Zen garden with bokeh. C&C please

[flameshots]

I came across this rock garden on a hike today. What would you guys done different if anything? Thanks for the input.
1


2


3

 

[DirtyDFeckers]

It isn't a very appealing bokeh to me... Just my opinion.

 

[flameshots]

Yeah, I'm kinda feeling the same. It really sucks because this was really an interesting subject. I just couldn't seem to capture the "essence" of it. I guess you could say I wasn't feeling the "zen"

 

[shortbus]

Cool spot indeed, but pictures just dont do it for me.

 

[white]

wide-angle distortion could have produced some interesting shots here.

the light is very hard; highlights blown.

 

[oldmacman]

If the focused rocks were a little higher in the frame of number one, that would be an awesome shot. Nice control on DOF.

 

[DirtyDFeckers]

I agree that it was an interesting subject, but just like you said, the "zen" wasn't captured. Thanks for sharing though.

 

[flameshots]

Heres a version without much bokeh but I think it is composed better. I added a ND filter to this one. I think that's where all the bokeh went. It did take down the harsh light though.

 

[kundalini]

Looking at the time of day these were shot (by way of the shadows), a camera on its own will most likely produce these same results. Not the best. To capture the essence, more gear (flash units, reflectors, diffusers and gobos) and a better time of day was needed.

You came upon a very interesting scene. Log that info for another day when you can / want to spend time to capture the nuances there.

 

[DirtyDFeckers]

I do like this one more... have you done any PP to these?

 

[flameshots]

I do like this one more... have you done any PP to these?

Yes, just basic light balance/recovery to fix the clipped whites and blacks. There wasn't much to work with to bring out much more. If I increased the exposure in the last one it would blow everything out. If I decreased the exposure in the previous ones it clipped the blacks all over the shot. I would like to have had some better light. This trail is just so far away from me I'll probably not make it back up there for a long while. Hopefully it will still be there when I do make it back.

 

[DirtyDFeckers]

Maybe try playing with the curves in photoshop a bit... its a wonderful tool for situations like this.

 

[loveDSLR]

What lens did you use for this set of photos?

 

[flameshots]

What lens did you use for this set of photos?

My 50mm 1.4

 

[GeorgieGirl]

I like the second one better because it has a single concentration for the eye to go to, supported by the blur. For the first group, I'd have tried set up in a similar way but to visually get in the middle of it so there was a bit of a short a foreground in the photo, but with a blur, and then with the blur in the background as you had going. That's how my imagination sees it.