HDR Landscape

[Wynder]

This one I'm a bit indifferent about -- it's gotten fairly good reviews on Flickr; however, I like my landscapes tack sharp all around. Here's the image:

This was taken on 1/2/09, I believe... The sky behind me was blue, puffy white clouds and sunny, while the sky in front of me looked like this. It was about 22F degress and the wind was blowing at around 40-50MPH this day.

So, my tree is obviously moving -- that distracts me. Also, with regards to composition, yes, I have the tree in the foreground in the intersecting lines of the rule of thirds; however, the real subject in the photo for me... what I was trying to capture is what the wind and weather was doing to the clouds at the horizon line.

I'd love to hear any thoughts, recommendations or critique on any of the above issues and to hear what your eye is ultimately drawn to...

Camera: Canon EOS Digital Rebel XSi
Exposure: 0.04 sec (1/25)
Aperture: f/11
Focal Length: 14 mm
ISO Speed: 100

[wheelhot]

Good HDR!!!, My eyes is aimed towards the dark sky, and did you vignette it?

Also, how did you get the blue-black cloud effect? And what is your exposures?

[RoyL]

My eye is immediately drawn to the dirty spots in the top right corner

More and more I hear and read about the Rule of Thirds and yet there is nothing ever mentioned about the Golden Rules of which there are several Leading Lines, the Triangle, Perspective, are the main ones used in photography and art. Which you use will depend on the type of image you want to capture.

You want the clouds to feature and yet you place the tree immediately on the Thirds intersection so, yes, it is going to take your eyes straight to the tree. And as the tree has such dominating color it will not allow your eyes to wonder through the image, which is what you should want your viewer to do I hope.

looking at what I can see there are folds in the land, and also that stone retainer, ignore the tree and where does your eye immediately go? Straight to the land feature which then draws your eyes smack bang in the middle of a storm. I would have found another position without the tree and allow the features I mentioned do their work. Images like this do not need a lot in them to make the really effective. There are people that specialize in storm photography, check how they work.

Try cloning out the tree and see the difference.

Even though there is movement it all adds to the drama of the shot. I actually think the blur on the tree gives that sense of movement and the rest of the tree is crisp.

[Wynder]

Originally Posted by wheelhot

Good HDR!!!, My eyes is aimed towards the dark sky, and did you vignette it?

Also, how did you get the blue-black cloud effect? And what is your exposures?

I don't think I vignetted it -- the blue-black clouds were a combination of the available weather and the HDR. Exposures were -2, 0 and +2.

[Wynder]

Originally Posted by RoyL

My eye is immediately drawn to the dirty spots in the top right corner

Didn't even notice the one spot, even though I was working on the sky. Bah.

More and more I hear and read about the Rule of Thirds and yet there is nothing ever mentioned about the Golden Rules.

I'll definitely need to read more, then -- I do try to incorporate a lot of things when I compose... repeating elements, leading lines, good horizon placement. Since I took up photography this past November, it's been a lot to learn about.

And as the tree has such dominating color it will not allow your eyes to wonder through the image, which is what you should want your viewer to do I hope.

It definitely is.

I would have found another position without the tree and allow the features I mentioned do their work. Images like this do not need a lot in them to make the really effective.

Try cloning out the tree and see the difference.

I was thinking about it -- there is already another tree that I cloned out... I considered cloning out the stoned area, but I wound up liking it in the end. Don't know if that was a mistake or not. I've read it's always good to have a foreground, a middle ground and a background in your landscapes -- it was hard for me to find an interesting or suitable foreground and that tree was the obvious thing... but it wound up turning it into the subject.

Ah well, live and learn I suppose.

Even though there is movement it all adds to the drama of the shot. I actually think the blur on the tree gives that sense of movement and the rest of the tree is crisp.

Alright, that's definitely good to know -- I think my OCD get's the best of me sometimes when it comes to image sharpness. ;p Thanks again for the thoughts!