Montana Landscape

[jb683]

This is my atempt at capturing the landscape.

<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/jb_683/998836220/" title="Photo Sharing"><img src="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1172/998836220_f62458853e.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="Just a shot of the beautiful Montana hills" /></a>

I think it could have been better if I had cropped out the fence at the bottom.

<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/jb_683/998733196/" title="Photo Sharing"><img src="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1364/998733196_1d691faa8c.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="St, Coeur D Alene Lake" /></a>

This lake was in Idaho instead of Montana

[RexK_Cozumel]

I dont know if you were looking for comments or criticism but anyways here are my thoughts on how to improve the photos. 1st image the sky is pretty blown out and the colors on the mountains in the background seem to be pretty washed out. Perhaps creating different layers for the background and the forground and the sky and adjusting the levels/saturation/contrast will improve this image. Of and I agree with you that the fence has got to go.

The second image I think is well shot. the sky is a little bland and boring but that is nature. I do find that the two trees in the bottom middle blocking the lake are distracting tho. perhaps you could clone them out? Also that little snippet of tree in the bottom right corner.

[jb683]

I dont know if you were looking for comments or criticism but anyways here are my thoughts on how to improve the photos. 1st image the sky is pretty blown out and the colors on the mountains in the background seem to be pretty washed out. Perhaps creating different layers for the background and the forground and the sky and adjusting the levels/saturation/contrast will improve this image. Of and I agree with you that the fence has got to go.

The second image I think is well shot. the sky is a little bland and boring but that is nature. I do find that the two trees in the bottom middle blocking the lake are distracting tho. perhaps you could clone them out? Also that little snippet of tree in the bottom right corner.


Thanks for the comments. I guess the sky color was due to it being 100 degrees and hazy. It is still beutiful country. I agree with your assesment. I am going to try to fix them and re-submit.

[jb683]

I have tried to fix the problems you found. The cropped version of the landscape without the fence does look better. You be the judge

<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/jb_683/1019111543/" title="Photo Sharing"><img src="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1255/1019111543_eb15c935c5.jpg" width="500" height="323" alt="cutting out the fence" /></a>

I tried to enhance the colors a little, but the haze is still there

[windrider86]

it does look better, now just add in a great sky and lighten up the front a bit and you are set!

[RexK_Cozumel]

yeah the cropped version definately looks better. but you left in the top of the swing set? or whatever it is. Also just noticed that there are some powerlines running thru the picture. perhaps some cloning will take care of them. If you dont mind I will try to edit the pic some to see if I can get some better color out of that background.

[RexK_Cozumel]

hey jb683 I hope that you dont mind. I had a try at editing that first picture. here is what I got. if you didnt want me to edit it I will take it down.

<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/7611846@N05/1021493758/" title="Photo Sharing"><img src="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1135/1021493758_61568924e5.jpg" width="500" height="323" alt="Montana Landscape DPS Edit" /></a>

here is what I did...

first: create different layers for each element of the picture that I wanted to edit. one layer for the sky one for the back mountains one for the middle mountains. looking at it again I should have made the shadowed area on the back mountains a separate layer but I was lazy and it is just a very very rough cut.

Second: on each layer isolate the portion of the picture that I want to edit. ie on the sky layer I deleted everything but the sky so on so forth..

third: adjust color balance, brightness, saturation etc on each layer till satisfied.

fourth: clone out those powerlines and the top of the whatever it was from the cropped version.

Like I said it was just a very very rough edit so dont be too harsh ;-P I didnt want to do all your work for you.

[jb683]

hey jb683 I hope that you dont mind. I had a try at editing that first picture. here is what I got. if you didnt want me to edit it I will take it down.

<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/7611846@N05/1021493758/" title="Photo Sharing"><img src="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1135/1021493758_61568924e5.jpg" width="500" height="323" alt="Montana Landscape DPS Edit" /></a>

here is what I did...

first: create different layers for each element of the picture that I wanted to edit. one layer for the sky one for the back mountains one for the middle mountains. looking at it again I should have made the shadowed area on the back mountains a separate layer but I was lazy and it is just a very very rough cut.

Second: on each layer isolate the portion of the picture that I want to edit. ie on the sky layer I deleted everything but the sky so on so forth..

third: adjust color balance, brightness, saturation etc on each layer till satisfied.

fourth: clone out those powerlines and the top of the whatever it was from the cropped version.

Like I said it was just a very very rough edit so dont be too harsh ;-P I didnt want to do all your work for you.

Hey ... that does look better. Thanks for the comments and taking the time to show what can be done with the right tools.

[jb683]

This is a shot from another area that I think is better.

<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/jb_683/998835838/" title="Photo Sharing"><img src="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1424/998835838_857251564b.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="Picture post card" /></a>

As you can tell we were moving at the time, but it still shows just how beautiful the country is out there. This shot is just like it came from the camera.

[windrider86]

Now, this one I really like! A little crop off the very front would make it just gorgeous. I do know how beautiful Montana is as I'm from Billings. Kinda east but go a little further west and you get the gorgeous mountains
Good hob my friend!