DSLRUsers.com

Hi all,

these are from today. I would love to know what you think.

http://patrickthomas.customer.netspace.net.au/Photos/Cemeta_1_B&WSmall.jpg

http://patrickthomas.customer.netspace.net.au/Photos/Cemetary_2_B&WSmall.jpg

http://patrickthomas.customer.netspace.net.au/Photos/Cemetary_Tree_3B&WSmall.jpg

http://patrickthomas.customer.netspace.net.au/Photos/Cemetary_Bird_ColourSmall.jpg

Any suggestions for improvement/next time?
_____
Kris

Hi Macka - welcome aboard

It may be my monitor (although it's been freshly calibrated) or just the look you were going for, but I find these too dark for my liking.

Don't know what sort of post processing you're able to do, but I'd try putting in some graduation to the sky to even things up a bit. As for advice on shooting technique, try getting you hands on a graduated ND (Neutral Density) filter - these shots are screaming for that sort of treatment

I like the tree, and the second shot has potential if you straighten it and put some creative PP work into it

Hope this helps!

Kris

Firstly - did you intend for us to see the pics embedded in the post? If so use the img tag rather than the url tag

Secondly - welcome to the forum

Thirdly - these display a problem I have frequently - you haven't pushed for enough starkness - the blacks need to be blacker and the whites whiter to remove the grey tonings from the image.

Here's a quick play (if you want your image removed I'll do so)

In Photoshop
Image/Adjustments/Shadow & Highlight - accept defaults of 50% and 0%
Image/Adjustments/Brightness & Contrast = +14 and +50

Macka - the first shot is spot on. The forbidding look is very apt for where the shot was taken. With the others it is just a matter of contrast control in your PP’ing

Really like teh tree shot. Dead tree in cemetry. Sort of fits

Thanks for all the comments everyone.

Sheepie - what is a Neutral Density filter? - I'm a total newbie

Peter - I don't mind you playing - the picture looks a lot better and I appreciate the suggestions. I did play with the levels in Photoshop, but was finding it difficult to get a good contrast without blowing out the sky.

_____
Kris

macka wrote:Sheepie - what is a Neutral Density filter? - I'm a total newbie

A graduated ND filter is basically a filter with one end neutral grey and the other clear - with a gradual transition between the two. The grey blocks some of the light from the sky, making this appear darker than it really is.
You'll get an effect similar to this one: