Hi there,
There we’re a few technical glitches with the site over the last few days so it has taken longer than usual to get this done.
Here is the EXIF data of these images:
[attachment=1:2fti32y4]lesson 10 landscape 2-2 EXIF.png[/attachment:2fti32y4]
Date Time Original: 2013:02:18 07:15:35
Exposure Time: 1/250
F Number: f / 4
Exposure Program: Not defined
ISO Speed Ratings: 100
Metering Mode: Pattern
Flash: Flash did not fire, compulsory flash mode
Focal Length: 60mm
White Balance: Manual white balance
Make: NIKON CORPORATION
Model: NIKON D7000
LensInfo: 240/10 700/10 28/10 28/10
LensModel: 24.0-70.0 mm f/2.8
Lens: 24.0-70.0 mm f/2.8
Exif Version:
Date Time Digitized: 2013:02:18 07:15:35
Shutter Speed Value: 7.97
Aperture Value: 4
Max Aperture Value: 3
Light Source: Fine weather
Sensing Method: One-chip color area sensor
File Source: DSC
Scene Type: Directly photographed
CFA Pattern: 728
Custom Rendered: Normal process
Digital Zoom Ration: 1
Focal Length In 35mm Film: 90mm
Scene Capture Type: Landscape
Gain Control: None
Contrast: Normal
Saturation: Normal
Sharpness: Normal
Subject Distance Range: Unknown
ExifIFDPointer: 218
X Resolution: 240
Y Resolution: 240
Resolution Unit: 2
Date Time: 2013:02:19 23:25:21
Software: Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 4.1 (Macintosh)
DateCreated: 2013-02-18T07:15:35-05:00
[attachment=0:2fti32y4]lesson 10 sunset 3-2 EXIF.png[/attachment:2fti32y4]
Date Time Original: 2013:02:18 07:18:56
Exposure Time: 1/250
F Number: f / 3.50
Exposure Program: Manual
ISO Speed Ratings: 100
Metering Mode: Pattern
Flash: Flash did not fire, compulsory flash mode
Focal Length: 70mm
White Balance: Manual white balance
Make: NIKON CORPORATION
Model: NIKON D7000
LensInfo: 240/10 700/10 28/10 28/10
LensModel: 24.0-70.0 mm f/2.8
Lens: 24.0-70.0 mm f/2.8
Exif Version:
Date Time Digitized: 2013:02:18 07:18:56
Shutter Speed Value: 7.97
Aperture Value: 3.61
Exposure Bias: 2
Max Aperture Value: 3
Light Source: Fine weather
Sensing Method: One-chip color area sensor
File Source: DSC
Scene Type: Directly photographed
CFA Pattern: 728
Custom Rendered: Normal process
Exposure Mode: 1
Digital Zoom Ration: 1
Focal Length In 35mm Film: 105mm
Scene Capture Type: Standard
Gain Control: None
Contrast: Normal
Saturation: Normal
Sharpness: Normal
Subject Distance Range: Unknown
ExifIFDPointer: 218
X Resolution: 240
Y Resolution: 240
Resolution Unit: 2
Date Time: 2013:02:19 23:19:48
Software: Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 4.1 (Macintosh)
DateCreated: 2013-02-18T07:18:56-05:00
So you’ve done a few things here that are great.
The first thing you’ve done is you’ve tried to shoot at a nice time of day for this kind of image. Taking advantage of nice light is almost always a win for a photographer. Having nice light like this can add a richness and color to your photographs that you couldn’t get otherwise. The problem is that you have very limited time to take advantage of said light as you have noticed.
Regarding the scene mode on your camera. I would try to avoid using those modes as much as you can. Try to capture your images as cleanly as possible in camera and then add what you need after the fact in post processing.
As you can see here there is far too much vibrance in this images. So much so that they look quite un-natural.
Also when shooting landscape images you want to achieve as much depth of field as possible.
All else being equal you generally want to shoot high fstop numbers. In other words f22 or f32 etc. That way you get the most depth of field and everything is in focus. Obviously you have to compensate for that with your other settings…
In your images it appears you used only a F4 and F3.5. In other words at those fstops it’s tough to get a landscape photograph completely in focus.
Another note with landscape images like this is you need to consider your horizon lines and vertical lines. A bubble level or something like that can help with this on your tripod. It matters mainly for making prints. If you have a crooked horizon line on a large print it can really hurt your photo.
In these images if you look at the vertical lines of the buildings you can tell it’s a bit off the mark.
All of these notes are secondary to the main learning for you hear. You’ve now seen just how magic the light can be at this time of day! So take advantage of it and have fun it with!