Tennessee country side

[2catsandapug]

Hello All!

I am new to the site and I came to improve my photos. I need to improve the sharpness of my photos and the color. I would like to do as little post-processing as possible and get the clearest shots in the first place. Thanks for your feedback-

The image below is linked to the larger file:



Taken with: Nikon P100
Not sure of the settings (sorry!)

[tomdinning]

Because of the different exposure requirements for the top and bottom of the photo your camera may have averaged these out resulting in under-exposure for the shadow and over-exposure (slightly) for the lit areas.
There doesn't seem to be any significant loss of detail anywhere (except a bit in the tree to the left but probably not worth worrying about) so a bit of PP should solve the problem.
Whatever PP program you are using, select the lit area and adjust to requirements, then select the shadow and do likewise. Levels or curves adjutsment layers is the safest option if you have them and know how to use them. Levels is the easiest if you're a beginner.
The final result should still look realistic but each area will have the tones and colours you want. Don't overdo any adjustments. Play around and get the feel of what you can get and what suits the feel you want to give the image.

[EOBeav]

One of the first lessons I learned in photography is that bright sunlight and shaded areas don't play nicely on a camera sensor. Unless you're doing HDR, of course, but that's a different discussion. If you want to do as little PP as possible, try getting a tripod and taking this shot just at sunrise or just at sunset. Lighting is everything in landscape photography.