Great Smokey Mtns.

adpace

I like landscape pictures, but I just don't do it often enough, so if/when I make it back to the mtns, was wondering if ya'll had some feedback for me. Let me know what you think... c.c is welcome and appreciated!



It seemed really hard to get good pictures... since they're well... smokey... LOL! :lol

Thanks!!

henchcliffe

Hi There,
I grew up in Virginia but haven't visited the Smokey Mountains since I was a small fry. I like this picture, especially the dramatic cloud cover and probably because it brings back youthful memories.
One thing I would suggest is to use a polarizer filter. That would bring out the blue in the sky and create more contrast with the clouds. Using a polarizer would also green up the mountains by cutting down on the reflection from the foliage.
As it is, there's a blue cast throughout this picture that could probably be color corrected in PhotoShop. Although the Smokeys are kind of famous for being blue so I wouldn't overdo it.

thanks for sharing!

CMH

adpace

Thank you so much for the feedback! It's very appreciated! I only have a UV filter, I really should get a polarizer too! Thank you! Yes... the blue cast... I'll hve to play with it in PS. Thank you!!

henchcliffe wrote:

Hi There,
I grew up in Virginia but haven't visited the Smokey Mountains since I was a small fry. I like this picture, especially the dramatic cloud cover and probably because it brings back youthful memories.
One thing I would suggest is to use a polarizer filter. That would bring out the blue in the sky and create more contrast with the clouds. Using a polarizer would also green up the mountains by cutting down on the reflection from the foliage.
As it is, there's a blue cast throughout this picture that could probably be color corrected in PhotoShop. Although the Smokeys are kind of famous for being blue so I wouldn't overdo it.

thanks for sharing!

CMH

Lex

Ok, FYI, there is no "E" in Smoky. :-)

Very nice shot, the polarizer is mandatory for harsh sunny days, and it would have helped your sky a lot.

But it is a nice flatlands to mountains shot. I'm trying to decide where it was taken, but so far, I haven't identified it. I have a hunch, but not certain.

doug
www.fotogafer.com (home for www.smokymountainsngallery.com)

davemj98

Cades Cove
No Doubt

adpace

Lex wrote:

Ok, FYI, there is no "E" in Smoky. :-)

Very nice shot, the polarizer is mandatory for harsh sunny days, and it would have helped your sky a lot.

But it is a nice flatlands to mountains shot. I'm trying to decide where it was taken, but so far, I haven't identified it. I have a hunch, but not certain.

doug
www.fotogafer.com (home for www.smokymountainsngallery.com)

Well I feel pretty sheepish about that e... sorry!!

Yes... definitely Cades Cove! Thanks for looking at it and the comments!!!

Lex

adpace wrote:

Well I feel pretty sheepish about that e... sorry!!

Yes... definitely Cades Cove! Thanks for looking at it and the comments!!!

Ok, well Cades Cove. Frankly, I didn't see the grass when I first viewed the shot, I only saw trees, now I see the grass down low, which helps to make it easier to figure out.

henchcliffe

I was tempted to spell it "Smokie" like Lil' Smokies. mmmmm Lil' Smokies....:D

adpace wrote:

Well I feel pretty sheepish about that e... sorry!!

Yes... definitely Cades Cove! Thanks for looking at it and the comments!!!

Marc Muench

This is a good argument, to polarize the haze or not

If ever there were a time to not, this would be it. I really like this composition and aspect ratio. No, it is not as stunning with the haze as we all enjoy the contrast and for good reason, we are attracted to it. However, the feel of this reminds me so of the afternoons in Cades Cove. Great shotthumb

dmmattix

Well the Smokies are ... Smokey

Marc Muench wrote:

This is a good argument, to polarize the haze or not

If ever there were a time to not, this would be it. I really like this composition and aspect ratio. No, it is not as stunning with the haze as we all enjoy the contrast and for good reason, we are attracted to it. However, the feel of this reminds me so of the afternoons in Cades Cove. Great shotthumb

I agree. I actually find the shot a bit 'clear' in comparision to the days I have been there. Most of my Smokey Mountain shots have quite a bit of haze, I mean that is what gives them their moniker anyway.

Nice shot on a nice clear day.

Regards,

Mike

henchcliffe

I agree too, this shot did seem clearer to me than your typical Smoky Mt. shot, which is why I went the other way and suggested polarizing.

What would be a good technique opposite of polarizing to accentuate a "hazier" look?

goofry

The only thing to be careful of is using the polarizer on a wide angle shot like this. You will end up with the sky being more saturated in the center and it will fade some as you get nearer the edges. It's just the physics involved with a polarizing filter. I'm not saying don't polarize (I almost always have one on my lens), just don't set it for maximum polarization. You might not like the effect.

If you get the chance, I would suggest trying your hand at HDR. This image looks like a good candidate.

You could also do a little color correction in the Lab color space to cut the haze just a bit and saturate the colors. Just a suggestion.

Nice composition.