Hello, my people. The time has come for me to share some of the wonderful (in my opinion) pictures I have captured so far in Ireland. There are a mixture of different settings but most are landscape due to how I am just surrounded by so much of it; not that I am complaining of course.
I will be discussing each picture in some detail, including the settings I used to produce the shot, along with what edits I made to enhance the already stunning aspects of the image. Like I mentioned previously, depending on if I shoot in RAW or Jpeg, Lightroom automatically does some edits for this. I kept all of them this time around, none really making a huge difference to the final image. They just helped even some minor things out. I am slowly testing out new techniques I have learnt/picked up and doing this has given me a whole new scope of ideas. I really hope you enjoy!
This is kinda following on from the two moving posts, a finale to round off the adventure. I will of course share many more images, but these specifics ones are the first few I took while exploring.
There is a little something for everyone. If you are just interested in the pictures, you can have a quick scroll and admire Ireland's treasures. Whereas, if the photography side and the details behind the images interests you, you can read either the settings or editing section... or both hehe.
You can now lay your eyes on the beauty and wonder :) Nothing beats seeing it in real life however. Read on!!:)
1.
Capturing waves is one of my favourite things. The height of them differs so much, depending on when you go and what time of day it is. This day they were quite fierce, and they made for some pretty good pictures.
Settings:
For this particular image, I cannot recall exactly what settings I picked. This was one of our first days, and I was distracted by so many other things, that I forgot to record the day. I am so sorry, but I think I did shoot in either SS Mode or Landscape mode. This was before I really understood how to capture waves properly and I was just shooting with no specific goal. Now I have really been trying to capture the essence of the waves more, and the detail. All that in mind, I am still happy with how this image turned out. I love the colours ands how you can see the froth line in the forefront.
Edits:
I only needed to make a few adjustments to this image. Most of the aspects were as I wanted. The changes I did make, were:
I lowered the exposure slightly, just to bring out the brightness of the colours more, and also to remove the parts that were a little too overexposed.
I upped the contrast. This helped to smooth out the waves and balance out all of the different colours by making them more vibrant.
I upped the dehaze tool. This enabled the white to be a little less dull, as well as darkening the blue shades that were present in the sky.
2.
I love the layering in this image, and the way all of the features lead to the waves. The bird flying above in the distance, adds a sort of scale to the image; showing how far away I am from the sea. The colour of the sea is such a pretty blue and I really do like the composition!
Settings:
I shot this on my Tamron 70-300m lens. I do find this lens better for close ups, but sometimes I snap a couple of wide angle shots when I am out and about shooting. I usually just sort through and keep those that look the best, this being one. The image is taken with an aperture of 10. This being roughly the middle ground for capturing landscapes; it keeps everything in focus which you want when trying to show all aspects of an area. The ISO was 100, typical for a nice sunny day. Finally, the shutter speed was 320. I was not overly happy with this. The mode I was on was one where the camera chooses it for you, I do not have the freedom of selecting a specific number. I do think it could of been a bit higher to capture the motion of the waves more. A fast shutter speed captures moving subjects, waves included in this. I have learnt from this and will ensure next time I go on another mode that allows me to individually pick the settings I need.
It is not a huge deal for this image as the waves are not the main subject, but it is just something to note.
Edits:
This image required a few edits. These were:
The temperature was lowered towards the blue end of the scale. This provides a blue look the overall image. I only really do this when there is a lot of blue present, like in this image with the sky and the deep blue in the sea.
Alongside this, I upped the saturation specifically for the blue colour. This is done by the colour section. It is a good setting to use with the temperature.
I lowered the saturation. This helped to balance out the rest of the colours in the image after the blue was added. It dulls any area that looks too bright.
I added a slight dehaze. This helped to make aspects of the image more prominent.
Finally, I upped the colour noise reduction as I found there was some noise present in the sea. This just helps to remove that and make it appear more smooth.
3.
The water pools are my favourite in this image. They appear reflective and sheer, providing the image with a good base, which then leads up the sand dunes and then the mountains in the background.
Settings:
This another where I forgot to record my settings, I believe it was captured in the landscape setting, however the more detailed points have slipped my mind. Eekk. The aperture would of been on the lower end of the scale due to how the image has a more shallower depth of field. This is due to the water pools, they appear more in focus than the rest. The ISO I can guess would of been around 100/200 as I shot in the day. This is the case with all of the images, most I capture in the daytime where it is sunny, or at least cloudy. The shutter speed however differs so much, so I cannot comment on that.
Edits:
I made quite a few edits on this image. Mostly to fix the lighting. These were:
Lowering the exposure only a minimal amount. This just gave a little darkness to the image, removing any spots that were overexposed, particularly the sky and the bigger pools of water.
