The above was shot with a Dji Mavic pro. I had this shot in my mind for a long time and i knew autumn would be the season to get it. I wanted a morning with some mist and fog rising off the lake to create a sense of atmosphere in the image and create an illusion almost like the castle is floating. The castle is surrounded by these beautiful trees that change from mid october to the start of november. The shot i had in mind was s kind of spooky, mysterious one with the castle shrouded in fog.

This is a 2 shot exposure and blended in photoshop using luminosity masks. I then exported the photo into lightroom and done some basic colour correction, adding contrast and a slight vignette. I added some sharpness around the castle and trees and a radial filter to soften the light that was hitting the castle from the side. I also dehazed around the castle itself as the fog was thick and i wanted majority of the castle to be seen as this is the focal point of the image. I am happy with the shot, this castle is impossible to get to by foot so a drone was the only option and lucky i got it!

Tip:often less is more in photography. Find a subject and isolate it in your shot to create a more pleasing image as opposed to a cluttered scene.



This is a shot from the same morning as above. As i sent up the drone and was focusing on shooting the castle i noticed a huge cloud inversion over the valley to my right so i grabbed a couple of exposures. Unfortunately the sun was up by the time i had seen this so i could not pull back all of the highlights in post however i caught some beautfiul detail in the clouds and textures as they rolled in over the valley. The sun cast a stunning warm glow over the land which dissapeared under the fog.

Post processing for this shot was very basic, some contrast and vibrance adjustment, a graduated filter placed over the sky to pull back some of the highlights and a radial filter to soften the light over the land. I added some light vignette and that was it. I like this shot and it was my first time capturing a cloud inversion however i wish i had seen it before the sun came up. I would have captured a shot exposed for the sky and blended afterwards in post.



This shot was taken on my Olympus Em1 Mk2. A calm morning with no wind meant lovely reflections on the Lake in Killarney, Co Kerry. Again mist helped create a atmosphere as it rose off the lake with some autumn color in the mountains behind the boat. The boat is the focal point of this image and while there was other boats on the lake near it i focused on this one because the composition was simplified and not too cluttered. I was lucky to capture this as 5 minutes later the wind picked up and the reflections disappeared off the lake.

For post processing: i shot two exposures and blended them using luminosity masks. There was little to no clouds in the sky that day so there wasn't much change of color in the sky. I added some contrast and sharpening and i brushed some of the whites to bring out the mist more on the lake. I added a slightly strong vignette to frame the image better and draw the eye to the boat. There was a big orange buoy next to the boat so i removed that in photoshop as it was an unneccasary distraction. I am proud of this shot and it was worth the early morning trip of 2 and half hours!

Tip:
Check the weather prior to your shoot, if you see little to no wind forecast you will get stunning reflections on a lake. Also autumn is a great season for getting those mist and fog shots especially over water. If clear skies are forecast for the night , you will get fog rising off the water in the morning if conditions are cold enough. This is down to the relative humidity which is how much moisture the air can hold.

  

Another shot from my Olympus camera. This is one of my local forests showing itself in all its fall glory. The recent rain brought the river levels up so i took the opportunity to get out and shoot some long exposures during the autumn season.

This is a 3 shot blend as the highlights were quite bright and i found it tough to expose for the shot in the forest as light was coming through the canopy onto different parts of the foreground. The water shot is a 1/4 second exposure just enough to blur the water but still capture some nice detail. I did not want to completely blur the water as i wanted to retain detail and not turn it cloudy. I used a polariser and a 4 stop ND filter. The polariser helped cut the glare and bring out the detail in the rocks. The water was quite brown and muddied when i shot this as the river was in floor so i desaturated it a bit to take that out. For the back of the shot i added some orton to soften the light and create a dreamy look in the landscape. I perked up the oranges and yellows in lightroom and added some vignette. I brushed in some dark areas on the sides to bring the focus to the waterfall. Final adjustment was a vertical crop and sharpening.

Tip:
Using a polaiser cuts the glare out of the water and deepens the colours in the image. Make sure and try to retain detail when shooting long exposures, sometimes that real blurry effect works well but for me i like to show some detail. Frame your waterfall appropriately and make it the main component of the shot if there is not much else in the scene.

These are my images for the autumn contest on this forum, Two shot with a Mavic Pro and two shot with my DSLR. I have only just got my Mavic Pro back from repair so i have not had much time to shoot with it during fall but i am pleased with the above shots i captured.

I hope you enjoyed the images and that my post processing discussion gave an insight into my workflow. Any questions/comments feel free

Sean O' Riordan

This is amazing. Thanks for sharing!

DJI Panda Posted at 2018-10-23 22:47
This is amazing. Thanks for sharing!

Thank you :-)

border=0 />


Meant to include this in the original post too.

Tip:
the road creates a nice leading line into the image which helps draw the viewer into the shot. it is a simple but effective tip in composition. The autumn color showing in the trees creates a nice sense of atmosphere along with the road. For post processing i added some orton to the trees to soften the light and a vignette to frame the image
border=0 />

A stunning morning over Gougane Barra Lake in Co Cork

Tip:
this is a 3 shot exposure blended in photoshop using luminosity masks. I shot 3 different exposures exposing for the highlights, mid tones and shadows. It was a scene with very high dynamic range as the sun was rising so i had to blend to achieve the image above. After that i exported the image into lightroom and warmed it up using the temperature slider, i increased some of the color and soften the light around the sun using a radial filter, similar to the orton effect. Final edits were vignette and mild sharpening.

When doing exposure blending a very important thing to remember is to allign your layers in photoshop prior to creating your masks and brushing in your selections. Otherwise you will have edging. Make the blends natural and play around with different oppacities to create a natural blend and not lose too much contrast.

I hope this helps,

Sean.

Absolutely stunning work!

A CW Posted at 11-9 02:39
Absolutely stunning work!

Thank you :-)

seanie2322 Posted at 11-9 06:03
Thank you :-)

You're welcome