In your landscape photos

Jako8

Do photographers edit the clouds and the colour of the sky?

Because in so many landsacape (on here and other places) all the photos have big rolling clods that look awesome or perfect gradients in the sky.

I'm just curious as to how you do it? (If you do)

grrrrrrrrrr

Jako8 wrote: »

Do photographers edit the clouds and the colour of the sky?

Because in so many landsacape (on here and other places) all the photos have big rolling clods that look awesome or perfect gradients in the sky.

I'm just curious as to how you do it? (If you do)

I like clouds, they are like fluffy marshmallows. mmmmmmmmmm

Ghost Train

I wouldn't edit clouds (by putting in fake clouds), but if your capturing a bright sky over a dark landscape the range of light might be too much for the camera to capture well. The sky will get washed out or the land will look too dark.

You can do is use a graduated filter on the camera that darkens the top of the frame and gives you more even exposure over the frame.

If your shooting RAW you will have slightly more dynamic range and may be able to recover a washed out sky or dark landscape in postprocessing/photoshop.

Or you could take two or more photos, one with the sky exposed correctly, one with the land exposed correctly and merge the two shots to get one shot with correctly exposed sky and land.

Morrisseeee

Another good filter that is used is the Polarizing Filter, it works best at a 45 degree angle (from your subject to the sun), and it brings-out or enhanses the clouds and sky.

ColmDawson

I don't do much to my skies except for contrast and a bit of brightening or darkening.

On a more technical note ... is there anything fluffier than a cloud?

Paulw

ND grad filters or polarising filters work brilliantly on the sky. Well worth investing in.

Fenster

Chance light, polarizing filters, infrared filters, graduated filters, great backdrop...it really can happen in-camera.

PaulieC

Colm Dawson wrote: »

On a more technical note ... is there anything fluffier than a cloud?

fluff.

Morrisseeee

... is there anything fluffier than a cloud?

Jedward !! (FTW)

CabanSail

As stated above, a Polarising Filter can make a lot of difference to the look of a sky.

Correct exposure throughout the frame is also vital. Often in a Landscape the Dynamic Range is quite high with the sky being much brighter than the land. This is often beyond the range in Film & RAW Files. You can correct this by use of Neutral Density Graduated Filters or by using multiple exposures with various shutter speeds & then combining the images.

If the sky is not there on the day you can drop in a sky from another shot. This can be tricky to get it to match & some people will not consider it a proper approach & prefer the discipline of only taking what was there on the day.

Sleepy

Gradiated filters and Polarising filters for me...

I also have a bit of a cheat in that I have a gradiated filter which is a sky blue rather than a grey so I can make the sky bluer with it whilst leaving the landscape as is.