Some advice on taking better images

Hi guys,
I am certain that my gear is just fine and somehow i mess up ..so,
here is an example image i took. This is straight from the camera, sized down and saved for web to keep the size down.
I have always have trouble hitting the sweet spot when it comes to sharpening.
My images look soft

Gear used for this is a canon 500d with the EF 18-55 lens.
Focal length 18mm
exposure 1/160 f/8 iso 100
evaluative metering

All advices are welcomed.
Thanks for reading guys.

**I use photoshop cs6 for processing.

Do you mind if I take a try at processing it and post it here? I don't think sharpness is the issue. I would take the blacks down and the whites up a bit. I think the black adjustment would make a big difference. I would also crop out some of the foreground to get the focus off of the light rocks.

Just my two cents and I am far from a pro. I think most pictures that are perfectly centered are a bit boring to the human eye where something off center make it much more interesting. Also remember and use the rule of thirds.

Noon is just about a guarantee of boring lighting.

Chrizz wrote in post #17659855
...I have always have trouble hitting the sweet spot when it comes to sharpening.
My images look soft ...


**I use photoshop cs6 for processing.

It would be difficult to diagnose the problem from the posted image. It'd probably help, though, if you mentioned which method(s) of sharpening (and noise reduction) you use and what settings you generally select. The sweet spot will vary from image to image.

GeoKras1989 wrote in post #17659882
Noon is just about a guarantee of boring lighting.

This.

You won't get "sharp" looking photos without sharp looking light. Also, as noted above, your composition leaves a bit to be desired. Try revisiting the location in the morning or evening and play around with some different angles and zoom levels on your lens.

Better photos are interesting photos, and interesting photos are interesting because there is some reason to look at them.

Ask yourself the question of "Why would someone want to look at this again" can go a long way in producing better photos. What is the point to the photo? Why should someone care about it?

When doing sports photography I have that somewhat easy. People care about my sports photos because usually the people looking at them are in the photo, or are friends of the person in the photo, and they enjoy the action, emotion, or general memory of the moment, and there is 'something happening' in the photo.


However landscapes are, to me at least, a far different thing and much harder to answer the question of 'why should I or anyone want to look at this again?'.

Good luck, and keep questioning things. Answers come through asking questions, and better answers come through learning to ask yourself better questions.

Bob Palermini,
No problem at all.

Thank you Tedder,
I do all sharpening and noise reduction in camera raw. I am not a pro, just looking to get better at this.

frayne,
Very good! thank you!

Thank you guys!
What are the best times of the day,regarding light, to visit a location for landscape photography??

thank you Luckless!

Chrizz wrote in post #17659963
Thank you Tedder,
I do all sharpening and noise reduction in camera raw. I am not a pro, just looking to get better at this.

Admittedly, I know nothing of your photographic skills. However, this statement may be indicative of your starting a few steps too late in the quest to get better images. You have to get lighting, composition, subject, timing, and framing right first. Then you release the shutter. After all that is done, it becomes time to finagle with contrast, sharpening, and noise reduction. Start at the beginning. Getting it right is a lot easier than fixing it later. I know, I've been struggling to get it right most of my life.

What happens when you dont have the luxury of visiting a place at a different time??
I find myself, during vacations, having the same problem: Images looking TO ME boring.
Will a change of Len help?

With regards to the best time to visit somewhere for the best light, the honest answer is "It depends". Around sunset/rise is often a favoured time, but it isn't always the best of times. Sometimes you are going to what the shadow and light effect that is only available with a noon sun on a slightly cloudy day, and other times you might want something different from the light. Sometimes you may even want to show up in the middle of the night on a moonless overcast day, and carry around a large high powered flash unit during a massively long multiple exposure shot.


Study light in existing photos that you like, and try to understand what the light is doing, how it is created, and why the photographer would have wanted it like that.