First run with Landscape shots

After doing a lot of reading in the Nature/Landscape forums, and investing in some filters... I finally decided to try it out in the real world. (I usually shoot macro and portraits) I brought the 7D, tripod and gang to Torrey Pines, San Diego. I'm working on PPing the photos now... This one here is finished, and I was curious what you all thought before I finished up the other ones. Thank you for your time!


17mm f/16 22s exposure with a 10stop ND filter

i would do a longer exposure. the ocean/waves look funny. Would prefer a better composition.

little less sky would be good to start with on the composition.

overall not a good use of the ND in this instance.

It's just about allright but it's not particularly interesting.

David

Why not embed the image instead of a link? Makes it easier for someone to give a critique without having to go external...most reviewers, myself included, don't bother with links and the having to go back and forth.

I'm still a little clueless when it comes to composition with landscapes... I put the horizon on the rule of thirds line... I guess I just picked a poor place to snap my picture.
I have heard that you should try not to go past f/16 due to diffraction? It was so bright out, 20 seconds was as slow as I could get without going past f/16.
I embedded the image now.
Thanks!

On my monitor, the focus looks a little soft. Try a little sharpening in PP to see if it sharpens up. If not, there may have been some slight movement of the tripod during the exposure. It looks like a windy location.

foxfirewisp wrote in post #13013598
I'm still a little clueless when it comes to composition with landscapes... I put the horizon on the rule of thirds line... I guess I just picked a poor place to snap my picture.
I have heard that you should try not to go past f/16 due to diffraction? It was so bright out, 20 seconds was as slow as I could get without going past f/16.
I embedded the image now.
Thanks!

Don't get all hung up on the rule of thirds...as long as your horizon line isn't smack in the middle (although it works for certain shots such as reflections), you'll be OK.

Also, be mindful of conditions when shooting long exposures. Any type of breeze (even a light one) will cause foliage to sway back and forth throughout the exposure...will be very noticeable in the final image. That could be what happened here...some of the plants look "muddy" and lack definition, even though the rock is in focus. One trick to avoid this is to shoot two exposures...one at a relatively fast shutter speed without the ND filter to "freeze" the foliage in case it is windy, then the second shot with the ND filter to get the water effect that you are after. Then, just blend the two in Photoshop (or something similar) later.

I did a little extra sharpening and cropped a little of the sky out. Hopefully it looks a little better. I think the microadjustment adjustment is a little off on my lenses... nothing I can do about that right now though.

I'm going out today to Cabrillo Tidepool for some landscape and hopefully macro and again tonight to try some night photography at Coronado. I'll see if I can improve on what I did yesterday.

I like the composition. I've fine with the sky and the diagonal division of the land and sea, and I think the colors are beautiful. So from that standpoint I think it is a success. But I think it lacks a point of interest - the eye isn't really led to a focal point. I have a friend who is a successful photographer, and has been for 40 years, and he is kind enough to critique my pictures for me and he's always asking me "what's the point of this picture?" "What did you mean by it?" I hate that question.....

Foxfirewisp, I think this photo is a good start. I think at the right time of day, amazing light/shadows would provide perfect purpose to this vantage point.

Looks soft to me as well, however I wouldn't mind being there right now...