An Arabian Sunset

[Kelfin]

Hey,
So I'm living in Jordan and went to Petra this weekend. I got this image off my balcony as the sun was setting. What do you think of the coloring? I like the goldish hue but was playing with other color temperatures as well. Should I leave it as is shot or tone it down?




Nikon D40
1/15s
f/22.0
ISO 200

[navcom]

I think the coloring is pretty good but the exposure is a bit blown out. This is because the dynamic range (the range between the darkest and lightest portions of the image) is huge...more than a camera can handle. What would help is a graduated neutral density filter. It wold help push back the intensity of the sky which would balance the dynamic range of the photo and make the colors pop better.

Hope that helps!

[BK553]

In addition to what navcom said, i think you either need to pan down, if you have a nice foreground, or up, to see more of the sky. In general, landscapes shouldn't have their horizons at the halfway point, unless the scene is balanced by both interesting foreground and background.

[Kelfin]

navcom- the neutral density filter is a filter that gets put over the lens right? (sorry for the question, still working on all the technical aspects)

Bk553- the forground of this shot was some hotel wall so I didn't want that. I thought the trees along the foreground made for some interest, but now I'm thinking maybe they're distracting. Do you think I ought to crop them out?

[navcom]

Yep. It's a filter you put in front of the lens. It is half shaded and half clear. You position the shaded portion over the bright sky to push back it's intensity.

Here is my camera with the ND grad (at the bottom) and the components needed to install it...



This is referred to as the Cokin "P" system. The filter holder has an adapter ring that screws into the camera. The filter can then be placed in the holder and moved both up and down and also rotated around 360 degrees so you can place the transition zone between the clear and shaded areas anywhere you want in your scene.

Here is the filter installed on the camera...



Hope that helps!

[action1194]

What a view from your balcony!