Awaiting sunset

[lunagirl]

Camera Model: NIKON D3000
Exposure Time: 1/500 sec.
ISO Speed Rating: 400
Flash Fired: Flash did not fire, compulsory flash mode.
Metering Mode: Pattern
Focal Length: 32.0 mm

Is the shaded area in the bottom left of the photo too dark? I am wondering if I should play with the brightness in that area or not. Also, does this photo convey a feeling of a place that is waiting for you/inviting you to come and sit and relax? Thanks for your feedback!

[Krusty79]

Welcome to DPS. Yes, that looks like a very inviting place to sit and listen to your mp3 player or read a book, so you have succeeded in that aspect. However, you are encountering a common landscape problem - the dynamic range in the image is greater than your camera sensor can handle, resulting in some black areas and blown out white area around the sun. You can try to lighten the dark areas, but if there is no detail there, it may look "noisy." You can use a graduated neutral density filter to darken the sky relative to the ground and/or take the shot a little later in the day, closer to sunset to combat that problem. I would like to see the same shot taken about 45 minutes to an hour later - should look really good.

[danbaileyphoto]

Given the shot as is, I don't think the lower left is too dark. Sure, it's below the threshold of the sensor, but we don't always need to see everything in the shadows, unless you have some very important subject matter there. Plus, I'd rather have see the shadows drop to black than have too much of the brights blow out.

[Krusty79]

Originally Posted by danbaileyphoto

Given the shot as is, I don't think the lower left is too dark. Sure, it's below the threshold of the sensor, but we don't always need to see everything in the shadows, unless you have some very important subject matter there. Plus, I'd rather have see the shadows drop to black than have too much of the brights blow out.

Dan,

If you could go back and re-take this picture, would you do anything differently? Would you let the bench shadow remain there or use a fill-flash or something to expose the dark area? Use an ND grad?

Greg

[Michael_2010]

How did this scene look once the sun dropped a little closer to the horizon?

[Krusty79]

lunagirl,

I hope I didn't sound too negative in my previous post. It's a very cool image. Have you ever tried HDR? I was thinking this could be a good candidate for it.

[mwanafunzi]

The photo does make me want to sit on the bench. It does look like a it would be a good place to have lunch or just lay back and maybe even listen to some of Krusty's tunes .

However, the lense flare coming through the tree is distracting and it might have worked better if you had the river cuttings its way towards the mountain rather than away from the photo.

Regarding the exposure: I think that the shadows work well but highlights are definately blown. I have not really used one but as Crusty suggested an ND filter could be useful.

[lunagirl]

Thank you all for the great feedback! It didn't sound too negative at all--I am really new to digital photography and am excited to learn as much as I can, so your comments were really helpful and got me thinking. I don't have a neutral density filter but I would like to explore what I can do with various filters soon. The shot was taken last month in Honduras, so unfortunately I can't go back and shoot it again...at least not for awhile! And I think I left the scene before the sun got too much lower. I also haven't learned too much yet about HDR but it sounds like a great option for capturing shots that have a really wide range. Thanks again for all of your pointers--I really appreciate it!!!