Mesa Arch

slpollett

I don't usually shoot much landscapes--not because I wouldn't want to, but I usually have more opportunities to shoot portraits and macros. A recent family vacation trip to Utah provided some opportunities to shoot some decent scenery. Many of my photos from the trip include at least one family member or some of the crowds of folks at the parks, but I did try very hard to get as many as I could with no people in them. I'm not sure I ever got an 'oh, wow' shot, but I have several that I like.

I'm always open to input and constructive criticism about what I could have done better.

#1: Mesa Arch, Canyonlands National Park. This is two shots that I stitched together.


#2: Capitol Reef National Park. I just thought this tree was interesting.


Thanks for looking.
Sherry P.

Stumblebum

Wonderful! Happy mood here!

Hikin' Mike

Other than shooting them early morning or late afternoon, you did well.

Cornflake

These are good and I can see why you like them. I like both compositions. The tree is terrific.

From the shadows in the first one, it appears that the sun was fairly high in the sky, with the shadows here and there coming from clouds. Terrain like this will usually look better very early and very late in the day. That's more easily said than done on a family vacation, I know, but I think the chief limitation in the first shot is the less than optimum light.

In the second one, I'm not crazy about the placement of the clouds. I think the top of the tree might look better in a clear or an overcast sky. I often don't pay enough attention to clouds and regret it later. This may again be a limitation that you didn't have the time to get around by waiting.

Despite these suggestions, it's good work. You should photograph more landscapes.

slpollett

Thanks, all. Yes the first photo was taken later in the afternoon--like around 4:30 or 5:00 pm. Not an optimal time for pics, but I had to make do. We visited 7 national parks (and my niece in Albuquerque) over a 14-day period--a nice long road trip from central Texas. Everything couldn't be in the morning or just before dark, and we sure didn't have any cloudy days, lol. Most of our stops at the more well-known places were just at the wrong time of day, but we still took pictures and still had a great time. Bad timing was a contributing factor to why we didn't get any of those 'oh, wow' shots we wanted. We did a lot of hiking, and after the first hike with me lugging my heavy dSLR and lens, I used either my cell phone or my Canon G-16 most of the rest of the time. I only used my Canon 5D MKIII when we drove to scenic overlooks or had very short hikes from a parking area to an overlook. Both of the above shots were with the 5D.

One of my bigger disappointments for this trip was that we passed by Horseshoe Bend near Page, AZ in the middle of the afternoon. We still stopped to take in the view and I still attempted some photos, but the time of day was just wrong. This was the best I could do--great for a personal travel shot, but not the big wall print I was hoping for... (this is 8 shots stitched together, btw.) That sun was just brutal.



We also tried some milky way shots for the first time ever. They turned out 'ok' for a first attempt, but I couldn't see well enough to get the focus right and they are not as sharp as they need to be. This is at Zion National Park, btw.

This first one was with my Olympus E-5:


This second one was shot with the Canon 5D MKIII:



I do appreciate the feedback!!

Sherry P.

DarkRock

Good shots and, has been stated before sunrise/sunset/golden hour are the optimum times to shoot this type of terrain. You've certainly whetted my appetite as we are doing the Mighty Five later next month.

CCoop

I find all these shots inspiring! This makes me want to take a road trip myself! I appreciate the suggestions already given here. Very useful... Thank you for posting.


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fool4thecity

Time of day, but if you miss it when you're just passing through what can you do? Still gotta take some shots. Might help to move the Highlight slider to the left in Lightroom. Thanks for posting, hope to get there some day! By the way I like the Olympus night shot better than the Canon 5D Mk III (weird).

slpollett

Thanks! I think I got the Olympus shot focused (on the cliffs & not the stars though) a little better than the Canon shot. I used a 12-60 mm lens on the Oly, and the Canon had the 24-70. All other settings were exactly the same. I really wanted to compare the two cameras since the Canon is new to me. I do need to keep working on those star shots. They are fun & challenging to do.

Sherry P.