wanted to adjust. Using a larger file, I would have adjusted the opacity of the brush as I made each pass to get it to fade a bit better and to minimize any banding. This was just a quick(and probably overcooked) edit to let you know what was possible.

Again, a crop to concentrate the interest and a little creative license with the colors, and that's what I ended up with.

reissigree · Oct 12, 2011

Thank you so much for your help.

philsphoto · Oct 12, 2011

This is my edit, all with actions purchased from Jimmy Beltz at The official website to the PhotoTips podcast. A top 10 photography podcast.

Bah-Bam action
California action at 70% opacity
Landscape Color Punch action at 70% opacity

Before

6239061356_7635550d5e_b by Phil's Photography, on Flickr

After

6239061356_7635550d5e_b edit by Phil's Photography, on Flickr

KmH · Oct 13, 2011

reissigree said:
DSC_0187 by reissigree, on Flickr
Thanks!!

It should have been shot as a horizonal (landscape), not as a vertical (portrait) frame.

Gaerek · Oct 13, 2011

The best edit here, imo is KmH. And that's mainly because he cropped to horizontal. Vertical landscapes can work, but not very often. You need the right subject. But really, his edit is only an example of what should have been done in camera. There's not much point to editing this photo, just go reshoot.