Getting the colors just right

[npshots]

I took this picture in the middle of the day with natural density filter ND4. I am pleased with the picture but how can I get the colors just right.

[cpt_gungho]

Not the best one here to help you get the colors right. I'm learning myself. Have you taken it into a photo editing program and played around with the hues/saturation and the contrast/brightness? That's what I'd suggest.

I think this would look a lot better with a different perspective too. A lower one I'm thinking just above the level of the water. Also a better crop. I like how the mountains in the background are just a shadowed outline but it throws the affect off when you have a little bit of the mountain on the left hand side clearer than the rest.

Best of luck!

[serrios]

I love the composition of this photo. The water at the lower end of the photo begins the story, and the cracks in the ice seem to form an arrow shape that leads to the mountains beyond. If I had to comment on any improvement, it would be the image, overall, is too bright (for me, anyway). A slightly darker exposure might be an improvement. Also, perhaps a white balance of cloudy might warm up all the blues.

[autofocus]

What don't you like about the colors? Remember, people will be looking at your image on various monitors, flat screens, laptops, CRT's etc...what you see can be quite different to what others see. If you'd like a little more contrast, you can try to use the black eyedropper in Levels and click on a dark piece of the rocks in the water.

[EOBeav]

How to get the colors just right? Come back and shoot it during sunrise, or again at sunset. Or both. And maybe try it the next day, too. Getting good colors in landscape photography depends a lot on the quality of light that's available to you at that time, and the best light comes generally at those two times of the day. But sometimes not. Some days are just better than others, in life and in photography.

[SwissJon]

Try a polorising filter.. Works wonders on snow, ice, water and skies!

[navcom]

I agree with EOBeav. Your issue is time of day. As photographers, when we think of portraiture, we think of how to use a flash...in other words, how to get the perfect light and inside that usually means we have to create it. When taking outdoor pictures it's no different...except that you can't use a flash on an entire landscape scene...and it wouldn't give you the color anyway. The only alternative is to rely on Mother Nature to provide the proper light.

The best light is usually during the "golden hour"...the hour before sunset and the hour after sunrise. The light is golden and not as harsh. In the middle of the day, it's usually coming straight down, making everything look flat and the light is more harsh.

You will find that most professional landscapes are shot during these early or late times. And as EOBeav says, it's not always perfect, but your chances of good light are much better during the golden hour compared to an almost impossibility in the middle of the day.