Where is the blue..?

[Marine1]

_DSC0031.jpg

How do I bring our the blue sky better and make the tree crisper/shaper?

Date Taken 1/23/12
Nikon D3000
F-stop f/22
Exp. Time. 1/60 sec
ISO 250
Focal Length 20mm
Max Aperture 3.8

[Doug Sundseth]

Color: The short answer is that you reduce the exposure. If you want to keep the current exposure on the wood, then you need to add light or reduce the exposure on the sky in post-processing. (For the latter, just pull down the luminosity in the blues -- method will depend on the tool you use.)

Sharpness: Since you're trying to get a foreground object and a deep background object in focus at the same time, you need to be thinking about hyperfocal focusing. In the instant case, that would mean focusing at 10' and not getting closer than 2.26' from the nearest point on the subject.

For more information about depth of field and hyperfocal distances, see DOFMaster.

[Marine1]

Originally Posted by Doug Sundseth

Color: The short answer is that you reduce the exposure. If you want to keep the current exposure on the wood, then you need to add light or reduce the exposure on the sky in post-processing. (For the latter, just pull down the luminosity in the blues -- method will depend on the tool you use.)

Sharpness: Since you're trying to get a foreground object and a deep background object in focus at the same time, you need to be thinking about hyperfocal focusing. In the instant case, that would mean focusing at 10' and not getting closer than 2.26' from the nearest point on the subject.

For more information about depth of field and hyperfocal distances, see DOFMaster.

Thanks that helps alot....

[Fernando]

A circular polarizer or a gradient neutral density filter would also help bring out the blue of the sky. If you do not have one, then as was mentioned above reduce the exposure, or do it in post processing by adding a gradient to the sky and reduce the exposure that way.
I am not entirely sure why you choose f/22 for this shot? In many lenses once you start going over f/11, sure you get more DOF, but you actually get less sharp images. You could have easily used f/8-f11 and gotten a sharper tree and not worried about the clouds since they are clouds and supposed to be fluffy!

[loons49]

I agree with the other replies to your post as far as exposure choices and the use of a CP filter to improve your capture. I would also suggest you switch to RAW capture with post-processing to enable you to get the most out of your images. There are a number of good post-processing software choices ... Lightroom, Nikon Capture ... that will enable adjustments to exposure, highlights, shadows, clarity, saturation, sharpening etc.. If you wish to use JPG then make sure your in-camera settings (sharpening, saturation etc). are set to give you the best out of camera JPG image.

[OnL4ch]

+1 on the graduated ND filter.

[inkista]

If you're using Adobe software to post-process, ACR (or Lightroom's Develop module, same thing) have a digital graduated ND filter you could try applying. This is also one of those scenes that can benefit from HDR or exposure fusing.

[ccting]

How about WB tricks?

[Fernando]

Originally Posted by ccting

How about WB tricks?

WB tricks will mostly affect the entire shot, and I think only the blues in the sky are wanted to be bumped up, and not in the tree.