Morning after Late Spring storm

[kwhite]

This is a flawed image I shot on the backside of the Sandias in New Mexico at about 8000 feet in the spring of 2008. A storm had come through the night before and dropped several inches of snow at about the 9000 foot level. The clearing sky to the East was very dramatic and well beyond the dynamic range of my 40D. Still I had to try.

When this shot was made Albuquerque which is on the West side of the mountains had not yet seen the morning sun.

[MichaelW]

Why do you consider it flawed. Looks pretty good to me.

[kwhite]

Originally Posted by MichaelW

Why do you consider it flawed. Looks pretty good to me.

Well the biggest problem is that I could not capture the full dynamic range of the scene. The upper left corner is blown out and detail of the valley below the clouds is lost in the center. I also cropped 20% or so off the bottom because the composition was weak.

[Stargazer77517]

Well the only 2 ways I can see is to use a 3 stop soft grad to control the sunlight, or HDR. Still its a well composed capture. Like the pano composition

[kwhite]

Originally Posted by Stargazer77517

Well the only 2 ways I can see is to use a 3 stop soft grad to control the sunlight, or HDR. Still its a well composed capture. Like the pano composition

I didn't have an ND grad with me at the time. The excursion to the Sandias was spur of the moment. My destination for the day was Chaco Canyon. I woke around 5:00 am and decided to make a run up to the Crest. The only camera gear I took was the 40D and one lens. It was absolutely magic ascending through the climate zones. Socked in at the top with several inches of snow and completely dry at the bottom.

The Sandias are a special place for me. In a former life I used spend a lot of time running the Crest road on two wheels. If I could make a decent living in NM I'd be there today.

[ronocnikral]

Originally Posted by Stargazer77517

Well the only 2 ways I can see is to use a 3 stop soft grad to control the sunlight, or HDR. Still its a well composed capture. Like the pano composition

I have a question...b/c of the trees, isn't using a ND filter troublesome in this case? If one's concern is to bring more detail in the highlights from below and above the clouds....

[Stargazer77517]

Ron, I am thinking just of the area above the trees and below the cloud deck, I dont think so, because the trees have little to no detail, I dont think it woud hurt. Now it may darken the clouds, but it all depends on how many stops of light that needs to be dealt with. Just looking, I would assume at least 3 stops, so that would have been a good start. As far as above, I personally would just crop that out.
Hey ya never know until you try.
Ya know, looking at it again, you may not need to go that much, just enough to bring the detail in the moutain line a bit.
Not saying this is the end all fix, but If it was me I would have given it a shot if I had the filters handy, And I think he stated he didnt have them at that moment.

Originally Posted by ronocnikral

I have a question...b/c of the trees, isn't using a ND filter troublesome in this case? If one's concern is to bring more detail in the highlights from below and above the clouds....

[ronocnikral]

thanks. i've been debating on if I should make the investment for ND filters or not (probably will with large format investment). I've come to the conclusion that if HDR is to be done correctly (reducing contrast), there really is no need ND filters in the digital world. and i've also vowed to: a) always have a tripod when shooting landscapes and b) shoot 7 bracketed images over +/- 2 stops when shooting landscapes. this, in my naive mind, should eliminate any need for filters w/ my digital shooting.

now...the rub is being able to apply HDR in a tasteful manner...

sorry for the hijack.

[kwhite]

Originally Posted by ronocnikral

now...the rub is being able to apply HDR in a tasteful manner...

That is indeed the rub. As yet I have not found the balance necessary to create subtle HDR images.

[Stargazer77517]

Ron, Ken, If I may, you can still use Grad NDs in HDRs also. If fact I have found it helps keep the color saturation in the image. HDR somethimes, thru the processing of blending will desaturate some of the color out.

Here is an example.
3 exposure, with a 3 stop reverse Grad right at the tree line. So yesGrads are still useful if applied correctly

2011 Your best Landscape of the Year

Sorry Ken, didnt mean to get sidetracked.

[kwhite]

Originally Posted by Stargazer77517

Sorry Ken, didnt mean to get sidetracked.

Not at all. This is an interesting discussion. I don't use HDR or filters very much because I don't have sufficient experience or technical skill to use them well.

The idea of extending dynamic range in subtle ways is very appealing to me. I have occasionally used graduated filters, especially on images shot in the Bend or New Mexico. My results have been mixed at best. Usually I simulate grad filters during post using graduated fills in adjustment layers. It generally works to some degree but is certainly not ideal.

[ronocnikral]

As long as Ken is ok with this conversation....(better than arguing over NPS fire rules!)

My goal this year is to make strides in my landscape photography, in which I am encouraged that application of HDR will help. Here is an inspiring link which you may have already seen. HDR Plea

The technique has indeed a very bad press, especially in the "fine art" community, and to be fair, much of the criticism is justified. But the point I would like to make here is that, well used, it can be very powerful and look perfectly natural, and is sometimes the only way to capture a scene as our eyes see it. Because there are so many widespread misconceptions about HDR, and because most online resources focus on how to achieve this overcooked effect that so many of us hate, I would like to briefly make myself its advocate. Do not expect a detailed tutorial but rather a general presentation of the technique.

It has many examples of HDR images and many which are not HDR (which surprised me). It's worth a read.

Also, here is another LL essay on an HDR workflow. HDR Workflow for the rest of us

These links, if anything, are encouraging. Unfortunately, I feel there are only a handful of photographers on pixtus which have this expertise, and we're not exposed to a lot of rational discussion about "solid" HDR technique. Hopefully that can change!

[Jake]

Ken, I like the photo but I don't care for the broken tree on the far left. I would probably just crop it out.


As for the filter and HDR issue, I agree with Fred. Do both.
Regular ND filters are a must for some situation anyway. Like waterfalls or people moving through your photo. Plus I don't like shooting at f/22 with digital if I can help it.
Grad ND filters probably are not a "must have" but it can make your life easier when working on the photo in post. Plus they are kind of fun to use.