Snowdonia from Anglesey

Part of the Snowdonia range taken from Beaumaris. The weather was terrible and blowing a gale, ( typical Bank Holiday), which I hope to have captured with this shot.

C&C please.

We went North this last weekend and avoided the rain, but it was very windy.

I often park the car looking at this view and I think black and white is a good choice for it. You get all the drama but no distracting colour.

Thanks John. When I took the shot I already had B&W in mind.
We didn't do too bad with the weather, Saturday was great, but when this all rolled in on Sunday I thought "here we go ".

You certainly captured the atmosphere !!

I was there for the Beaumaris Show on the Saturday, little less windy & a bit warmer, still not good enough for the Red Arrows to do their display though

simon

I shall attempt to be as constructive as I can. this image had great potential with a sky like that, very moody and brooding. However,as you ask for c&c here it its, seeing mono is my thing!

basic stuff:
wonky horizon
part of shore line is not enough and distracting, either show the shore properly or not at all
having half a boat LHS is bad, crop it or clone it out
soft, needs sharpening

now for mono bit:
the overall tonal range was heavy, flat and uninteresting
you need to apply that heaviness of tone to only parts of the image to attract attention ie the sky
adjust the overall tonal range with levels or curves, with levels bringing the left and right hand sliders up to edges of histogram
then go in and dodge to lighten parts of the image ie. the middle space where the boats are moored, gives an impression light coming through clouds
dodging and burning on an overlay layer so they are less destructive

I quickly had a go at what I have just said, hope this may be of help

Lilly

Very impressive Lilly.

I like to think that I would have sorted out the basic stuff but the mono bit is most enlightening (pardon the pun).

I'm going to put a sticker on the back of my camera saying ATTENTION TO DETAIL!!

I like your tweaks Lilly. I think I might have to put the camera away and start practicing with software. All I did was play about with contrast and brightness. I haven't had time to sit down and start using layers properly. I had a quick go a week or so ago, but couldn't make them do what I wanted.

Oh, and be as blunt as you want with the C&C. I really am very new to this and if I'm making stupid mistakes I'd rather be told so I can learn.

Hi Father Ted,
Quick question for you. Do you use a tripod or do you rely on SR, when taking pics.
Martin.

SR ???
If that means hand held, then yes. But I do try to get myself into a position with extra support, leaning against a wall / tree etc.

I'm generally out with the kids, so getting set up with a tripod etc just wouldn't work.

Why do you ask?

SR=Shake Reduction found on K10D, K100D . But you answered it already.
If you shoot landscapes, the best piece of advice I can give you: Use a Tripod ! And a good one. It slows you down, let's you think over composition, always gives you the best possible sharpness. Slow shutter speeds won't affect sharpness anymore. Basically takes care of everything you want to wright on that backside sticker you mentioned
Seriously, Buy a good tripod and your photo's will improve a lot. A good tripod is the best investment you can make, after a camera and a lens.
And use the kids to your advantage. ( they can carry it )
Martin.

Point taken Slowing down is exactly what I need to do.
My camera is an istDL.
As for the kids ... good idea