Lowering the contrast half way. This helped to smooth the edges of the picture, like where the water meets the sand/the sand dunes meet the mountains. My style of editing is to have the image still stand out, but not so much that the picture looks almost fake. This helps to bring the viewers attention to the whole image and not just the harsher points. This for me is more the case with landscapes, and not something like portraits where you would require that style more.
Lowering the highlights slightly to remove some of the brighter sky patches.
Upping the shadows. This helps to lighten the sand dunes and the sand, as before they were blending in and doing this helps them stand out more. The camera does what it can, but editing just helps give that final tidy up.
Finally, upping the dehaze tool slightly. This helps again to bring out features in the background that you may not think about. It makes them more prominent, and therefore giving more to the final image.
4.
I love the scale of this image. How the waves have formed and the pools of water flow into the sea. They really do add to the image and make what would be an ordinary and plain image, into something more cool and interesting.
Settings:
This was taken on the same day as the one above so the settings again are not recorded. However, they would have mostly the same; with an ISO of 100/200, an aperture slightly higher as I am positioned further away so the overall focus would have to reach the entire image, and the shutter speed unknown. I would say a SS on the higher end, maybe something like 500, just because the waves would need to be captured in motion (something the other image does not have) so the camera would adjust it to a speed that would achieve this.
Edits:
I upped the contrast slightly to help bring the colours in the image out more. They were a little dulled so doing this helps to make them look brighter.
I upped the whites quite a way to help the white of the sea and any other white aspects, become more visible.
I lowered the clarity. This helped to make the waves appear less harsh. I did not do this in the first instance, but when going back over the image, I found it looked more smooth with this applied. I do like editing an image, going away and then coming back. This way you can spot anything that you may have missed or just remove anything you no longer like!
Finally, I upped the sharpness slightly. Doing it a small amount just helps to make things more in focus, but you do have to be careful that it does not affect any other aspects of your image. I found this on my second look, so lowered it to a place I was satisfied with.
5.
Cute little sheepies! I love this one because of how the sheep are grouped together. Some are in a line and watching me, whereas others have their butt facing me. Then you have the one walking in on the left. It is one of my favourites I have shot in terms of animals.
Settings:
The aperture was 9.0, the perfect number for this particular image. It gets all of the sheep in focus the best it can and gives a deeper depth of field. To enhance that, it could of been a little higher but I am happy regardless. The ISO was the usual 100 and the shutter speed was 200. A good SS for the type of image. I shot with my 18-55mm lens so I did not zoom in far. The general rule is to always have your SS the same or higher as how far you zoom. A good rule of thumb. 200 would help to keep the sheep in focus as they moved due to it freezing any motion. Any higher would of been fine, maybe to capture a little more of the detail, but when you shoot on an already chosen setting, you have to deal with whatever it chooses for you. If I was not happy with the image when out shooting, I would just change to another setting that gave me more freedom. It is all about shooting and adjusting to what is best for you! :)
Edits:
I did change the image to black and white at the last minute. I was not happy with how the colours looked and I could not balance the saturation to my liking. Now seeing it, I much prefer it in B&W. The other edits I made, were:
Upping the contrast to let in more light and brighten the faces of the sheep more.
Upping the shadows to remove any dark patches that were present. Like in the sky and the sheep's fur. It just helps to bring the appearance of certain things out more.
Upping the whites which again helps to lighten certain areas. Especially being black and white, settings need adjusting differently.
I lowered the red on the black and white mixer. This brought out the patches on their backs which were initially red. It was not needed but I thought it added to the image, making it look more authentic.
I upped the dehaze tool. This helped to bring out the features in the sky more, where before they blended into one.
Finally, I upped the colour noise reduction. This helps to just smooth out any pixilation that was present. It does not usually happen but because of the subjects in the image and the bold colours of the grass, there was some slight hazing around the edges.
6.
These are some little footprints of a dog that came to say hello to us on the beach. It literally sniffed my sisters trail like it was hunting her lol. I love the detail in the sand and how you can see the different layers by their colour.
Settings:
My lens and camera only have the ability of going down to an aperture of 5. This can be a nuisance as you really cannot capture the details in a close up shot sometimes. This one turned out amazing but some I can have trouble with. One of the main reasons why I am looking for a new camera. The low aperture helps define the image and really focus on what's in front of the lens; the footprints being the main focus and the close up point of the image. I was also using my zoom lens which is perfect for close ups too. The ISO again being 100 to achieve the best exposure in the daytime. Finally, the shutter speed calculated at 800. I am not entirely sure why, I think due to the other settings, the camera had to compensate somewhere; I was zoomed in a long way too so that could also of contributed to a higher SS.
Edits:
Only one or two needed as I did not want to disturb the lines in the sand. These were:
Lowering the shadows halfway. This really helped to bring out the sharpness in the footprints, whereas before they were less defined. It also helped to bring out the darker lines in the sand.
Finally, lowering the blacks which added to the sharpness of the footprints due to them being darker but it also helped to remove some of the light that overpowered the shades in the sand.
