I'll be coming back: When the weather is something less than perfect, it's a good time to do some scouting. I'll be coming back to this spot when the foreground reeds are fully grown...

R.G. Loc: Scotland

When the weather is something less than perfect, it's a good time to do some scouting. I'll be coming back to this spot when the foreground reeds are fully grown and hopefully when there's more sunshine. Unfortunately the ship probably won't be there.

As well as a bit of scouting I had the chance to try out my P7700 in exposure bracketing mode. The dynamic range of the scene is relatively low and some would say that bracketing is a waste of time in those circumstances. However, a file got from a three shot merge is noticeably easier to work with in PP and easier to get good results from.

If I'd had a top of the range full frame camera to take the shot with, the advantages of bracketing would have been much less obvious, but the simple fact is that a single exposure taken by the 1/1.7 sensor would have given me much more work and for poorer results when compared to the file got from the merge of bracketed shots. I'll probably still want to bracket when I go back with my D5200 and tripod.
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UTMike Loc: South Jordan, UT

Very nice result, R.G., I will be interested in your return visit.

R.G. Loc: Scotland

UTMike wrote:

Very nice result, R.G., I will be interested in your return visit.

Thank you Mike. Hopefully with better weather and a better camera I'll have something better to show for it.

yssirk123 Loc: New Jersey

Nicely done R.G.

R.G. Loc: Scotland

yssirk123 wrote:

Nicely done R.G.

Thank you Bill.

tommystrat Loc: Bigfork, Montana

I have done a bit of experimenting with exposure bracketing, and I think your impressions of the process are right on. Certain subjects will benefit more than others, but your post shows how it can work even on less-than-perfect lighting days. Thanks for posting!

Curmudgeon Loc: SE Arizona

A very nice shot in an interesting location but to me the ship makes the shot. I can't wait to see what you will find on your next visit.

R.G. Loc: Scotland

tommystrat wrote:

I have done a bit of experimenting with exposure bracketing, and I think your impressions of the process are right on. Certain subjects will benefit more than others, but your post shows how it can work even on less-than-perfect lighting days. Thanks for posting!

This is what the day looked like in reality. I've posted a DNG (via the link) of the single neutral exposure (0 offset) and I challenge anybody to get good results from it. I'm not claiming that my posted edit is above criticism but it's better than anything I could have got from the single exposure - and it would have been a nightmare trying.
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JPG.

Link below to DNG
Attached file:
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R.G. Loc: Scotland

Curmudgeon wrote:

A very nice shot in an interesting location but to me the ship makes the shot. I can't wait to see what you will find on your next visit.

Thanks. The ship almost certainly won't be there but I'm hoping the foreground reeds will be fully grown. I intend to use the gap in the reeds as an attention channeler which will direct the viewer's attention on to the rest of the shot. Thanks for commenting.

fergmark Loc: norwalk connecticut

I fiddled with your image and put it aside. Forgot about it. Glad the boat passed close by.

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R.G. Loc: Scotland

fergmark wrote:

I fiddled with your image and put it aside. Forgot about it. Glad the boat passed close by.

I see you settled for the "grey day" look. Going for something brighter would have taken a bit more pushing and pulling, and that's where the limitations of the source file get shown up. I've found that the sky is one of the main areas that show up differences when it comes to extracting detail and colour if your starting point is flat grey. Bracketing gives you more data and it's more accessible.

At the time of the shot the boat wasn't on the move. I couldn't tell what it was doing, but it was a strange place to choose to hang around. The rocks that you can see are only the worst of them. There's plenty more lurking just below the surface.

fergmark Loc: norwalk connecticut

R.G. wrote:

I see you settled for the "grey day" loo... (show quote)

I rarely if ever try for much beyond what is basically there.
That boat does appear to be unusually close to potential hazards. The New England coast is similarly dangerous. That is a pretty sizable ship. I cannot tell if it is some kind of fishing vessel or not. It looks like there is something like a large winch at the stern.

Uuglypher Loc: South Dakota (East River)

R.G. wrote:

When the weather is something less than perfect, i... (show quote)

The boat definitely is a compositional asset, but I agree that it’s likely future absence is no reason not to return and work the wonderful scene for all its worth ... in all sorts of lighting!
Love it!
Cos in the Colonies

R.G. Loc: Scotland

fergmark wrote:

.....That boat does appear to be unusually close to potential hazards. The New England coast is similarly dangerous. That is a pretty sizable ship. I cannot tell if it is some kind of fishing vessel or not. It looks like there is something like a large winch at the stern.

It's a support vessel for offshore oil rigs. The elevated bit at the front is a helicopter landing platform and the thing that looks like a winch is a large reel. I can't tell if it's for a pipe or a cable.

R.G. Loc: Scotland

Uuglypher wrote:

The boat definitely is a compositional asset, but I agree that it’s likely future absence is no reason not to return and work the wonderful scene for all its worth ... in all sorts of lighting!
Love it!
Cos in the Colonies

Thanks for the comments, Colonial Coz. You're right - I'll probably be back more than once.