Had a a go at landscapes today

Todays adventure was trying some landscape photography.
I was at a beautiful spot and it was a glorious sunny afternoon.
I felt rather fustrated that when I got home as the photos didn't reflect the beauty of the place we had been at.
I ended adding textures as they looked so bland (and because I rather like textures at the moment!)

C&C, advice and feedback gladly welcomed!
Oh and excuse all the random people - they were with me!

1.


2.


3.


Please note its a HILL in Norfolk - we don't have many of those!!!

They are great LM - as always your composition is just superb! Keep up the good work

I like number 2 a lot - feeling of a summer picnic (now we know who stole all the sunshine! )

Number 3 is superb though - I absolutely love it! Well done!

xx

Thanks guys!
I've been lookig at some fabulous landscape photos of Norfok which have blown me away.
How do the professionals get such crispness? Is it better lenses or simply better technique?

Combination of the above I suppose. Better lenses do help - but you do need good technique - plenty of practice and a good eye for a scene and composition!

xx

little go out and take a few pictures of landscapes - try and mimic any you've seen and aspire to, and then post them.

At the moment you're covering up deficiencies with textures and effects - this makes it all the more to offer you technical critique outwith composition; which you have a fairly sound grasp of the basics of.

Lets get the basics right first and then we can start adding equipment issues and factors into the pot, along with a whole host of other things you might like to consider, ie, lighting, exposure, metering, apertures, ranging and hyperfocal focusing, etc....

But we need to see more of your attempts (with thier Exif data and your intention/execution) in their natural form first as a starting point.

I didn't mean to sound naive when I asked whether its the camera or the technique - I know I have LOADS to learn - I'm still at the point and click stage! I guess I wanted to know is how much I'm going to be able to achieve with my current set up and some simple steps so I can make some improvements.

I have a book from the library called A Dream of the Land John Hansell which is full of moody, imposing balck and white shots. Many of them are of the Norfolk coast line. I'm off camping on the North Norfolk coast in a couple of weeks so I'll have all the amazing views in front of me, I just wish I could capture some of them.
His shots are so crisp - even the trees far away - but fine are always so soft and fluffy.

I'll upload some of my originals later (I'm on the wrong computer right now) though I have no idea what Exif data means.

They are enchanting images LM, you have a good eye, agree with some of what Jack says though(that's a shocker). Spend time looking at landscapes, and what is available to you locally, and work from there,remember also the pics you are looking at, will probably have two things ... years of experience and with it knowledge and ability, the other being equipment.

There is a great thread discussing landscapes recently, I suggested two books to Snapper, which she has bought, and she said she is finding them helpful.So might be worth a look. Look forward to more landscapes xx

Hi Little Me. Have followed your work and pretty much agree with what most have said and I feel you have a combination of eye for composition and beginners luck. People can learn the technical aspects but you can have all the kit in the world and not have the arty compostional eye.

You probably realise already that many pictures are not actually 'as they were', there is a lot of PP to bring out the features of interest to the eye, and aid the brain interpreting the image. So it's not just the camera but also the PP. You can use it to a certain degree to cover up mistakes, I do anyway. Most of the pictures you see on websites and in books etc. are PP'd to get a result often far from natural. May just help you rationalise that you have to think what you could get from a scene rather than just as it appears naturally. The PP can of course be subtle, very natural looking or heavy. Landscapes are generally all about discipline and the finest quality.

Just as an example, although on the face of it your last image above in vertical format looks really quite good, I notice it is shot at f4. A landscape photographer most likely would be looking at max depth of field to get sharp focus front to back and optimal lens quality so would probably have chosen f8, 11 or 16. For me though, technical issues aside, I just like the shot and it works so sometimes break the mould.

I must admit I was shooting in 'sports mode' as the kids I was trying to take photos of weren't staying still for a second! So I didn't make any choices about the settings.
I guess I need to stop and think more!
Thanks for the advice guys!