# 3 from the weekend...



## EddieB (May 13, 2006)

As usual spent the weekend out and about with the camera... probably should have been in bed as i'm rotten ill. On the Saturday I washed the clio at my parents house and nipped out for a quick wander as they live up the Tyne Valley, on the Sunday went to Seaham to the aptly called Chemical Beach by local Togs. Would love to come back here for a sunrise on a high tide!

Been playing with some long exposures and hard grad filters... need to get some soft grads now as the hards aren't really suitable for landscapes with hills/trees in them 


Chemical Beach number 2 by Ed Bookless, on Flickr


Chemical Beach by Ed Bookless, on Flickr


Spooky Wylam by Ed Bookless, on Flickr


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## Derekh929 (Aug 28, 2011)

Loving the first 2 very good


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## Andy_Wigan (Jan 4, 2008)

The first works the best for me, although they are all great long exposures.

I love this type of photography. Well done.


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## EddieB (May 13, 2006)

Cheers - still learning with my filters.

I'm starting to learn that have a 30 second exposure isn't always good! I had to drop down to F4.5 I think to get a 4 second shutter speed to get motion in the water in the 2nd shot.


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## Dan_Knightsval (Nov 10, 2010)

Ed, do you have the first two photos in RAW format? Just wondered because I wouldn't mind doing some work on them, kind of a collaboration, if you are up for it?

Some advice - Don't shoot landscape at f4.5. Each lens has an optimum range where they perform best at, this is usually between f11/16f. In fact, landscape should really be shot between f16/f20. Keep the ISO at the minimum of around 100 and shoot at the golden hour. This is known as the time when light is at it's most flattering, within one our after sunrise and one hour before sunset. If you want good long exposures, start with 1.6 sec and go from here. You can also control light with your filters. If you need to stop down more when it's getting llighter, either increase your f number, add a polariser and ND filters and vice versa for when it's getting darker. Stick to ranges. Work within your lowest ISO 50/200 and aperture of f16/f20. If this cant give you the shutter speeds you are happy with, either control the light with filters or wait for nature to help out.

Many thanks,
Dan.


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## EddieB (May 13, 2006)

Yep - got the photos in RAW - it's all I shoot in these days.

Drop me your e-mail adress and i'll fire them over with a description of how they were took and the adjustments I've made to them in LR3. PP is something I struggle with so would like to see your input - ordered a magbook the other week for photoshop so waiting to see what's like.

When shooting landscapes I shoot ISO 100 around F11.but in this case because it was so bright and I couldn't get a short enough shutter speed using the 10 stop so I dropped down to F4.5 and focused on the rocks. Not ideal but it worked to a certain extent. 

I would have been up for a sunrise - but because I'm suffering from manflu I needed my sleep  - still dedicated enough to get out with the camera though. I'll be up early doors this weekend fingers crossed for a sunrise shot...


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## Dan_Knightsval (Nov 10, 2010)

Great stuff, those mag books are amazing. I have just finished the Photoshop Image Editing edition. Picked it up from WHSmith. You are making good progress. You have your filters sorted, you know about the technical and composition, just need to work on the PP. Everytime I tried to buy a 10 Stop ND they are out of stock. Lee have serious production issues. 

Sounds like you need to take another trip here until you get the conditions right. Sometimes you have to revisit the same location over and over until you get the shot you want. That's the great thing about photography, no same lighting situation will ever occur more than once. 

Get well soon fella


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## EddieB (May 13, 2006)

Cheers - I had to wait about 4 week for my Hitechs to come in... well worth the wait.


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## Dan_Knightsval (Nov 10, 2010)

This is the re-edit. That was a tough RAW image to work on, Eddie. The lighting is so harsh and was very washed out. You either like the style or hate it. I thought it was the best direction to go in this situation.


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## EddieB (May 13, 2006)

Yep - I like this look a lot and often go down this route on my photos with the exception of seascapes. I like to try and pull colour out in seascapes... and yep was a very very bring day so difficult to work with. Do you think the image was over exposed or about right? 

Will be interesting to see other peoples perspectives.


