We were treated to a lovely sunset tonight. I had my 50mm on so decided to try to do a 4 panel shot rather than walking back to the house to get my wide angle lens. Lazy...didn't think about the amount of time to process relative to just walking back to get the lens! More exciting was seeing the fawn -- couldn't have been more than a few hours old -- as posted in my main album. http://365project.org/taffy/365/2015-05-31
The colours are terrific, and the overall pano so well put together. Please tell me that you had your camera on a tripod...but with your steady hand anything is possible... :)
Totally gorgeous sunset Taffy!
I have a question for you regarding your wide angle lens, I just purchased a 10-24 for my upcoming trip to the Rocky Mountains in Alberta, Canada.
I have always admired your shots taken with your wide angle lens, and wondered if you have any tips and pointers on using this lens?
I am hoping to get sunrise/sunset photos, water and mountain shots.
Any advise would be greatly appreciated.
@radiogirl I'm so excited for you! The lens will be awesome and give you great flexibility of shots. But, a slight warning...my wide angle (14-24) was the absolute hardest lens for me to learn to use. I had it almost 2 years before I sorted out what I should be doing so I recommend getting out and practicing with it ASAP. Here are some things that helped me:
1. The wider you go, the more distortion you will have. So, you can go with the distortion as part of the composition (e.g., learn to love it), or shoot with tons of space around what you really want to feature so that you can do adjustments to perspective in post processing.
2. Shooting from a low POV seems to be more effective than standing up and shooting straight, especially if you are learning to love the distortion. Try several shots from higher and lower POVs and you'll see what your own preference will be.
3. Foreground is EVERYTHING! So, when you see a gorgeous mountain scene, the only way the wide angle will look good is if there is something interesting in the foreground that you can have as a lead into the distance. You have to pay a lot more attention to foreground than you'd imagine based on any other lens you've used.
4. A ND filter (post processing -- I use LR) is fairly critical, or using HDR, as with a wide angle I find that the range of light from sky to ground is fairly extreme.
5. Look for a leading line that you can use to take you into the shot. It can be rocks, or a tree, or a river.
Here's a link to my flickr album from the Death Valley course I took. They aren't all WA, but many of them are -- you can pretty much tell (and some were cropped from WA). Just for some ideas -- but if you look at Alexis Birkell's album on 365, I know you'll find a lot more ideas there. https://www.flickr.com/photos/taffyraphael/sets/72157648079058023
I hope this helps you get started. My WA is now one of my very favorite lenses, but the only way it got to this point is I started carrying ONLY the WA with me on some photo walks so that I had to figure out how to make it work for me. At 24, the distortion won't be too much of an issue. But at 10, you'll find it is quite distinctive. Have a GREAT trip!!
PS -- Chantal ( @shepherdmanswife ) has some stellar shots from a similar trip she took last year. You might contact her and see the dates if you can't find them in her album. I don't know if she was using a wide angle or not, but you can start thinking about the kinds of shots you'll be taking.
@taffy@radiogirl As Taffy mentioned. If you want to see my photos from our trip to the Canadian Rockies look from 6th September 2014 to 16th October 2014. I have a 10-20mm wide angle lens which is superb, but I took my 16-300mm lens to cover most ranges without having to carry and swap additional lenses. Have a great trip. Can't wait to see your photos. When are you going and for how long? I really envy you. You will love it!
@ericdibosco Nope...hand held...laziness in both switching lenses AND in getting my tripod out! I can only do handheld with my 50 and my WA. In all the other lenses, even when fast shutters, I'll get blur.
I love the way you've presented this - just fabulous, and a clear fav. Interested too in your comments on using a wide-angle lens. It's taken me a long time to get to grips with mine, and I still haven't fully done so, so your tips were very useful, thanks.
@taffy Thank you very much for the advice on how to use a wide angle lens, unfortunately my lens is arriving this week and I'm leaving this weekend so I won't have much time to practice! I will definitely check your flicker account, Alex's photos and Chantal's. I am looking to discovering it's possibilities!
