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This pic was taken at late sunset, and as you can see I have "blown" the sky.

Could this pic be improved with the use of a filter? if so what type?

The colours are very accurate as to what was, the tops of the "hills" are that bright at sunset with the rest of the scene in shadow.

D2x, Tokina 12-24

If they were taken on a tripod, why not bracket the sky and scenery then combine in PP? Way cheaper than a grad-ND to buy IMO

To be honest, I don't mind the blown sky, esp in the first picture. It is very uniform, and gives the image a bit of an aquarelle look.

Cheers
Steffen.

AndyT,
Yes, filter add on is also a help and save time to process them.

CPL and ND filters.

Thanks for your response, yes Birdy, I will start exploring the world of filters.

The light up here is so strong at times, it seems only worth taking pics at sunrise & sunset outdoors!

AndyT,
With filters, you can control the shooting & lighting more than without them.

With the first shot, if your are worried about the sky, why not crop closer to the tops of the mountains? Also I agree take another shot with the sky and PP

Andy,

As thanh has suggested, either a CPL or a graduated ND filter could have helped to darken the sky.

Whether that equates to improving the image is a different question altogether.

I would say you would be better off with a grad ND filter as a CP will kill the nice reflections you have on the water...

Its always nice to have all the correct filters in your kitbag but it is not always possible or convenient. I have done a little simple postprocessing on Andy's shots (contrast mask, sharpening etc.) - maybe they are more 'art' than photography but as a last resort they just may be a saviour.

There is a little CA on the rock edge which I have not removed (yet).

vicpug,

Thanks for the "makeover", it has opened the top one up?... liked it more each time I looked at it

Not so sure about the bottom one, after I get some ND filters will try again when in that area ......... still miss the blue sky

A graduated ND filter would help, even though the sky is not in a straight line. I learnt that at my expense the other day. I had the filters in my bag but was too lazy to get them out . Today I bought a graduated ND 4 on top of the ND2 I already had. I'll give it a go tomorrow...
Enjoying your new camera?
Gerard

Enjoying your new camera?

Hi! Glamy,

Yes, Very Much! I think it is teaching me, rather than me learning how to use it!

Tomorrow will be the first big test, we are having the Black Rock Stakes, a wheel barrow race from Whim Creek to Port Hedland, 120 K's. Relay teams push a custom w/barrow with 12Kg's iron ore in it. On average, about 7.5 to 8.5 hours to get here. I intend to catch the start and finish & "leap frog" along the way taking pics.

So, will have a wide variety of scenes and conditions to try out the new camera and to test me!

Will post pics asap......... Enjoying your's

Hi Andyt
I thought I'd have a go at PP your first photo, I used a gradient fill on the sky and the reflection on the water to make it look a bit more natural.
Still can't beat the real thing though.

Graduated ND? I use them with film, but not with digital. The Grad ND does not always fit the scene particularly well. I would normally bracket the shot (I almost always have a tripod available).

The following techniques I might use in a pinch.

There is a really easy fix in Nik ColorEfex. One of the plugins allows the creation of a gradient between two predifined colours (there are a couple of choices) that is adjustable in direction and length. Apply it to a a new layer and use a brush in a mask to remove unwanted areas.

Doing it without the Nik plugin is equally easy. The following technique is the one that I would use when I have to.

Create a new layer
Select the gradient tool, then choose the two colours for the gradient - quick and dirty to play with is to select a darkish blue and an aquaish colour. The other choice (for better accuracy) is to sample some colours from other images. Sorry, I cannot provide more specific numbers. My laptop is not set up with Colorefex and I do not have the samples on it - my PP computers are a thousand kilometers away.

Next drag the gradient tool at the desired angle and depth. Quick note: The sky's gradient is not often top to bottom in real life.

Create a layer mask and go to work masking out the areas that you do not want affected.

Layer opacity, saturation... are useful tools for fine tuning the effect.

In the first shot the tops of the hills could possibly do with a little toning down - Another layer (reduced exposure) and a bit more masking.... or Digital ND Filter to tidy up those affected areas as covered in another thread in the last couple of days.

Cheers

Phillipb,

Great! THAT is the effect I wanted to achieve The pic appears more "balanced" now. My memory of the scene is how you have PP the pic.
The tops of the hills, although appeared to be over exposed, are as shown.
I will practice using the gradient fill.

MattC,

I am very gratefull for your comments and advice, I should have PS CS here next week, (upgrading from PS7) and will try your advice.

The country around here at times appears extreme in light, colour, saturation etc, (Which from your location I am sure you have similar scenery) A tripod is my next upgrade, as my manfrotto 190 series legs gets the "wobbles" with the D2x mounted. Otherwise I would have waited for the light to fade a bit and taken a much slower pic. I am not keen on the use of filters here because of the dusty conditions and also from past use find I have to have cleaning gear at hand 'cause I always seem to touch the glass leaving a smudge

So, am looking forward to PS CS, and will practice your "technique"

Many Thanks to all for your comments & advice!

Andyt wrote:.... I should have PS CS here next week, (upgrading from PS7) and will try your advice.

The country around here at times appears extreme in light, colour, saturation etc, (Which from your location I am sure you have similar scenery) ....

 PS7 won't do it? It has been so long since I have used it.

That scenery looks a lot like the NT. A lot more water though. Sometimes it seems that as soon as the sun pokes its head over the horizon that I am exceeding the DR of the camera.

What I described is basically what Phillip did... I was typing away as he posted

Cheers