Little Mashel Falls, Eatonville Washington

[o0chad0o]

I shot this photo of the falls this afternoon and would like some tips on how I could improve the quality of these types of images. I know there are a few things that need improved on right from the get go. Probably a better lens selection, positioning/angle of the shot, etc.

A couple things jump out right away...for example, the tagging behind the falls on the l/h side of the image. I probably could have cropped it out, but I didn't want the falls to be too awful far to the l/h side of the frame. If I had shifted the angle to the right a touch, there was more tagging on some rocks that were much worse (damn hoodlums!).

Anyrate, shot three bracketed images to run through Photomatix to see what it would do. I then scaled the image, sharpened, and removed some noise using Paintshop Photo Pro x3. It turned out fairly well, IMHO, considering I've only been shooting with this camera for about a week or so. I'll get better.

Thanks for any input you may have.

Exif:
Equipment: Canon EOS Rebel T3i w/ 55-250mm lens
Exposure: 5 Seconds
FStop: f/22
ISO: 100
Focal Length: 55mm

[Tito87]

I think it would've been nice to see the top of the waterfall, where the water begins to come down. Just my opinion, though.

[o0chad0o]

You are correct, I should have included the entire waterfall. The only reason I did not, is because the falls actually taper down to where it flows over the edge. The water flow during this time of year is quite low, and I'm not sure if I'm up for making the climb down once the rains come. I had a wider angle that included that part of the falls, but it looked odd, showed more graffiti on the rocks, and I wasn't really into it, if that makes any sense.

As a side note, I have yet to thoroughly search this site...but do you happen to know any decent sources of information regarding the proper lens selection for this type of shooting (or any type of shooting, for that matter)?

For example, this picture was taken with a 55-250mm lens. I tried the 18-55mm kit lens that came with my camera, but could not achieve the same level of detail. Especially, when it came to setting the aperature and ISO to get anything reasonable. Right now this is just a hobby I happen to really enjoy, and there is somewhat of a budget, so I really don't want to be buying lenses as trial and error.

Anyrate, thanks for the input.

[mpaulison]

I think the shot is good as it is compositionally. I like the soft curtain created by the slow shutter. The top of the fall would be great as another shot, but this one is alos nice. I would like to see some black added back to the image. If shadows were removed in post, just add a little back. It's really a very pleasing image to me.

[Tito87]

Originally Posted by o0chad0o

You are correct, I should have included the entire waterfall. The only reason I did not, is because the falls actually taper down to where it flows over the edge. The water flow during this time of year is quite low, and I'm not sure if I'm up for making the climb down once the rains come. I had a wider angle that included that part of the falls, but it looked odd, showed more graffiti on the rocks, and I wasn't really into it, if that makes any sense.

As a side note, I have yet to thoroughly search this site...but do you happen to know any decent sources of information regarding the proper lens selection for this type of shooting (or any type of shooting, for that matter)?

For example, this picture was taken with a 55-250mm lens. I tried the 18-55mm kit lens that came with my camera, but could not achieve the same level of detail. Especially, when it came to setting the aperature and ISO to get anything reasonable. Right now this is just a hobby I happen to really enjoy, and there is somewhat of a budget, so I really don't want to be buying lenses as trial and error.
Anyrate, thanks for the input.

If this is the kind of photography you like to do, it'll be helpful to have a wide angle lens.
What exactly do you mean when you say, and I quote " but could not achieve the same level of detail. Especially, when it came to setting the aperture and ISO to get anything reasonable."

[o0chad0o]

Originally Posted by Tito87

If this is the kind of photography you like to do, it'll be helpful to have a wide angle lens.
What exactly do you mean when you say, and I quote " but could not achieve the same level of detail. Especially, when it came to setting the aperture and ISO to get anything reasonable."

At this point, I don't really know what type of photography I want to be doing. Since I have just recently took up the hobby, and everything I do is new, I am just trying a little bit of everything. Eventually, I hope to find a style that suits me, then refine it.

As far as not achieving the same level of detail is concerned, I think it is just a matter of learning the lenses and what they're capable of, or what the intended purpose is/was. What I meant by that is when I used the 18-55mm kit lens that came with the camera, I could not for the life of me figure out where to set the ISO, aperture and shutter speed to get results similar to what I got with the 55-250mm lens.

If I set the shutter speed slow enough to get the softness of the water, I could not get the aperture or iso set correctly because the shot would be either bright and washed out, or too dark. If I did manage to get it close...the image honestly looked like garbage.

I tried experimenting with different f-stops & ISO settings, but in the end opted for the zoom lens. Honestly, I have quite a ways to go learning this stuff...so chances are good, I'm just not using the lens correctly, or not the correct lens, altogether. I have yet to find any documentation regarding this particular lens...so it's all been experimentation to this point. The only information I can find is what's printed on the lens itself.

EFS 18-55mm Image Stabilizer Macro 0.25m/0.8ft (at the business end it says the following) Canon Zoom Lens EF-S 18-55mm 1:3.5-5.6 IS II

Thanks!

[Tito87]

Originally Posted by o0chad0o

As far as not achieving the same level of detail is concerned, I think it is just a matter of learning the lenses and what they're capable of, or what the intended purpose is/was. What I meant by that is when I used the 18-55mm kit lens that came with the camera, I could not for the life of me figure out where to set the ISO, aperture and shutter speed to get results similar to what I got with the 55-250mm lens
Thanks!

The longer the focal length, the less DOF. This means that if you're using the same aperture with 55mm focal length and 250mm focal length, the DOF will be considerably less with the 250mm focal length. Look here:
Hyperfocal Distance and Depth of Field Calculator - DOFMaster

[spookie]

I like it, I have the same lenses for my T1i. I did alot of research before buying that lens and it's quite comparable to the 200MM and ranked fairly well for a zoom. Holding off on a prime for now $. I would be so tempted to run one this single image thru a HDR PP or is it? Thanks, nicely done.

[o0chad0o]

@Tito87- Thanks for the link...I'll check it out.

@spookie- I used this photo while playing around with Photomatix...I didn't go all crazy with the settings, just wanted to play with it a bit.

[EOBeav]

When I run something like this through Photomatix, I try to tweak it afterward in GIMP (most people use Photoshop) to adjust colors, contrast, etc... In your case, I think the colors were a little washed out and could have used some more contrast.

I hope you dont' mind, but I took the liberty of making a few minor adjustments and reuploading it here. Let me know if that's not ok and I'll remove it. It's not perfect, but you get the idea.

Also, when you're bracketing, make sure that there aren't any blown highlights in your darkest exposure. That Rebel should have a histogram so you can make sure while you're shooting. If it's not right the first time, make adjustments and shoot it again. Pixels are cheap. :-)