Sunset After Work - Cityscape

[Tito Texidor III]

Hello!

This is my first critique post, so my apologies if something is wrong here...

I took this shot at sunset in downtown Denver, CO. I used my Canon Rebel T1i with the standard kit lens (18-55mm). I shot in shutter-priority mode with a 1/40 shutter speed and an aperture of around f4.5 or f6 (I can't remember) .

With this photo, I really like the colors of the sunset in the sky, and how they play off the building's glass. However, the foreground and part of the far left side of the image are way to dark and have almost zero shadow detail. Is this an issue with my camera settings? Or is this fixable with post-processing? Thanks for your time!

[TBrown00]

It's because of the camera settings, but there's no way you could have captured the sky and also have shadow detail with a single shot. If you had exposed for the shadows, then your sky would have been blown out. If you shot in raw, you might be able to use the adjustment brush in Lightroom or Photoshop Camera Raw or layer masks in Photoshop to make those areas brighter to show some detail. However, there was no way to expose for the sky and capture shadow detail with a single exposure in camera.

[navcom]

Hi! The link to your picture is not showing up very well in your post. Any chance you could put it in your post per the critique forum rules instructions? Would love to see it!

[Tito Texidor III]

That makes sense TBrown00, thanks for the input! Would a Neutral-Density filter help with exposing for both sky and shadow detail?

[Tito Texidor III]

Sorry for the late response navcom, I have been out of town!

But I shall figure out how to post the picture properly if you are still interested in seeing it. Thanks!

[Tito Texidor III]

[TBrown00]

Originally Posted by Tito Texidor III

That makes sense TBrown00, thanks for the input! Would a Neutral-Density filter help with exposing for both sky and shadow detail?

Only if it is a graduated ND. However, in this case a grad ND wouldn't be the best choice because the parts of the building above the horizon line would be darker than the parts below. The best option in this case would be to do an HDR. The only problem with an HDR would be that the cars would probably gone by the time you took your second or third frame which could potentially cause problems. I haven't done too many HDRs so I don't have a lot of experience in this area. I use a grad ND instead for my landscapes.

Grad NDs work best in situations with an uninterrupted horizon. Most of the landscapes in my Flickr photostream (link in signature) were taken with a grad ND if you want to see a few examples.

[navcom]

I agree with TBrown here...an HDR bracketing series combination is probably your best tool to get both sky and foreground. I also use an ND grad on a regular basis but my shots are not urban. Buildings interfere too much with the horizon and make an ND grad more visible in the shot.

I always advise to use an ND grad over HDR whenever possible only because of quality concerns...a filter modifies the light BEFORE it's captured versus HDR techniques that modify pixels AFTER the capture(s). This is especially true if you are trying to get the best color you can. You can't post-process "better" color and still maintain good quality...it's hard to add what was never recorded to begin with.

I did an article for Singh Ray filters on just this issue. You can check it out if you are interested.

Of course that doesn't mean HDR techniques aren't cool and don't have their place. I've used them many times and yours is a good case for their use.

Hope that helps!

[mwanafunzi]

Originally Posted by navcom

...it's hard to add what was never recorded to begin with.

I think what navcom means is that when you use the hdr technique on a single image then you are not really creating an image with a higher dynamic range.

On the other hand if you take multiple shots (that are correctly exposed for the different parts of the scene) and combine them with the hdr technique then you are capturing the required dynamic range. In my opinion, this is true HDR.

[navcom]

Originally Posted by mwanafunzi

I think what navcom means is that when you use the hdr technique on a single image then you are not really creating an image with a higher dynamic range.

On the other hand if you take multiple shots (that are correctly exposed for the different parts of the scene) and combine them with the hdr technique then you are capturing the required dynamic range. In my opinion, this is true HDR.

I agree with you completely...manipulating a single image isn't really "HDR". I was referring to the bracketing method. Even combining images, you may loose some of the true color through loss of image quality during the combining process. It may not always be very much, but any post-processing always degrades an image...even if only slightly. Plus, if you are not experienced with using HDR software techniques, it's easy to overdo it and lose any semblance of true color.

I'm not opposed to HDR composites by any stretch. I use them all the time. I just prefer to use an ND grad simply for the quality it offers, especially for sunrises/sunsets where capturing true color can be a very touchy thing.

In 25 years of taking sunset/sunrise photos, I've found that ND grads just do a better job of recreating the true colors. And there is no risk of artifacts or unrealistic representations to overcome, if they can be.

But for the OP's image I would definitely use HDR.