Landscape Images Help please

[starkj73]

The image is a lot duller than what was really seen on the day. The valley floor was in almost perfect sunshine.



Using: http://www.fujifilm.com/support/digital_cameras/specifications/s/finepix_s2000hd/

Is this using the wrong kind of lense for this type of shot?

I have often had a decent day in the lakes but been disappointed with the photos. I don't know much about photography so a DSLR is probably more than I need.

Opinions please,

Thanks

[Biggsy]

There was probably too much difference between the lightest and darkest parts of the scene in real life to be replicated well in an ordinary photograph - a common problem.  You or your camera chose an exposure to get a compromise in this case, hence it looks flat overall.  Also the white balance (colour temperature) is perhaps a bit on the cool side, and the contrast low too.

Feel free to email me the original full-size image and I'll see what I can do with it with Silkypix: pb at mm dot st.

[RJ]

Difficult light.  In the old days (on slide film) I would have bracketed exposures.  I've yet to get into the habit with digital, but it's probably worth doing.  Underexposure leaves more scope for fiddling around with the image later in order to brighten detail in darker areas. Exposure to get these "right" in the original image risks burning out detail in the brighter areas, such as the sky; once lost, they cant be recovered.

Anyway, someone who knows more about it than I do will doubtless be along in a minute or two ...

EDIT:  ... or even sooner  (cross-posted with Biggsy)

[Biggsy]

Forget emailing.  I've just realised the full-size original is at http://webspace.mypostoffice.co.uk/~alan.starkey/DSCF2297a.jpg .  I'll work on that.

[Wobbly John]

My photographic knowledge is old-school, film cameras based.

A polarising filter may have helped cutting the haze in the valley when the shot was taken.

[Exit Stage Left]

I just use the Auto HDR on my Sony NEX5, it takes three shots and combines them. I used it last Saturday at a Hedgelaying competition.
This is HDR.



This shot didn't merit it, but you get the idea.




It fills in the shadow areas and gives a slightly painterly effect.
The main problem is when the subject moves. I would have been doing the competition myself but for an injury, so I can tell people to pose and still get a good result.

[Biggsy]

Contrast and colour temp whacked up, bit of pseudo HDR and sharpening, with Silkypix DS Pro:
(This is the 640x480 version only.  I'll upload the full-size version somewhere else later)


Original for comparison:

[Ham]

3 seconds in Lightroom - graduated filter, tweak curve, punch, noise filter

[Biggsy]

Full-size Biggsyfied: http://www.freeimagehosting.net/usvbq

[Ham]

Of course, with all this one has to remember the differences between monitors, especially in the LCD/laptop age. I looked at Biggsy's version, and wondered why he cranked up the green quite so much...... then slipped it from my main monitor (Eizo) to the secondary (LG) and realised things aren't always what they seem....

(my version doesn't look that much better on either monitor, but the the fields look bright, sunny and natural to me, anyway)

It's like MP3 music only more so.

[Biggsy]

I turned up the colour temperature too much, really.  The green also looks "greener" thanks to increase in contrast and a saturation as well.

Ham's looks very washed out on my monitor when most other pics on the web don't.  Certainly the state of your monitor is important!  Also the noise reduction is so high that it's badly smoothed out the detail - though I don't expect subtle results from 3 seconds of work! 

Anyway, starkj73, it's worth doing some post-processing yourself for difficult scenes.  No lens, camera or photographer can always create what you want with one single operation.  And accept that we see things differently in real life.  The human brain does amazing things to construct an image.  For example, only a small spot of what we see in is sharp focus at any one time.  The eyes and brain do tricks; the photographer in the field/dark room/computer does tricks.

[Biggsy]

A slightly more subtle version:



Some of the settings in Silkypix:

[starkj73]

Certainly the state of your monitor is important!

This has been the main problem. I first looked at these images on my TV and an old monitor, they looked awfull. Viewing them on my newer flat screen monitor they are a lot better.

Thanks all 

 

[Martin 14]

Ok, as its my job, here's my take: In situations like this you have a number of stops difference in the light between sky and and land, so the camera meter will try to average the exposure. If you expose for the landscape the sky will be blown out, ( over exposed)...........if we expose for the sky then the landscape will be under exposed. For landscape photographers the way round this is to equalise the situation, this can be done by buying a graduation filter set and holder, cokin make the cheapest, they come in 3 stop graduations, so a 3 and a 6 stop will cover most situations. They effectively have the effect of putting a pair of sunglasses over the sky, thus they have the effect of making the exosure the same for land and sky.............Hope that helps

[David Martin]

In this image you have three distinct zones. You'd need both filters, one for the sun and one for the sky, leaving the shade unfiltered. And then hope the edges are straight enough to make it work.

Or go back to the old favourite of three exposures and combine them later.

..d