Valley Panorama

[macgart]

Camera Canon EOS Digital Rebel XS
Exposure 0.013 sec (1/80)
Aperture f/11.0
Focal Length 42 mm
ISO Speed 100
Exposure Bias 0 EV
Panorama made in PSE9

This is my first attempt at a panoramic shot. I was trying to capture the layers of the valley. The sun was coming from my right and it was near sunset.

I was not sure how to properly apply the rule of thirds to this so I tried to use the lower ridge as my lower third. I couldn't shift anymore to the left because there is a road there.

[SwissJon]

Now I like that.. The use of the ridge on the lower 1/3rd effectively puts the eye there. The rest of the composition is good and uncluttered.. I like the clouds along the top of the frame.

The sky looks a little fake, a little too blue.. Did you use a CPL or make alterations in PP?

Other than that, I like it.

[macgart]

Good eye! yes, I did a slight blue sky paint brush in PSE because it seemed too bland in the original.

[SwissJon]

LoL.. Try using an exposure gradient instead, to darken it and maybe push the saturation. It might look more natural.

[macgart]

Thanks for the tips. I'm still learning how to get beyond the auto-enhance level of PSE. Could be my monitor (or my eyes for that matter) but the sky seems fairly normal to me. This is why I ask for critique. I'll give a go at toning it down a bit. To my eyes it seems strongest near the top quarter or so of the image. Is this what you're seeing as well?

I was also a bit concerned that the distant moutains were hazy but had no clue how to do anything about it... or even if I shoud. It could make the image look too fake. I've never tried HDR and am not sure I even want to.

[Krusty79]

Good eye, Jon, I wouldn't have spotted that. My only comment is a comment I've made about the majority of the panoramas I've seen - it's a beautiful scene, but the image could use a focal point. There is no focal point to draw my eye, so it doesn't know where to go.

[SwissJon]

Originally Posted by macgart

Thanks for the tips. I'm still learning how to get beyond the auto-enhance level of PSE. Could be my monitor (or my eyes for that matter) but the sky seems fairly normal to me. This is why I ask for critique. I'll give a go at toning it down a bit. To my eyes it seems strongest near the top quarter or so of the image. Is this what you're seeing as well?

I was also a bit concerned that the distant moutains were hazy but had no clue how to do anything about it... or even if I shoud. It could make the image look too fake. I've never tried HDR and am not sure I even want to.

Yes, it's the blues above the suns rays.. They're slightly off what you usually find in the sky.. This is why I was suggesting you use an exposure and saturation filter, it'll enhance the colours that are already there, not replace them with something you don't normally see. I'm always looking at skies in my photos, and I've noticed that a colour wash doesn't work because it ends up looking fake.. You won't be able to put your finger on it if you see a sky like that, it'll just make the picture look a little wrong.

Don't worry about the haze in the distance, it's perfectly normal, and it adds depth to the photo.

Krusty is right about the lack of subject.. The ridge is interesting and draws the eye, but it doen't contain something that holds the eye, saying "Ahh, that's why...", you need a distinct farm, or perhaps a lake or river reflecting the sky.. Maybe taking this at sunset would cast interesting shadows?

[macgart]

Thanks guys. You've given me some great advice and I now have some idea of how to make an image like this more than just a snapshot. The more I look at it the more I understand the need for a central point of interest. Even if I had been able to have a person in the foreground there would have been added interest.

[Krusty79]

For some reason, when people take panoramic shots, they seem to forget about foreground interest and a focal point. I don't know why. It's not just you either - I would say the vast majority of panoramas I've seen are like that. I'll see if I can post one here on DPS that has both when I get time to work on them.

[SwissJon]

Originally Posted by Krusty79

For some reason, when people take panoramic shots, they seem to forget about foreground interest and a focal point. I don't know why. It's not just you either - I would say the vast majority of panoramas I've seen are like that. I'll see if I can post one here on DPS that has both when I get time to work on them.

I think the same thing is true about all kinds of "specalist" photography.. People seem to forget that it's still a photograph.. I've noticed the same thing about night photographs.. People seem to think "I'm doing this, so the rest doesn't matter."