Thanks again
@shepherdmanswife Hi Chantal, I followed your trip and your photos of the Rookies and enjoyed them immensely. I will check your photos again to get some ideas for photos.
You said you only brought your 16-300 did you find that was sufficient? I have a 18-135, a 55-300 and my new wide angle lens, which 2 lenses would you recommend?
Thank you for any help you can give me, we are leaving this weekend for a week.
@radiogirl You'll be fine -- just don't give up on it if the first few photos disappoint. It's an amazing range for options in landscape territories. Have a great time.
This was totally worth the time and effort Taffy - you've created a fabulous image. Your comments on the use of W/A lenses were spot on... probably my favourite lens too. Fav for this one.
@taffy I just check out your Death Valley shots in flicker, they are absolutely stunning. I see what you mean about how important it is to have something interesting and leading in the foreground, I will be keep this in mind next week.
One question about your 4th tip - can you explain what you mean a little more about a filter and hdr in post processing?
I just started learning LR this year by watching U-Tube videos, so I'm not to advanced.
I just received my lens today so taking out on my morning walk to see what it can do!
Thanks for your help Taffy.
@radiogirl Glad you liked them! I found the class to be really useful for landscapes, which I had had very little experience taking until then.
So, in landscapes a lot of the time the sky and the ground are REALLY different lighting needs -- quite contrasting. So, to get the shots I posted, I used HDR and combined them in Photomatix. It's pretty easy to learn to use, and there are a bunch of tutorials. I just learned through trial and error -- and it does work kind of within LR. I'd get someone who knows what they are doing to help download the software and get it in the right place. It isn't that hard, but I remember that it took me a bit of time to figure out how to do the export/import process to work on it and then bring it back into LR.
The other way to handle landscape (or even with HDR), is to use the graduated filter in LR -- it's the rectangle, second from the right above the basic processing slides. When you click it, then bring your cursor from top to bottom, it gives you the option of adjusting the top part of the picture, then saying 'done' and then working with the whole picture. I know this is not that clear...it's easier to show you by sharing a screen. If you need me to help with that, I'm glad to do that using a screen share. We would need to exchange email addresses, of course.
And, I barely knew how to do LR when I was started using HDR and Photomatix with it, so it's really not something that you would find too difficult, I'm sure.
@radiogirl I just reread the above...it's confusing, I know. Here's a short summary:
1. HDR: you have to learn to take minimum of 3 bracketed shots with your camera. Just look up bracketing if you don't already know how.
2. Combining the three shots together is where HDR comes in. You do that with Photomatix
3. Then, once combined, you can work with them in LR
4. In LR, that's where the graduated neutral density filter adjustment is, on the right hand side, in Develop, above the Basic sliders.
Whew...sorry for any confusions!
@taffy thank you for explaining hdr and photomatix, I would love to learn this in post processing. I won't be doing any photo editing while away as I'm not bring my laptop so I won't be until I return home. Thanks for the offer to help if you have time when I get back home. My email is islandgirl630@hotmail.com if you need to contact me.
Thanks for the 5 tips on long exposure, I checked them out and hope to use them, but I don't have a ND filter yet.
I tried my WA this morning but haven't loaded them on my computer hopefully tonight!
Thanks you for taking the time to help me Taffy.
This is so, so wonderful!! I love the quadtych collage presentation.....I think this is such an original and creative way of presenting a sunset!! FAV for sure! And, good to see you back at your favorite island that has been a source of so much photographic inspiration!
Well... I read all the exchanges! So much to learn. Love the camaraderie. And am so happy your on Beaver island, feels familiar through your pictures. Just beautiful, fav!
June 16th, 2015
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I have a question for you regarding your wide angle lens, I just purchased a 10-24 for my upcoming trip to the Rocky Mountains in Alberta, Canada.
I have always admired your shots taken with your wide angle lens, and wondered if you have any tips and pointers on using this lens?
I am hoping to get sunrise/sunset photos, water and mountain shots.
Any advise would be greatly appreciated.
