First attempt at landscape with 400d

C & C welcome.

Being new to all this, thought this would be great place to start so as to improve. I have new camera 400d a couple of lenses and bags of energy to grab some great shots.

What do you think?

Great shots , the only thing is on the first one the power pole on the right side. I would just clone that out or crop it a little bit. good job

agree about the first one needing a crop to get rid of the power pole. I think the composition in that one works pretty well but maybe would have been a bit more dynamic/interesting if the track didn't lead straight away from the viewer. you could perhaps create some interesting angles with the tracks/houses/hills/et​c. horizon is also a bit too centered in my opinion. looks like you're definately shooting at the right time of day though.

second one could have been improved with a neutral density filter to slow down the shutter speed and smooth out the water a bit. what were your settings for this one?

third one has good composition. could have been improved by a better sky, but, that's tough to control.

ryan

I like the 3rd one.

I agree with Ryan, for the second photo a ND filter would have been a great addition so you could use the slower shutter speed and had movement in the water. Also you would need a tripod for this.

On the second one, in lue of a ND filter, next time just try closing down your aperture some. You shot that at f/5.6...next time try f/22 and it will give you that slower shutter speed. If you can shoot it in the early morning or late evening with a small aperture, so much the better. A ND filter helps, but it's not necessary . You can even shoot this same scene after dark and get tons of silk on the water with no ND filter needed. As Jarni said, you will need a tripod...or at the very least a stable place to put the camera where it won't get bumped for a second.

Peace,
Jim

The stream in #2 is my favorite. I think that the amount a motion blur in the water is just right. I am not a big fan of the long water exposures that gives it an opaque white wispy appearance because I think that the technique has lost its novelty appeal. The amount of blur in your image allows the water to retain its transparent and translucent qualities that helps to reveal a glimpse of what is going on "beneath the waves".

Thanks for replies and comments. All taken on board.

Not too sure what an ND filter is though I think maybe something that fits to the end of the lense???. Did try others settings but found that the water became over exposed and didn't help by not using a tripod though.

I never even noticed the power lines and pole I think I must of been a little excited. They are now gone. (and no I never went back with a chainsaw to cut it down:lol

bill boehme wrote in post #5572184
The stream in #2 is my favorite. I think that the amount a motion blur in the water is just right. I am not a big fan of the long water exposures that gives it an opaque white wispy appearance because I think that the technique has lost its novelty appeal. The amount of blur in your image allows the water to retain its transparent and translucent qualities that helps to reveal a glimpse of what is going on "beneath the waves".

This is my exact same sentiments as well. I haven't been impressed with motion blurred water since I learned to do it 40 years ago.
#2 rocks! The others, not so much.

I really like the second one the best out of all them..

midnitejam wrote in post #5578547
This is my exact same sentiments as well. I haven't been impressed with motion blurred water since I learned to do it 40 years ago.
#2 rocks! The others, not so much.

I think that it was around 40 years ago that I also first saw the technique used in some photos in Texas Highways magazine. As I recall, the technique was not as extreme as it often seems to be used now. I supposed that it has fallen victim to the "if a little is good, then a lot must be better" syndrome.

I like the converging lines in #1 but sky has a purplish hue, a little too much for me. #3 looks quite intriguing to me.

I really like the first one, the colors are very pleasing to me.( and I am not a pink kind of gal)