Mountain Landscape

[NicoleScraps]

I am brand new to using a dslr camera. I just got one in May and am trying very hard to learn. Mostly I have been using the preset modes or auto, but I want to learn how to use some of the manual controls.

I am looking for suggestions with a photo such as this.


This was unplanned. I was standing on my friend's pool deck and noticed that she had a killer view, so I just put my camera on landscape mode and snapped a few. This is unedited and uncropped. If I were to edit it, I would crop out the bit of fence post on the lower right side and probably color pop the whole image.


What I am really wondering though , did the camera choose the correct settings? Is there a way that I could have improved this shot using some of the manual settings and if so, can you give me examples? I want to learn the camera and use it to its full capacity. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Camera Canon EOS Rebel T1i
f-stop f/11
Exposure time 1/200 sec.
ISO Speed ISO-100
Exposure Bias 0 Step
Focal Length 47 mm
Metering Mode Pattern
Exposure Program Landscape mode
White Balance Auto

I can't remember which lens I had on the camera, but I only have the two that came with it. EFS 18-55 mm and EFS 55-250 mm 1:4-5.6 IS. I think it might have had the 2nd lens on the camera, but I am not 100% sure.

Thanks so much!

[IABoomer]

Since your focal length is 47mm, you couldn't get that with the 55-200 lens, so it had to be the 18-55.

The aperture setting was probably selected since in most landscape shots, you want the depth of field to be somewhat deep so you can see detail from the front all the way to the back of the image.

I'd agree with cropping out the post on the right. Look into the "rule of thirds" which would suggest that placing the horizon in the middle of the picture isn't as dynamic or interesting as moving it up or down to accentuate either the land or the sky. In this case, I might try cropping the bottom to focus on the blue sky and the mountain in the distance. A little sharpening and some levels/curves work and I think this would be a really great landscape.

[Mike367]

I think you would be hard pressed to make any better technical choices than your camera did in the current instance.

It chose minimum ISO, this minimizes noise. Usable ISO depends on the amount of available light.

For landscape photos, you should understand and use the principles of hyperfocal distances, go here: Online Depth of Field Calculator for an explanation. ( I got that website from another DPS posting) In this case, I think depth of field is fine. It is also worth noting that most lenses are at their sharpest in the middle of the f/ stop range. f/11 seems to be a good choice.

"Landscape" mode typically employs different processing of the raw data than other modes, e.g "Portrait" mode. "Landscape" will have more sharpening and saturation by comparison. IMO sharpness and saturation are fine, but it's hard to make these assessments unless you're looking at the actual pixels of the full resolution image. If you save in RAW format, it's easy to tweak these.

Shutter speed was fast enough to freeze any camera shake from hand holding at this focal length. For best results, however, you should mount the camera on a steady tripod and raise the mirror before actually opening the shutter. (Consult your manual about the mirror up bit.)

[Michael_2010]

At first I was having a difficult time understanding RAW images, but once I started to get the hang of putting them to use I wouldn't shoot any other way. You can only take advantage of that big asset in the creative modes. It gives you sooooo much to work with after the fact.

The capture posted on your flickr is pretty low resolution, so it gets pixelated quickly when trying to do any enhancements. However, I did an alternate crop just for purposes of discussion and I used a 30 second trick I learned on DPS a while back. Simply duplicating the background layer and using soft light as the blend method will add a little intensity to a sky and bring out some of the color. You can use the slider to back off the opacity until you get some result that is pleasing to your eye. Give it a try with your larger file.

[NicoleScraps]

Thanks so much!!!

[Michael_2010]

I’m not suggesting one version is any better than the other. I just threw it out there as something to think about when composing such a scene. If I were a gambling man, I would bet you feel just like the rest of us when we come upon a beautiful piece of scenery. We want to capture what our eyes are seeing at that split second of time and share it with others. Unfortunately, that doesn’t always translate to the limited size of a photograph. Our eyes dart around such a scene, constantly focusing and re-focusing on various aspects of the landscape. It is so quick and subtle that our mind takes it in as a whole and leaves that vision.

When we decide to take that scene and put it in a two dimensional image, we have to use a little imagination to give it depth and walk the viewer through the experience. We try to do that with composition, angle and lighting. With your setting, I may have backed off enough to make that fence post a framing element in the photograph. That might have kind of layered the view leading to the mountain by breaking it up into several elements.

Just sumpin’ to think about.

[NicoleScraps]

Originally Posted by Michael_2010

If I were a gambling man, I would bet you feel just like the rest of us when we come upon a beautiful piece of scenery. We want to capture what our eyes are seeing at that split second of time and share it with others.

And you'd win that bet...if you were a gambling man. For me personally, photography is about recording my life and surroundings. When I visit my mother, I always go through a box of old photos that she has from my childhood (I am going to steal those from her one day ). It is always a wonderful experience for me to look through those and think "Oh, I remember that trip we took" Or "That was my favorite dress for so long" etc etc. I want to be able to give that same gift to my children and grandchildren. That wonderful feeling of nostalgia that you get from looking at old photos. (although I absolutely do not just throw my photos into a box and stick them on a shelf).
But at the same time, the process interests me. I want to make those photos as beautiful as possible. I am no professional nor do I ever expect to be. But photography is very important to me. It is right up there, very high on my list of priorities in life along with being a good wife, good parent, etc.
I do appreciate all of your input. You definitely gave me some ideas to think about.
Thanks again!

[Michael_2010]

I'm going to link a couple of sunsets. Nothing spectacular about the shot, but it kind of demonstrates the power of a dSLR, creative modes and RAW processing.

In the first I changed the White Balance from "Faithful" to Landscape and got the reddish hues. In the second, exact same shot (square crop), but I changed the White Balance to Tungsten. In my opinion, it went from a sunrise to a moonlit night with the click of a mouse. lol





Cool, huh? lol

[NicoleScraps]

Yes, very cool!
Can RAW photos be processed in PSE 7? That is all I have.

[Michael_2010]

I use PaintShop Pro, just because I started using it for some web stuff years ago when it was free. I tried to process RAW with it and the results were bizarre to say the least. Learned that the software furnished with my canon is the best way to process the raw file and then take that result into an editor. I think it is a free download from Canon for Windows or Mac