1. The wider you go, the more distortion you will have. So, you can go with the distortion as part of the composition (e.g., learn to love it), or shoot with tons of space around what you really want to feature so that you can do adjustments to perspective in post processing.
2. Shooting from a low POV seems to be more effective than standing up and shooting straight, especially if you are learning to love the distortion. Try several shots from higher and lower POVs and you'll see what your own preference will be.
3. Foreground is EVERYTHING! So, when you see a gorgeous mountain scene, the only way the wide angle will look good is if there is something interesting in the foreground that you can have as a lead into the distance. You have to pay a lot more attention to foreground than you'd imagine based on any other lens you've used.
4. A ND filter (post processing -- I use LR) is fairly critical, or using HDR, as with a wide angle I find that the range of light from sky to ground is fairly extreme.
5. Look for a leading line that you can use to take you into the shot. It can be rocks, or a tree, or a river.
Here's a link to my flickr album from the Death Valley course I took. They aren't all WA, but many of them are -- you can pretty much tell (and some were cropped from WA). Just for some ideas -- but if you look at Alexis Birkell's album on 365, I know you'll find a lot more ideas there. https://www.flickr.com/photos/taffyraphael/sets/72157648079058023
I hope this helps you get started. My WA is now one of my very favorite lenses, but the only way it got to this point is I started carrying ONLY the WA with me on some photo walks so that I had to figure out how to make it work for me. At 24, the distortion won't be too much of an issue. But at 10, you'll find it is quite distinctive. Have a GREAT trip!!
PS -- Chantal ( @shepherdmanswife ) has some stellar shots from a similar trip she took last year. You might contact her and see the dates if you can't find them in her album. I don't know if she was using a wide angle or not, but you can start thinking about the kinds of shots you'll be taking.
Thanks again
You said you only brought your 16-300 did you find that was sufficient? I have a 18-135, a 55-300 and my new wide angle lens, which 2 lenses would you recommend?
Thank you for any help you can give me, we are leaving this weekend for a week.
One question about your 4th tip - can you explain what you mean a little more about a filter and hdr in post processing?
I just started learning LR this year by watching U-Tube videos, so I'm not to advanced.
I just received my lens today so taking out on my morning walk to see what it can do!
Thanks for your help Taffy.
So, in landscapes a lot of the time the sky and the ground are REALLY different lighting needs -- quite contrasting. So, to get the shots I posted, I used HDR and combined them in Photomatix. It's pretty easy to learn to use, and there are a bunch of tutorials. I just learned through trial and error -- and it does work kind of within LR. I'd get someone who knows what they are doing to help download the software and get it in the right place. It isn't that hard, but I remember that it took me a bit of time to figure out how to do the export/import process to work on it and then bring it back into LR.
The other way to handle landscape (or even with HDR), is to use the graduated filter in LR -- it's the rectangle, second from the right above the basic processing slides. When you click it, then bring your cursor from top to bottom, it gives you the option of adjusting the top part of the picture, then saying 'done' and then working with the whole picture. I know this is not that clear...it's easier to show you by sharing a screen. If you need me to help with that, I'm glad to do that using a screen share. We would need to exchange email addresses, of course.
And, I barely knew how to do LR when I was started using HDR and Photomatix with it, so it's really not something that you would find too difficult, I'm sure.
1. HDR: you have to learn to take minimum of 3 bracketed shots with your camera. Just look up bracketing if you don't already know how.
2. Combining the three shots together is where HDR comes in. You do that with Photomatix
3. Then, once combined, you can work with them in LR
4. In LR, that's where the graduated neutral density filter adjustment is, on the right hand side, in Develop, above the Basic sliders.
Whew...sorry for any confusions!
http://www.picturecorrect.com/tips/5-long-exposure-landscape-photography-tips/
Thanks for the 5 tips on long exposure, I checked them out and hope to use them, but I don't have a ND filter yet.
I tried my WA this morning but haven't loaded them on my computer hopefully tonight!
Thanks you for taking the time to help me Taffy.