Reflections

[metoo]

http://flic.kr/p/8nrnCH


Camera Canon EOS Digital Rebel XS
Exposure 0.005 sec (1/200)
Aperture f/7.1
Focal Length 18 mm
ISO Speed 400
Exposure Bias 0 EV
Flash Off, Did not fire



My question is how do I get the reflection without blowing out the sky?

ugh my picture is not showing up??

[IABoomer]

You have a couple options.

1. Use a graduated ND filter to darken the sky without darkening the rest of the image.

2. Take bracketed shots, one exposed for the reflection and trees like you have, and one for the sky, then merge the two in post-processing.

I'd probably lean towards the latter since that wouldn't require any additional hardware, and you wouldn't have the compromise of the ND filter darkening up the tips of the trees.

[metoo]

OK, so it might not be possible straight out of the camera? I do have some kind of filter that came with the camera. I didn't even think to use that. The compisition isn't that great anyway. It's just something that has been bugging me for a while. I either have this great reflection and a blown out sky or I have dark water and a beautiful sky.

I take it my picture did show up. I wonder why I can't see it...

[IABoomer]

I went to your Flickr page to see it. I wonder if the restriction on downloading the images keeps them from being posted inline here.

The problem you're running into with this kind of image is one of dynamic range, or the difference between the brightest and darkest part of the image. Your eyes have a wider dynamic range than the sensor in your camera, so while you may see the detail in the highlights and shadows at the same time, the camera cannot. That's why you'll find photographers who will bracket shots, using one to capture highlight detail and one to capture shadow detail in an effort to recreate the range.

You might be able to do something in Photoshop with the sky if it's not necessarily blown out to pure white, but just very bright. Look into tutorials on dodging and burning to see how you might be able to restore some detail in the clouds.

[cacorcoran]

if you shot the photo in RAW you might be able to adjust your exposure so you have one where the reflection is exposed properly and one where the sky is exposed propery, then merge the two files.

[navcom]

IABoomer is right on. I might lean towards trying an ND grad filter for this one though. Since it was taken around the middle of the day (at least appears to have been), the trees on the other side of the lake are just a bit white-washed where the reflections and the foreground are underexposed. An ND grad positioned so it covers the background trees and the horizon (maybe a 1 or 2-stop ND grad at the most) would definitely help. But HDR would do it as well.

Don't be too frustrated with this problem. It's one of the most common frustrations newer photographers face when doing landscape shots...high dynamic range. What most don't understand is that it's a limitation everyone faces because it's a limitation of the camera, not the photographer. The secret is to learn how to overcome it.

The other frustration many newer landscape photographers face is "why are my images always washed out with dull colors?" This is usually because they were taken in the middle of the day when the sun is high. This produces very washed out colors and terrible contrasts. Years ago this was the case for me until a friend who was a photography mentor of mine told me to take landscape photos very early or late in the day when the sun is low on the horizon. You get much warmer "golden" light and the contrasts are much nicer. That is the reason they call the hour before sunset and the hour after sunrise the "golden hour".

It was like an epiphany for me! I had always taken them in the middle of the day as that is when I was out and about. It just didn't make sense that the time of day would have that great of an impact. It does. I just assumed everyone was taking them in the middle of the day when that's really not the case. When looking at other good landscape photographs, I started to try and guess what time of the day they were taken by looking at the direction of shadows. Invariably, they were early or late in the day. As a matter of fact, I've entered landscape contests where the judges will simply throw out images that were taken in the middle of the day...it's that important.

Hope that helps!