American Basin (with repost)

I have definitely been more of a lurker on RMNP than a consistent poster, but I thought I would share my American Basin trip. I love the San Juans, but just don’t get down there very often, so this last weekend I took two days off from work to go see the wildflowers.

From what I have been reading here on RMNP, this isn’t a banner year at American, and from the looks of how much had already gone to seed, we were just a little late for peak, but for a first timer, I have to say it was stunning! We got there Sunday night, and left Tuesday mid morning. Between 9 and 3 there was a steady stream of traffic, but after 3 it would completely clear out, with only a couple of other overnighters. We had fun during the day people watching!

I had just bought a new Cokin polarizer before the trip, but I am afraid it is not very good. When I got back home and started going over the images, almost every one of them was soft. Too soft to print, but salvageable for web display. When I really started looking at which pictures were soft, the common theme seemed to be the polarizer. I will have to do some testing this weekend to see if I can say for sure that’s what the problem is. If it is the polarizer, it is going back!!

Anyway, here are a couple of shots from the trip. I didn’t do a lot of processing, since the shots are only good for web display. I will probably go back and lighten the sky, since it was darkened a little too much by the polarizer.

Here is the second shot. And the specs...

Top shot:

Shutter Speed - 3 Seconds
Aperture - 27
Exposure Compensation - (-1)
ISO Speed - 100
Lens 17.0 - 35.0 mm
Focal Length - 19.0 mm


This shot:
Shutter Speed - 1/8
Aperture 22
Exposure Compensation - (-1 1/2)
ISO Speed - 100
Lens - 17.0 - 35.0 mm
Focal Length - 17.0 mm

Hey David. I really like the composition of your first image. I agree with Darren that the blues could be more saturated. The image could be a bit lighter and more contrast could be added and I think it would look even better. The second image just doesn't work for me. It looks way too dark and seems to have a green cast.

Remember that there are two types of polarizers: linear and circular. I'm guessing that if you are using a Cokin it is a linear one. Personally, I would ditch the Cokin and buy a better quality circular polarizer from Tiffen (the kind I use), Singh Ray, B+W, etc. to fit the lens or lenses you use the most. I've used some Cokin filters myself and had the same problem and found that glass filters just tend to be clearer (in my own experience) than the Cokin resins. Circular polarizers just give you more options with changing the light and I actually use them a lot in landscape photos. I like how they make colors pop better, especially if you are shooting chromes. Beware though, as Darren says, they can be overused to the level that the skies look way too dark and unnatural.

Hi David:

I really like the composition in the first shot; too bad it's too soft to print, it would make a good one. I used to use a polarizer a lot, but got away from it for general landscape shooting as it always seemed to cause problems with the sky. Nowadays I'll use PS to add a polarizer effect if I think it will improve the image. The obvious advantage is that if you don't like it you can make it go away.

dan

David,
Thanks for not lurking! That first shot is really nice barring some nits that Darren and Josh have mentioned.

I've always used circular polarizers vice linear. If the Cokin is linear that could be part of the problem. Circular polarizers are required (I believe) by auto-exposure and auto-focus systems, particularly for digital cameras. So if you were relying on auto-focus (which I do a lot) a linear filter may have caused you problems.

I agree with Darren that I find I don't need the polarizer as much any more, which opens up a stop or two for me.

Thanks everyone for the comments! Like I said, I didn't spend a lot of time processing since they weren't print quality images, but I think I will do a little more with the suggestions given. They both are low on blue saturation because for a quick fix on the sky I desaturated the blue channel somewhat. I think I will start from scratch and go through my usual processing steps and post the reworks to see what you think!!

As for using a polarizer, I rarely use one for sunrise/sunset shots, but American offers an interesting set of circumstances. The ridgeline in the pictures faces north, and the sun is actually pretty high by the time it clears the peaks to the east, which causes the light to be pretty flat. The polarizer did a good job of bringing out the contrast.

You all did get me thinking about the Cokin polarizer, though. After over a decade of shooting, could I really have made such a silly mistake as getting a linear instead of a circular? I almost wish that was the problem, as it would be a very simple solution, but alas, it is a circular polarizer. Though I did make another mistake. The Sigma 17-35mm lens I am using I have not had very long, and have not used much. I bought it used, and it came with a UV filter on it. Since I don't use UV filters on any of my other lenses, I didn't even think about it, and I screwed the Cokin ring right onto the filter instead of taking it off. I'm sure that, along with the polarizer and a GND could have a lot to do with the softness, though my Canon 28-105 also had softness, and the ring was screwed directly onto the lens, and while that lens, while somewhat soft, was never as soft as the images from this trip. Teach me to use a filter right out the box without testing it first!!!!

I am going to experiment with the Cokin filter some more, because having one filter for all my lenses has some appeal, especially since the Sigma lens is 82mm! It's not worth having soft pictures, though... Amusingly, the polarizer I normally use on my 28-105 was a cheap filter I bought at Best Buy. I just happened across it and figured I would give it a try. It has been a great filter. Go figure...

I do like the composition on the first shot. I might crop the sky just above the clouds, as it is really dark. I agree with Darren on the polarizer. I rarely use filters anymore, except for the ND to get longer exposusures. There's so much you can do with RAW images in Lightroom or ACR that I'd prefer to have a pure RAW capture with no filters and adjust the image from there. If you want to bring out more contrast, you can easily do that with your RAW converter. The simplest way is the contrast slider. Or you can adjust the tone curves. Better filters will produce better quality, but any filter you have over your lens will reduce the quality of the image. I have found, however, that my polarizer works great on my coffee-table to hold my beer! (okay, I haven't quite gone that far yet, but I probably only use it once a year).

David, regarding the softness, I noticed your shutter speeds were rather slow - especially the first one at 3 seconds. Could the softness be caused by slight movement of the flowers and grasses during the long exposure? Check the foreground and background rocks and see if either are sharper than the vegetation. Also at f/22 and f/27 you are probably also seeing diffraction decreasing your sharpness. Unfortunately the greater DOF comes at a cost.

I love the composition on the first shot. Hope you can salvage it.

Grant, I understand what you are saying, but, while I actually really do enjoy processing images, I think I am just too old school to move away from my filters!

Bill, the image is soft overall. The flowers were actually my concern when I composed the shot, since there was a very slight breeze and it was a fairly long shuttter speed, but it is simply soft overall. Something I just haven't been able to pound into my thick skull is how to truly use hyperfocal distance, and yes, I have had some images suffer for it. It could very well be a combination of too much glass (actually, resin ) and too small an aperture. I will have to really put the lens through it's paces, with and without the filters, so I am much more comfortable with it! I'm just a little angry with myself for not actually getting out and doing it BEFORE a rare trip like this...

Ok, here is the redev with you great suggestions in mind. On this one, I would love critique, since this was put through my normal processing, instead of a quick "just for post" processing. Thanks all!