7.
A beautiful little boat. I love how the boat is centred in this image with the mountain edges behind. It really makes the boat look on the same scale but really it much smaller. It is because of how I angled the shot and I really love it.
Settings:
I shot with my zoom 70-300mm lens again to achieve a nice clean shot. The aperture was 5.6, maybe a little on the small side as I was aiming to get all of the image focused. However, I shot on landscape and that is obviously what was best for the image. It does make the boat the focus point, which is understandable as it in in the forefront. I was fully zoomed in also so that could be a reason why it adjusted to that aperture. I usually would take a shot like this on my standard 18-55mm lens but due to the fact I was shooting with the zoom one, I did not have the other to hand. I was far away also, hence the long zoom, another factor that could of contributed to the lower aperture. It was such an opportunity that I could not pass up tho! The ISO once again being 100. Finally, the shutter speed was the same as the last funny enough, 800. This was appropriate for the shot due to the far zoom, but also the nature of the image, with the water in the front etc. It also has to compensate for the lower aperture too.
Edits:
Not many at all!
I lowered the luminance in the colour mixer, specifically for the dark blue. This brought out the clouds in the sky, highlighting the depth of it more; it not just being a blanket of whiteness.
I upped the dehaze tool. This improved the visibility of the sky also, darkening it to allow the clouds to stand out more.
Finally, I upped the colour noise reduction by a huge amount. This had to be done to compensate for the sky being more visible. The sky became grainy from this, so adding this removed that issue, smoothing the sky to make it look normal. This is the first time I have noticed it, so it is definitely something I would like to explore more in the future; how it works in general and if it would benefit other photos.
The final three images- definitely different from the others:)
I love shooting sunsets, you never get two the same. These three were shot at all different angles and times, but all during the same sunset. I love the variety in the colours and the contrast of the sea to the sky.
Settings:
The settings differ so much, even though they were all taken within a short period of time. The first was shot on my zoom lens so I could really capture the sun. The last two on my standard lens as they were more far away shots.
The ISO changed depending on the light. The first was 400, mainly due to the sun still being luminant. The second was 800, this was because most of the light had gone, only a small trace of the colours could be seen in the sky. Finally, the third was only 100. The colours do look more prominent in the picture but that was done in the editing stage. It was mostly light at the point in which it was taken, with it being one of the first of the evening.
The aperture of the first and second was nine and 10, the third being 5.6. I think it changed so much due to the zoom and what the focus of the image was. I am not a professional, so this one does have me a bit stumped!
Finally, the shutter speeds went in this order: 250, 200 and 125. The first is higher due to the zoom, the second a little lower due to less zoom but also there was more in the picture, and the same with the third really. Again, I am still learning so do not take my word for it.
Edits:
This will be less of a discussion as there are multiple images. Plus, I have blabbered a bit.
1:
I upped the blacks which lightened the image, but also made the grass in the forefront more visible.
Finally, I added a little colour noise reduction to just minimise any grains present in the sky that may be there due to the sunset.
2.
I lowered the exposure to remove any aspects that were overexposed.
I lowered the contrast to bring out the cliffs more and lighten the overall image.
I upped the blacks to lighten the darker areas; mainly the sea and the cliff edges. I wanted them to be a feature of the image.
I upped the dehaze tool slightly to add more definition to the sky, making the shine from the sun more apparent.
Finally, I upped the colour noise reduction. It was needed with all three really because of the types of images they are; a lot of contrasting colours are present.
3.
I lowered the exposure gradually, just to darken the image. It was quite overexposed so it was needed for sure.
I upped the contrast slightly to bring a little more light back to the places that needed it after the exposure was adjusted.
I lowered the highlights slightly just to lessen the brightness in the sky, the sun made some bits just a little too bright for my liking.
I upped the shadows which did the same thing as the highlights really, just brightened certain aspects.
I upped the blacks to remove any harsh dark patches that were present in the sea and rocks.
I upped the saturation a small amount. This help make the golden sky more vibrant, as some parts were lacking bold colour.
I did however lower the saturation specifically on the yellow colour also, as I wanted the colour to be the perfect balance between gold and pale yellow.
I lowered the dehaze tool slightly, just to smooth the sky out as the clouds were a little dark.
Finally, again I upped the colour noise reduction. For the same reason as the others.
That was how these 10 pictures came about:)
Wooo! That was all my images. What a long but detailed post. I loved chatting through each image as photography is such passion of mine. It may have bored those of you who are just here for the simple beauty, but the few who are here for the ins and outs, I hope you found it interesting or learnt something new! Or just simply enjoyed the chat.
I am not feeling too well but I just had to finish this and get it up for you. It was not a bother tho as I love writing. I will leave you all now, you must of had enough of me and my voice...
See ya next time, hopefully!
Stay safe and well, Lucy xoxoxo
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