Some sunset shots (c&c appreciated)

[chet79]

I borrowed a 24-105 today and took these (I'm still processing the rest)... I'm after some advice - I'm really new to landscape photography.

I'd like to know why I got some out-of-focus branches in the first shot. And what have I done wrong in the last. It seems horribly noisy, yet I only used ISO200. Also it doesn't seem sharp AT ALL. I honestly don't know how to focus at infinity.

http://chet.smugmug.com/photos/137633068-L.jpg

http://chet.smugmug.com/photos/137635392-L.jpg

http://chet.smugmug.com/photos/137806450-L.jpg

[garibaldi]

I really like the first shot, I think it's great. My guess is you zoomed in on those branches and the closer branches appeared fuzzy. I dont think you can avoid that except moving the camera to get another angle or don't use the zoom.

[lkb-28]

Hello Chet79;

#1 - is all about Depth of Field (DoF). Simply with the focal point set on the far branches or beyond, the near branches are out of the DoF range, so they will appear fuzzy...

#3 - there's nothing particularly wrong. ISO200 in that low light is probably struggling somewhat unless you're using a tripod. Try bumping the ISO p to 400 - that won't create that much noise difference in those conditions. The colour noise under those circumstances, looks about right to me. You'll need to run it through a Noise Reduction program or PP in Photoshop to improve it...

Good luck;

Cheers;

Lee

[praise_god2003]

They are all good but the 2nd one is my favorit.

[Cubix Rube]

If you want everything in the frame to be in focus, you need to set your aperture to something along the lines of f/22, or even f/25, and then you want to focus based on the hyperfocal distance, which can be calculated by using a hyperfocal distance calculator. Do a google for it, and you'll find one, with instructions. You'll need to search for your camera's "circle of confusion", which for most Canon SLR's is 0.019, if I remember correctly (don't quote me on that).
So, you'll look at your aperture setting, your lens focal length, find where they cross on the chart, and read over to your focal distance. Set your focus based on the distance numbers on your focus ring. If you don't have numbers on your lens, you can place an object at the desired distance from the lens, focus on that object, then remove it and shoot away.
It sounds like a lot of BS to go through, but once you get used to it, it really goes rather quickly when setting up a shot.
Good luck!

[ALMARZOUQI]

NICE SHOT >> I LIKE FIRST ONE >>>