Flowed Lands

[1ADAM12]

Hi everyone! Please take a look at this photo I took over the weekend. Please comment and be honest. The only problem I might see is that the sky may be to light from being over exposed but other than that I really like the ducks in the foreground.

adam

PICTURE

 

[Rick]

If you can make it a little blurrier, You can tell people those are young "Nessies" that you capturedon film....

 

[Mark Schaefer]

Nice photo, Adam. The ducks add interest making this a good picture. It is a beautiful location with a view of the slopes of Algonquin, Caribou Pass, Avalanche Mt, with Flowed Lands in the foreground. I know it well having once camped very near this spot.

The photo is a bit blurry. The camera data indicated f/8 and 1/210 sec. That should provide adequate depth of field, and freeze the ducks reasonably well. The foreground and background are equally blurry. So it is not a focus problem (too close or too far). Rather it indicates that the camera shook a bit when you snapped the shutter. You may have rushed to get the shot before the ducks swam out of range.

One very minor point. It would ideal to avoid the overlap between the duck and the lake vegetation. Either taking the photo a bit earlier or later, or moving down the shore to find a more clear spot.

The hazy sunlight is not ideal for taking landscape photos of distant views, and that caused the sky to be a bit washed out. Also it is mid-morning looking NNE, so you have slight back light conditions. In your favor, the light overcast did minimize the back light. However, I believe the diffuse sunlight still hit the front of your lens. That caused a bit of lens flare which makes the distant mountains appear more hazy. If you notice the sunlight hitting your lens, try to find a way to shade the camera from the sun. Possibly one of your hiking companions can cast a shadow over the front of your camera.

In spite of all the conditions that were conspiring against you, you still managed to create a memorable picture. Good job recognizing a good photo opportunity.

 

[1ADAM12]

Thanks Mark! I know it was a bit blurry as well but these ducks were not your typical tame ones you find around your house It took me almost 10 minutes to get close enough to get the ducks in the photo without scaring them off. I am getting ready to buy another better camera that might help me become a better photographer. This is just a cheap point and shoot that I don't care if I break while backpacking

 

[hikingnclimbing]

I think it's a good start overall. I generally don't like doing heavy PS work, but I decided to give it a shot to see what I could do. The first thing I wanted to look at would be a polarizer effect. I've found that polarizers can do wonders (although are not available for P&S cameras or at least not ones that you'd actually want to pay for). However, you can achieve the same thing with editing. I also wanted to apply a cooling filter and work on the contrast a bit. I'm hoping that you don't mind me seeing what I could do. Here is the before and after:

P.S. Sorry it's so big!

 

[^MtnMike^]

Nice picture. Tried to cut out some of the atmospheric haze in Photoshop by using selective coloring and curve adjustments:

^MtnMike^

 

[kmorgan]

The best way to just cut haze in Photoshop is to go into LAB mode, choose the Lightness channel in curves and steepen the curve. This will cut the haze without affecting color (which I always get yelled at for enhancing on this site ).

Kevin

 

[1ADAM12]

WOW thanks guys! So you all used the photoshop program to work with the picture? I should work with it and see what I can come up with. Sorry I did not get back to you all sooner as I was back in the Adirondacks on a family vacation.

Thanks all,
Adam

 

[forestgnome]

I enjoy a composition that has a close-up subject, especially wildlife, and also shows mountainous background. This is not easy. Nice work!