GYPSUM QUARY (Critique My Shot)

[snapdragon]

I took this yesterday with camera stuck into the fence and this was the best angle I could get ,was wondering what I could do to make it a better ,I want to go back any tips would be great thanks .

[HSM]

One thing I've learned about shooting during daylight hours is to have a polorizing filter on the lens. It make the colors pop. If the daylight is too harsh then I think the daylight setting for this pic may not work without changing the white balance / color balance setting.

[snapdragon]

Originally Posted by HSM

One thing I've learned about shooting during daylight hours is to have a polorizing filter on the lens. It make the colors pop. If the daylight is too harsh then I think the daylight setting for this pic may not work without changing the white balance / color balance setting.

Thanks ,I have the filter but it will not fit in the grid of the fence ,I have never changed the white balance / color balance settings ,not that sure of how it should be done .

[cjbnc]

Is that the right shade of gray for the rocks? I honestly don't know, but I thought gypsum might be whiter?

If that's the case, you could adjust the exposure compensation a few thirds higher to try to get brighter rock and more detail in the shadows. Those shadows also make me think this might be worth trying an HDR?

I like the contrast between the rocks and the grassy, eroded areas. That might be worth a closer crop or zoom.

[snapdragon]

The color of the rock is right , it is not white until it is refined , but there is a harsh glare that I don't like and to the eye it did not look that bright .

[clockdoc]

You are commended for trying to get a shot here. Don't give up on the filter not fitting the grid of the fence. Gently place it against the fence and see what you get. If need be perhaps any visible fencing can be cropped out. Your photo needs a subject such as one of the huge trucks typically see hauling ore out of these mines. The side lighting provides nice texture. Even later/earlier in the day may provide more drama.

[snapdragon]

Originally Posted by clockdoc

You are commended for trying to get a shot here. Don't give up on the filter not fitting the grid of the fence. Gently place it against the fence and see what you get. If need be perhaps any visible fencing can be cropped out. Your photo needs a subject such as one of the huge trucks typically see hauling ore out of these mines. The side lighting provides nice texture. Even later/earlier in the day may provide more drama.

Thanks , I will try that ,as it was I mannaged to get 2 of the tripod legs stuck through the fence and ajusted so the camera lense fit through 1 of the grids . this to me is a challange I am not done with . this place is huge and I do not have a wide angle lense ,and those huge truchs look pretty small even to the naked eye . I am adding a cropted version that got rid of the fence grid and shows one of the trucks .is this more what I should be after with the limit of my lense ,should I be useing my zoom , I of course was trying to get the scale of how huge this is .suggestions please the dang fence is 8 ft with barb at the top so it is a challange for photographers but needed for safty .

[clockdoc]

Thanks for your note. Since you mentioned you don't have a wide angle lens, here is a bit of free software you may want to try out. It is called Autostitch and can be downloaded at www.autostitch.net . Take a succession of photos ( I have "stitched" as many a 12 together) preferably using a tripod. The program works best if the pivot point of the tripod is under the center of the lens barrel. However I have also successfully stitched shots done without a tripod as well. It may be a bit of a challenge to get the shots through the fence but worth a try for the panoramic result.
Here is an example stitching 12 images from our church's Atrium:

Note the black edges as this is how the stitched version looks. You need to crop the black rough edges off after stitching.
Here is another one made from three images (note the different scenes on the two screens as the TV director changed shots between my first and third shot!):

[snapdragon]

clockdoc- Thanks ,I will try that ,WOW you did an awsome job on yours ,i don't expect to get that good at it for some time ,if ever .

[clockdoc]

Thanks for your kind words. The software does all the work. Just remember to overlap each shot about 25-30 percent as you pan across the scene.