Summer Sunset

[gimmie5]

I was watering the flowers when I noticed a few large clouds forming in the sky. The farmer had just finished harvesting the wheat in the field across the street, which made for a great photo opportunity. I love this vertical picture because it shows the height of the cloud, as well as the light reflecting on the just harvested field. What are your thoughts on the composition? Does it work? Also, does the picture feel a bit dark or is it OK? Thanks in advance for your critique! I do have a horizontal picture as well, but didn't want to post two photos in one thread.

EXIF:
Nikon D60
1/160
f6.3
28mm
ISO 400
White Balance Cloudy

[pbailey68]

I clicked through to your Flickr page and I think I actually like the horizontal image better. To me, it does a better job of conveying the scale of the cloud. In either case, I would try dodging the foreground to bring out some of the color and texture detail in the field. The image is well exposed for the sky at the expense of leaving the ground a little dark. This would be a good candidate for multi-exposure shot (one for the sky, one for the foreground) and use layer masks to combine them in Photoshop or GIMP. Another alternative would be HDR processing using something like Photomatix or Luminance HDR.

Keep shooting!

[Krusty79]

Another option to get a more even exposure is to use a graduated neutral density filter to reduce the brightness of the sky relative to the ground. I like the colors in the sky, but I don't think the dark foreground is adding much. A graduated ND, exposure blending or HDR are all ways to overcome that.

In addition to getting the foreground exposed correctly, it would also help if you could include some foreground interest (if possible) in the shot to help draw the viewer in.

[navcom]

It is pretty dark up front. I didn't even know it was a wheat field initially...looked more like a lake or sea shore. The layering technique or HDR technique would work. I might also recommend using a graduated neutral density filter. While I love HDR and post processing options, in my experience the filter usually produces a superior color quality to post processing techniques, especially in sunrises/sunsets. This is because post processing can introduce both quality and color imperfections...even if only slight.

A filter will alter the existing light before it's recorded...including the deep colors. Post processing techniques alter pre-recorded pixels which can lead to some degredation or unfaithful colors. In some cases it's very minor but I always lean towards being as true as possible to the scene.

Of course an ND grad doesn't always work for some scenes so HDR or layering is your only option and it works too. I just prefer the filter.

Also, just an observation. I might use a bit smaller aperture. f/6 has a pretty narrow depth of field for landscapes. Might help you in the future to get the sharpest image possible.

Hope that helps!

[gimmie5]

Thanks everyone for the advice. I have never experimented with the filter, so I will have to check into that. Here is the horizontal photo. I like the cloud a lot more in this one, but was concerned that there wasn't enough of the field. After learning that the field is underexposed, maybe the horizontal photo is the better of the two seeing it shows more of the sky.

[Krusty79]

I like the 2nd one a lot better. If you can't get the foreground exposed correctly, you can still get a good silhouette shot sometimes. A single oak tree against the sunset colors produces a good silhouette. But it's more challenging to get the whole image exposed correctly. Since our cameras only see about half the dynamic range our eyes do, it usually takes a grad ND filter/HDR/blending to overcome that. It's a constant battle for landscape shooters.