Posted by Tim Visser on February 20, 2011 at 12:41 PM
My goal this year is to post more on this forum to become a better photographer in the process. It was nice to meet many of you at the party.
This first image is of Oxbo Bend on my last morning there. It was a smoky autumn due to the fires both man made and act of god. I shot this on a tripod using my Nikon D300, 70-200 2.8 at 70MM, ISO 200, f22 1/13. The morning sunrise was making the aspen trees glow and the smoke in the back ground gave a nice mood to the morning.
I used Lightroom for basic adjustments, and to clean up the water which had a bunch of debris, used Nik ColorEfex with a couple of filters to help give it some punch.
I would appreciate any suggestions on improving this photo. Candid constructive feedback is always welcome.
Tim
Posted by Tim Visser on February 20, 2011 at 12:48 PM
This second image is from Yellowstone and Alum creek. As most of you may already know, the morning mist sometimes is great and other times it is not so good, but this morning during sunrise was pretty nice. I shot this using a tripod, cable release, Nikon D300, 24-70 Nikkor lens at 70mm, ISO 200, f22, 1/250 sec. This image shows the post processing using LR3, and Nik ColorE Pro. This image is at 0 ev.
I would appreciate any suggestions on improving this image.
Tim
Posted by Tim Visser on February 20, 2011 at 12:49 PM
This image is the same but with -5 ev.
Posted by Tim Visser on February 20, 2011 at 12:51 PM
This final image is with -1 ev. I am interested in knowing which of the 3 you like better. For mood and feeling, I like # 3 of Alum creek but for color, I like #1 better.
Tim
Posted by Jesse Speer on February 20, 2011 at 2:35 PM
#1 for sure ... maximizes the color impact.
Great job on the first one. I might try opening up the brighter tones ... even just raising the "lights" in the tone curve a bit. May or may not help.
Posted by Lynn Scott on February 20, 2011 at 3:41 PM
The first shot is always a classic and likeable image. Your other three are awesome as well. I like all three but for me #2 feels best for me.
Posted by John Mumaw on February 20, 2011 at 4:10 PM
I like your first image a lot, but two of the three color channels are underexposed.
In Levels, move the white slider left to meet the first bits of data that start spiking in the Green and Blue channels only. Keep them at exactly the same spot on the histogram or you'll have a predominance of green or blue in the final version. The Red channel is on the edge of overexposure from the colorful leaves, so you don't need to worry about that one.
I kinda like the small ripple in the water as opposed to a dead calm relection.
That's a great scene you captured in the remaining three. I also like th color of #1 with the mood of #3. That's why I prefer #2 because it captures the best of both senses!
Posted by Morris McClung on February 20, 2011 at 6:35 PM
Man, is John good or what?
I like the comps in both shots, and the first one in the group of the second shot. I think the brighter shot lifts my spirits a touch more, and I'm betting it makes a better print.
Posted by Don Grall on February 20, 2011 at 9:57 PM
All are wonderful! I agree with John about #2 being the better version. The Oxbow Bend image could use a contrast boost.
Very nice take on oxbow bend. I really like the circular ripples in the lower left, a subtle but very elegant touch in the composition. I do notice what appears to be a little haloing around the aspens in front of Mt. Moran.
As for the other shot, the first two versions both look great to me; #3 seems a tad too dark.
Posted by Kurt Bowman on February 22, 2011 at 7:00 PM
I don't have any new suggestions that others haven't already made, but I will say I love the reflection on the first one and the comp on both are excellent.
Discussion
11 repliesThis first image is of Oxbo Bend on my last morning there. It was a smoky autumn due to the fires both man made and act of god. I shot this on a tripod using my Nikon D300, 70-200 2.8 at 70MM, ISO 200, f22 1/13. The morning sunrise was making the aspen trees glow and the smoke in the back ground gave a nice mood to the morning.
I used Lightroom for basic adjustments, and to clean up the water which had a bunch of debris, used Nik ColorEfex with a couple of filters to help give it some punch.
I would appreciate any suggestions on improving this photo. Candid constructive feedback is always welcome.
Tim
I would appreciate any suggestions on improving this image.
Tim
Tim
Great job on the first one. I might try opening up the brighter tones ... even just raising the "lights" in the tone curve a bit. May or may not help.
In Levels, move the white slider left to meet the first bits of data that start spiking in the Green and Blue channels only. Keep them at exactly the same spot on the histogram or you'll have a predominance of green or blue in the final version. The Red channel is on the edge of overexposure from the colorful leaves, so you don't need to worry about that one.
I kinda like the small ripple in the water as opposed to a dead calm relection.
That's a great scene you captured in the remaining three. I also like th color of #1 with the mood of #3. That's why I prefer #2 because it captures the best of both senses!
I like the comps in both shots, and the first one in the group of the second shot. I think the brighter shot lifts my spirits a touch more, and I'm betting it makes a better print.
As for the other shot, the first two versions both look great to me; #3 seems a tad too dark.