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## Dan_Knightsval (Nov 10, 2010)

Eddie, are you using an uv filters and polarisers? TBH, I would have both of these fixed to your lens permanently. I asked, because the photos have a really bright glare and reddish colour cast. The photos seemed out of focus to on close inspection. Are you using a tripod and a cable shutter release? As for exposure, histogram says it is fine. Nicely bunched up to the right indicating it was slighting over exposed, but not to the extent that detail was lost. It's a technique called 'expose to the right'. Do this because recovering detail in highlights can easily be done. Recovering detail shadows produces a horrible pastely effect in PP and will ruin the photo. Just don't expose to far to the right to the extent that the histogram is spiking off the graph. This indicates that detail is lost forever. Obviously, there will be situations where you intentionally overexpose to creative effect, so you can go by eye in this scenario.


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## dubnut71 (Jul 25, 2006)

Like them Ed, all 3 of them do it for me if I am being honest, I like what you have done with them - stick at it!!!


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## Brazo (Oct 27, 2005)

Dan_Knightsval said:


> Eddie, are you using an uv filters and polarisers? TBH, I would have both of these fixed to your lens permanently. I asked, because the photos have a really bright glare and reddish colour cast. The photos seemed out of focus to on close inspection. Are you using a tripod and a cable shutter release? As for exposure, histogram says it is fine. Nicely bunched up to the right indicating it was slighting over exposed, but not to the extent that detail was lost. It's a technique called 'expose to the right'. Do this because recovering detail in highlights can easily be done. Recovering detail shadows produces a horrible pastely effect in PP and will ruin the photo. Just don't expose to far to the right to the extent that the histogram is spiking off the graph. This indicates that detail is lost forever. Obviously, there will be situations where you intentionally overexpose to creative effect, so you can go by eye in this scenario.


I do like over exposing by a 1/3rd stop as it reduces noise nicely, I do however find with my Sony sensor it can handle badly underexposed files and bring back some shots that you would otherwise bin but again at the expense of adding noise:wall:

Ed the first one is my fave although having shot a similar image and adding a thick black border (I know!) I would say the border does add a fair bit to the image. Reference the softness dan is referring to it may just be Flickr as I have uploaded numerous 'tack' sharp images which then look really soft on flickr


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## EddieB (May 13, 2006)

Yep - I have UV filters on all of my lenses... its the 2nd thing that is added to my shopping cart when I buy a new lens.

I always have the camera on a tripod and use a shutter release cable. Can't be done with no remotes. I think the red tinge might be something to do with the Hitech 10 stop as they have a slightly pink colour cast. Although being colour blind I can at times find it difficult to see and/or remove. 

Regarding the focusing - could it be that when I export out of LR3 that I compress the files and decrease the dpi so that nay can print them? OR it could be that my focusing is crap!

I am in a habit now of checking my histograms for exposures - something that I didn't do 3 months ago. But if anything I do try to over expose slightly ensuring no clipping as I can always recover/pull back the exposure in PP. 

Going out later to get the sunset over Derwent Resevoir so will see what I can do!


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## EddieB (May 13, 2006)

Ok I know why the images are slightly out of focus - still appears I am learning how to use my camera.

When I live view mode (which I was advised to use when shooting landscapes) you don't use the shutter button to focus on the Canon 500D. DUH what an idiot!


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## buckas (Jun 13, 2008)

Second one's my favourite, would like to see more gravel below though an give the wave more 'space'

WB on #1 needs an tweak, also remember to cover the eyepiece on long exposures in the daytime as you'll get light leaking into the sensor through the viewfinder 

Cheers

Drew


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## EddieB (May 13, 2006)

Yep - I use 2 layers of masking tape over the eye peice.


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## buckas (Jun 13, 2008)

What camera are you using? Just so you know the strap of most Canons there is a eyepiece cover that you slide over the eyepiece ( have to remove existing viewfinder ) - quick, easy and very effective


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## EddieB (May 13, 2006)

buckas said:


> What camera are you using? Just so you know the strap of most Canons there is a eyepiece cover that you slide over the eyepiece ( have to remove existing viewfinder ) - quick, easy and very effective


Yep - I've got a Canon and use the rubber eyepeice cover - do find a bit cumbersome at times if I'm honest.


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## ovolo (Jun 7, 2009)

WOW love that first shot, brilliant mate.


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## tictap (Sep 15, 2010)

Quality pictures, well done :thumb:


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