8 replies to this topic

[geek-accountant]

You are always hearing about the "magic hour" or "blue hour" as having the best light for photography and that mid-day sunlight really isn't that well suited for things like landscapes. Of course the morning and evening sunlight is really nice and my favorite time to shoot, but that doesn't mean I am only going to take photos during those time. If you do it right, quality images can be obtained even in the middle of the day.

Below is a photo from my phone showing my camera and tripod setup and ready to take a few photos. Yep, looks like a normal mid-day shot which supports the reason why you don't shot landscape in the middle of the day. But what do you expect from a camera on a phone.




Below are two images that show it is possible to get food landscape photos in the middle of the day, assuming you set them up properly and add some post processing. By now, we hopefully all know images from a DSLR require some post processing, right?






Let me know what you think.

[Joe_Miner]

Very nice!

[geek-accountant]

Thanks Joe.

[Joe_Miner]

You keep this up and I may start looking for a new camera............................

[awraynor]

Boy have I taken a million photos that look like the top one, all glare and no detail.
Great job, any particular tips?

[geek-accountant]

OK, there are a few little secrets to those shots, just wanted someone to ask before I let them go for free.

First, I used a circular polarizer filter (CP) to cut the glare of the water and also add a bit more punch to the colors. Even in this age of digital photography, CP filters still have a purpose. They are not crazy expensive (like an IR filter) and can really make a lot of difference.

Second, these are HDR images, 3 shot bracket. I was pretty light on the processing so the "HDR look" is not nearly as noticeable. I used the tripod due to the HDR. A tripod can really help make the image much sharper.

Third, there is always post processing, except of course in the camera phone image. That one is straight from the phone, although there is not much I can do with it. The post processing, other than HDR, was to add some sharpness, a little vibrance, and a few other minor corrections.

[ImTheTypeOfGuy]

fI really like the middle pick. Where you live looks beautiful.

[ikon]

nice GA. A big improvement over the original. I am very curious to know what they would look like with the HDR processing reduced to the point that there is no lightening over the trees.

[geek-accountant]

fI really like the middle pick. Where you live looks beautiful.

The river is the Chattahoochee which is feed from Lake Lanier. This part of the river, the portion I am closest to, is not too far from the dam where they release water to supply all the water plants that take water from the river. This portion of the river is still pretty nice and clear. The water below Atlanta is not nearly as nice, in fact it is so bad there, I would not even get in that water.