Looking for some advice

[jinjur]

Hi everyone,

I introduced myself in the http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=269758&page=12 thread (the most convincing SLR one)

So, i'm new here and boy do i hope to learn alot.

I got married in November and treated myself to a spanky new EOS400D for going to hong Kong.

Now when i was out there i bought myself a lovely Tamron 17-35 SP F2.8 lens to replace the kit one and this really was the start of my learning curve.

One thing continues to baffle me, i hope 4x4rock doesn't mind me quoting one of his posts from a thread.

Congrats on the new lens :).

I Took these yesterday behind the local foothill. Some local contrast enhancement with PS2.

http://www.sonnycao.com/gallery/albums/wide_angle/foothill4.jpg

http://www.sonnycao.com/gallery/albums/wide_angle/foothill1.jpg

Could someone point me in the direction of a guide to producing shots like this.

I have dabbled in HDR (which i am crap at) and have used a circular polarizer to try and get such popping pics as this but absolutely have no clue. i see that he has used photoshop but how exactly?

I am trying to teach myself and learn as much as I can through article and thread reading but a few pointers would sure be good.

This all stems from a pic that is the wallpaper on my samsung phone that follows the same trend................beautiful blue sky, fluffy white clowds, amazing detailed green fields and the sun in the middle of it all...........

When i try that, i just get sky OR ground....

(if i find that pic ill post it)

any help appreciated, sorry about the long post

Andy

[Twitch1977]

The blue sky in that picture (clouds included) should be easily achieved with a circular polarizer. CP's will really help to pull out the color in the blues and the greens.

Maybe he bumped up the contrast and saturation a touch, a little sharpening maybe, but I don't think there was a lot of photoshopping in that picture.

Kurt

[StewartR]

Welcome to POTN, Andy! Lock your credit cards away now...

Those pictures do look like they were taken with a CP. The effect of a CP can vary dramatically though, depending on the angle of the sun. It's most effective when you're shooting at 90 degrees to the sun.

Or there's a simple Photoshop trick that yoiu can use to get that saturated look. I learned it here on POTN and it is described with a before/after demonstration in this thread (http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=317639). I use it all the time - take a look at some of the poicture in my London gallery (http://stewartr.smugmug.com/gallery/2453701) if you're curious.

Or of course you could just ask 4x4rock (http://photography-on-the.net/forum/private.php?do=newpm&u=32347) how he did it...

[jinjur]

lovely lovely............

thanks for the pointers guys..........

great London pics Stewart.......




all taken aboard....and ill pop him a pm himself

Thanks

Andy

[madferrit]

Jinjur,

Not sure if you get the same magazines as London, but if you can get yourself Digital Photo on a monthly basis. It's got some great video tutorials about using Photoshop, from Elements through to CS3, so it covers it all. Some of the back issues cover landscape as well. The best thing about it, is that the tutorials are explained in simple terms so a newbie (like me) can understand and follow it.

Alternatively there are plenty of tutorials on the net.. just google and see what you get.

ps.. Welcome to the forum and Stewarts info about credit cards is 100% true!

[jinjur]

Sound advice Imran, i think i got one issue of that in Heathrow and left it on hols.......must start picking it up again as i remember it was a very good read....

Credit cards hidden now

Thanks

Andy