Beautiful Landscape Work

[Zach Matthews]

Hey guys –

Since my landscape work basically sucks, and I am going to be going to the beach this summer, I have been looking around for some inspiration for my planned beach shots.

This guy does *amazing* landscapes:

http://www.absolutely-nothing.co.uk/mostpopular/

My question is whether you can help me reverse-engineer what he is doing.  In my experience, in a lot of those shots, especially on those long exposures, he ought to be getting blown highlights and clipped lowlights.

Do you think he is using neutral density filters?  HDR techniques in photoshop?  Something I am missing?  The images are 35mm format, so I don’t think this is the result of large or medium format stuff.

Zach

[dusty montgomery]

Hey Zach,
This is sort-of off topic, but these pics reminded me of Chromasia. Did you see the tutorials he offered for CS3? Do you feel that his classes are worthy of 75 pounds for the info.?
Dusty

[Carter Simcoe]

what makes you think it’s more than just basic HDR technique?

[Zach Matthews]

Carter –

I am not sure the moving water would work with HDR, since it requires a longer exposure; it might, I suppose, but you might also get stray stuff floating across the layers that aren’t on both (HDR requiring more than one shot, after all). He also has some moving grass, etc., that doesn’t look like it’s been masked over or anything.

Zach

[John Bennett]

Its hard to say for certain but in the shots with motion its looks to me like hes blowing the highlights and shadows.

Highlight are almost certainly blown here and the darkest shadows are clipped as well http://www.absolutely-nothing.co.uk/?cid=881 so Id guess filters. CP or NDs and then PS work I cant really guess at.

Here while the sun is blown ( as feat I cant avoid) the shadows are midnight black with no detail so again it looks like a single exposure with -ec bias. Id guess the histo is really pushing the left with a single spike to the far right. Again filters and or PS but I think both are single exposures
http://www.absolutely-nothing.co.uk/?cid=871

Either way its some wonderful stuff.

[Carter Simcoe]

I still think it’s some level of HDR, could be that he’s doing some of those where the waves aren’t as blurred at a really high ISO I suppose, resulting in shorter expsures than you might think….

[Zach Matthews]

I think John is correct that he is drawing the exposure compensations down by -1.0 or -2.0 (quite a lot, in other words), and then throwing a circular polarizer AND/or a neutral density filter on top.

[kendal larson]

Carter –

I am not sure the moving water would work with HDR, since it requires a longer exposure; it might, I suppose, but you might also get stray stuff floating across the layers that aren’t on both (HDR requiring more than one shot, after all). He also has some moving grass, etc., that doesn’t look like it’s been masked over or anything.

Zach

I’m with the other guys Zach – I think it’s HDR – but what he’s doing is just taking his RAW image and creating 2 (or more) copies with the exposures bumped and lowered, then making the combine and tweaking.

Some folks call it “fake” HDR – but I think that’s what’s going on here.

I like ’em too btw – not like the usual over-burned HDRs where your eyes hurt after looking at a couple of ’em.

[Zach Matthews]

Here’s from the horse’s mouth:

Hi Zach

Thanks for your message. 99% of my images are taken with the aid of graduated neutral density filters to hold back the bright areas. For the recent 1% I’ve been experimenting a little with HDR but have certainly not mastered it yet and am not sure if I will pursue it further.

Thanks

Tristan Campbell

http://www.absolutelynothing.co.uk

http://www.lightanddarkness.co.uk

Anyone know where to get a good graduated filter?

[Carter Simcoe]

I’ve always been intrigued by the technique of taking one of the square type ND filters and “painting” with it in front of the lens while the shutter is open.

[John Bennett]

Zach.
All I know about Sing Rays is that price wise they are top of the line, typically more expensive than the widely used B+W and Hoya’s. Their varied NDs sell for 340.00 at 77mm

I plan on buying a ND or two if I dont get the Singh Ray varied, and in that event will likely buy Hoya’s Pro 1D NDs. I’m currently using their PRO 1D DMC CP and am more than happy with it. Although truth be told it sells for just 20 less than the Singh Ray 77mm CP.

So while Singh Rays may the “best” option, they certianly arent the only. The thing I cant decide is if I want 1 varied ND or two separte NDs like a 4 top and 8 stop.

Hoyas website and direct to Pro 1D filters
http://www.hoyafilter.com/products/hoya/pro1d-01.html

[Chad Simcox]

This morning when I initially saw the post I first thought he must have used gradient filters, but then I couldn’t see any dividing line or anything that truly indicated that is what he was using.
Thanks for sharing, his seascape photos are amazing. It’s obvious these shots aren’t from the states, because there is no garbage on the beaches.

http://society6.com/grainfarmer Fly Fishing and Landscape open edition Photography prints.

http://grainfarmer.vsco.co/ iPhone photos
http://instagram.com/chad_simcox Instagram

[kendal larson]

Here’s from the horse’s mouth:

Hi Zach

Thanks for your message. 99% of my images are taken with the aid of graduated neutral density filters to hold back the bright areas. For the recent 1% I’ve been experimenting a little with HDR but have certainly not mastered it yet and am not sure if I will pursue it further.

Thanks

Tristan Campbell

http://www.absolutelynothing.co.uk

http://www.lightanddarkness.co.uk

Anyone know where to get a good graduated filter?

[Richard Bernabe]

If you are looking for GND filters, forget the screw-in circular types. They have the transition gradient right across the middle with a 50/50 split, forcing you to fit your composition (and vision) to the filter. Go with the rectangular filters and a Cokin filter holder (or hand-hold them). Bob Singh makes the very best GND filters on the market, and I can highly recommend them after trying many different brands and types over the years.

I use a combination of GNDs and manual digital blends for high-key landscape work.

[kurt budliger]

Greetings folks!

[John Bennett]

really glad this topic came up as Im just starting to learn and experiment with them.
Anyone have thoughts about the Singh Ray variable ND filter?
As mentioned thats one that I might get rather than 2 to start experimenting and learning with.

[david king]

It looks like well done large format film to me. He could have used a ND or various grads that use to be fairly common. Long exposures in soft light wouldn’t necessarily require a filter on the sky, and if he was shooting color neg he could get a pretty wide range of values.

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