How goes your landscaping this summer?

PixelTrawler

Because mine isn't really going anywhere.
Cloud, cloud or rain. Seems every time I pack the the camera in the car it clouds over. April was nice and got out a few times but May and June has been pretty bad. MT's forecast for the next few days isn't looking good either as regards cloudy conditions

Based in the west so not sure if we're getting the worst of it this summer?

So in general for those that shoot landscapes, how has the conditions affected you the last two months... any areas of the country holding up better than others..

Anyone got any nice samples of landscapes taken in overcast conditions?

greeneyedspirit

summer, what summer? :rolleyes:
yeah the landscaping hasn't really gone anywhere in the last two months, I looked through my shots last night and saw to my absolute disgust that the last time I was out shooting landscapes was the end of April sad.

I don't mind clouds so much, that said, just rain... clouds can be good:


out west myself, btw - this is Fanore beach sometime during the spring I think.

Necronomicon

I've also struggled a little on very overcast/dull days. I'd love to hear how others offset the effect of an uninteresting sky. I even started dipping my toe in the HDR waters to bring out as much detail in the sky as I could when it was very cloudy and dull:



In general I've converted them to B&W, because I find it hard to create colour versions that don't look wholly absurd. Below is one of the only colour shots that I kept:



Not sure if it's what you're looking for OP, but I have found that multiple exposures can give a dull setting more punch. Both of the above are handheld using bracketing and continuous drive mode, with any misalignments corrected by Photomatix.

11811

Yeah finding it hard alright, anytime I spot some nice weather its cloudy by the time you grab the camera!

Moody B&W stuff is all I seem to able to capture well with the relentless grey clouds...

Borderfox

Seems to be a lot more stormy this summer so that always makes for a good shot

This Year - From Howth


Last Year - Howth

hbr

Got a few on a recent trip to Kerry

Solyad wrote: »

Because mine isn't really going anywhere.
Cloud, cloud or rain. Seems every time I pack the the camera in the car it clouds over.

Clouds can be good. Especially at night.

magicbastarder

i dunno. i've become kinda bored with taking sun spangled sunrises and nice sunsets. i've been seeking out more mundane stuff, mainly in b&w. certainly not meeting with unmitigated success.

mehfesto

First year I've been into it anyway seriously. Got these so far and while they're not fantastic, they make me happy!







Feel I've boxed myself into a certain style here, though.

magicbastarder

i really like the toning on them. the first one is on malahide beach, yeah? i was out that way saturday before last.

mehfesto

magicbastarder wrote: »

i really like the toning on them. the first one is on malahide beach, yeah? i was out that way saturday before last.

Sure is. Deliberately went out to photograph them 'things' in particular. The third is my favourite, but it's not as sharp as I'd like. I've no idea how to get back there, unfortunately... Was somewhere along Military road direction in Wicklow.

Gonna hit Skerries next week, I reckon.

magicbastarder

is that on the rod from the sally gap down towards brittas/blessington?

PixelTrawler

Some nice samples here all - some clouds are nice, in fact you want some clouds as all blue can be boring too...

But heavy grey cloud is so hard to work with. It can work for some shots but its pretty limited.

Like for example this sky is reasonably nice


Glenveagh National Park

But this sky ruined this shot (was dying to get to this beach for ages)


Portsalon Beach

Ironically its lovely out now and I have to drive to dublin this evening...

Heres hoping july and august is much better. April was quite nice... really thought it was going to be a nice summer for outdoors...

PixelTrawler

mehfesto wrote: »

Feel I've boxed myself into a certain style here, though.

Nice shots there...

It's not you, its the weather. It limits the creative opportunites so much that you get restricted into this kind of shot. And when your galleries start to fill up with loads looking the same... its gets as drab as the cloud

PixelTrawler

greeneyedspirit wrote: »

Great shot that, lovely use of rule of thirds there. Classic two thirds one third....

MobyDick

Some from Wicklow yesterday. Turned out better than last time when there was pretty much no clouds in the sky,


Wicklow by Paul Butler14, on Flickr


Panorama by Paul Butler14, on Flickr

magicbastarder

Solyad wrote: »

It's not you, its the weather. It limits the creative opportunites so much that you get restricted into this kind of shot. And when your galleries start to fill up with loads looking the same... its gets as drab as the cloud

do people not find sunrises and sunsets as overdone in the end though? technically, they can be harder because of the increased contrast, and aesthetically, they can be cliched and chocolate-boxy; these days, i hanker after a good mist.

okmqaz42

I do enjoy a sunset ; )



And clouds can be nice!

PixelTrawler

magicbastarder wrote: »

do people not find sunrises and sunsets as overdone in the end though? technically, they can be harder because of the increased contrast, and aesthetically, they can be cliched and chocolate-boxy; these days, i hanker after a good mist.

yip I guess the same applies if you had a gallery of sunsets too. Variety is the key... bloody weather is limiting variety... hard to beat a good mist too (with a sunrise!)