Horizon at Dusk

[mjbpics]

Sun was already down. Used a polarizing lens to get a little color in the sky. Any tips on getting more color on the ground? Or, does the silhoutte work here. I just ordered a graduated filter. Is that what I needed for this shot? What about ISO?

[IMG][/IMG]

Thanks


Exposure
0.02 sec (1/50)
Aperture
f/3.5
Focal Length
18 mm
ISO Speed
400

http://http://www.flickr.com/photos/61593238@N07/

[benchdog]

I think the silhoutte works here but what this picture lacks is drama in the sky. If you are cloose I would return when there is some cloud cover. The image also seems to leaning to the left.

When shooting landscapes you want an ISO of 100 and an aperature a little smaller for DOF.

Do you have a tripod?

[Peggyjom]

Benchdog gives great advice with that said when you lower that ISO break out your tripod
It is a pretty spot. Polarizing filters can be tricky to know when to use and which one!

[mjbpics]

Thanks for the tips. No tripod yet but the lake is very close to home so I can get lots of practice. I plan to keep coming back through the four seasons. The ISO advice helps since that is one aspect I have not really experimented with yet.

[navcom]

A polarizer isn't really the tool to use to get more color from a sunset. It might be more advantageous to use the "shade" white balance setting or a custom setting similar to it. This provides a warmer tone which enhances the oranges, reds, and yellows in a sunset or sunrise.

The best tool you can use is that graduated ND filter you ordered. It will help push back the sky (which in turn will deepen the colors) and allow more detail (and color) from the foreground.

But to use an ND grad effectively, you will definitely need a tripod. There are extremely few landscape genre shots that don't require a tripod. A landscape photographer isn't caught dead without one. This is because most shots require a good depth of field, which requires a smaller aperture (usually between f/8 and f/13). On top of this (as benchdog says), you should usually use the lowest ISO you can for the best quality image. Because of all of this, you will have slow shutter speeds which means you can't hand hold.

Hope that helps!