Bridges!

[Benjamin2007]

Thanks, Lukas. Yes, I find I'm taking more and more of my landscapes in a vertical position. I did have my polarizer fader on the lens, but the more I use it, the more I think it's not a circular polarizer. It can make everything darker, but it doesn't change color or etc. I worked on the sky in PP. I also liked the way the road led to the bridge in the 2nd shot here.
Anyway, I'm glad I have my pol.fader, I think it will be great when shooting waterfalls, or anything where I want to extend the shutter speed. It will go to almost completely black.

Hi Tori'

I really enjoyed both the bridge shots and the portrait landscapes of the volcanic cone etc.

I think I like the 48mm perspective the best in the bridge shot, as it seems to allow for more foreground road leading up to the bridge and really highlights the texture of the hills behind, although the truck really highlights the effect of zoom (18mm vs 48mm) on backgrounds and how it flattens depth and alters our perception of it.

I really like your focus in the portrait landscape, the leading lines and colour.

Sorry I didn't respond earlier in the Nikon thread, but the POTD thread has heavy traffic and moves forward quickly and I felt it was too late to write there....

cheers,

[toriaj]

I took this shot in the Medicine Bow Mountains. For a wider view of the landscape behind this bridge, look here

I had the camera on manual focus prior to taking this shot, then I forgot and didn't focus so when viewed large, this shot is blurry But it looks good small, thank goodness This was one of the many times lately when I wished for an ultra-wideangle lens. I wish I could have gotten the tops of the trees in the shot. There were big boulders behind me so I couldn't back up. Hmm, just about $500 to save up, that's all

18 mm, 1/25, f/16, ISO 200, CP

C&C appreciated as always.
edit: for the first time, the pic that was hosted here doesn't look as sharp as the same file viewed in a different program on my computer. Has anyone else noticed that?

[TheWengler]

Both shots are very nice Tori. Sometimes when I can't get the shot I want due to equipment limitations I try to find another way to compose the shot. A lot of times it comes out better than forcing it. I was going to comment on your other shot in the Nikon thread but I forgot. Beautiful scene. You did a nice job with the GND filter too. I tend to overdo it then I have to fix it in PP. I guess I need more practice.

[Benjamin2007]

Hi Tori,

I really like this shot , even with the mentioned focus & equipment limitations...
Its a really interesting composition as is, though I know what you mean about wanting that little extra in frame or what have you.
Lukas had a good suggestion and I'm wondering whether crouching down, sitting with your back against a boulder or even lying down, perhaps side-on if there wasn't enough room to lie straight out, might've changed perspective enough and given you enough tilt or elevation to get the tree tops in?

Re: the focus, a couple of months ago, I was taking shots of surfers at North Bondi Beach (in winter) and was happily snapping away: surfers; distant ocean, headland & leading line of the handrail fence etc, then I altered shutter speed to get a slow shutter water shot of surf breaking over some rocks, & yes you guessed it, I completely forgot to reset the camera afterwards so the seagull shots, people shots and more surfer shots thereafter were all blurry and useless....

cheers,

PS: I know $500. is a lot, & it may take a long time to save up, but when you have the lens that you want in your hands, the excitement of shooting with it will be worth the wait!

[toriaj]

Thanks Lukas and Benjamin, I agree with you about going to greater lengths to get the shot, and usually I do. I think this time a whole group of people were almost walking into the shot and I was ready to leave. But I've done my fair share of rolling on the ground, climbing up to unstable heights, trespassing on private property ... you name it

Benjamin, I sure know that feeling! Usually I'm adjusting my SS/AP often enough that I don't run into that problem. And if I'm taking a bunch of varied, rapid-fire shots, I usually stick it in shutter priority or aperture priority. But sometimes I raise the ISO and forget about it until I notice that the SS and AP are unusually easy to work with The good thing about that is that shots in higher ISOs usually look great when they're well-exposed

Lukas, were you saying that you usually overdo the GND? How do you mean?

[TheWengler]

Lukas, were you saying that you usually overdo the GND? How do you mean?

Like if a scene needs 2 stops of correction, I might give it 3 in the field thinking it looks good. Then when I get back to the computer I realize that i need to lighten the sky in the GND shots.

[toriaj]

Wow, I don't think I have ever been able to over-darken the sky, unless I was doing it on purpose for fun. I guess all my shots have been at times when the sky was more than 4 stops different from the land.

[TheWengler]

it usually happens on overcast days

[SpecialK]

Across the Merced river.


Across New Melones reservoir.


Across the American river.


In Folsom.


Sacramento. Sorry for the pole.


The Sacramento bridge in the "up" position for the paddlewheeler.


The Carquinez bridge (eastern San Francisco bay).


Golden Gate, San Francisco.


2 for 1 at Gaviota.

[SpecialK]

Crossing Shoreline Drive in Long Beach.