Panoramics and stuff

claskowski · 11-01-2009, 08:56 AM

Hello,

I am seeking criticism, opinions, any feedback on two landscapes taken in beautiful Utah.

One panorama, one converted to black and white.

I was very lucky to be in Utah for a week and did a park whirlwind.
All photos were taken from a locked tripod, all had a circular polarizer used as well as a hot-shoe mounted bubble level. The "Lally Cap" was used to set exposure (love that gizmo) and it resulted in VERY MINIMAL computer tweaking - basically - what you see is what I shot.

Revised - see photos below

So - any critique is greatly appreciated.

Thanks!!!

**Damn Brit** · 11-01-2009, 11:47 AM

How about just one or two at a time and actually post them in the thread like everyone else.

claskowski · 11-01-2009, 02:18 PM

Sorry about that - the reason for not popping them here was the panoramic size. The Bryce one was originally a 22meg jpeg - the Grand Canyon larger.

Two - Grand Canyon panoramic, Cedar Breaks Canyon. Grand Canyon is a total of 24 shots, Cedar Breaks is a single photo converted in black-and-white to highlight the storm.

The pano had no adjustment except for PhotoMerge. I used a circular polarizer. The one thing I have been using quite a bit is the 'Lally Cap' to nail white balance.

kevinschoenmakers · 11-01-2009, 03:03 PM

To be honest I think they actually suffer from minimal computer tweaking. They lack contrast and the exposure seems to be slightly off too.

The second photo is potentially stunning, but just doesn't pop right now, due to dull colours and lack of contrast.

**Damn Brit** · 11-01-2009, 03:05 PM

I like the first one, good choice to convert it. Nice composition, good use of ROT and diagonals. It's a shame the formations on the left are cut off abruptly but you can't have everything. It could do with a little work on levels to make it look crisper.
It looks like you may have had a speck of dust on your sensor (middle of the sky).

Second one is pretty good as well from a composition POV, I like the way the valley floor is just off centre and guides the eye through the scene. Colours look a bit flat and focus looks a little soft. You do have some blown highlights in the clouds.

claskowski · 11-01-2009, 03:30 PM

Thanks!

I will tweak both a little - remove the dust on one and crisp it a bit. The Grand Canyon - I will pop the colors a bit. One thing though - when I printed the Grand Canyon photo, the colors were not as flat - could be the processing software..??..

*Ash* · 11-01-2009, 03:57 PM

Unfortunately, attaching photos to the forum posts notoriously flattens contrast and sharpness. Try embedding photos posted on your favourite photo hosting site - some are better than others in this regard. Flickr is excellent with retaining contrast and detail.

kevinschoenmakers · 11-01-2009, 04:58 PM

I can recommend imgur: the simple image host, it lives up to its name.