Short hike, waterfall pics blown out(5 img)

[tuthdoc99]

I went on a brief weekend visit to my parents (about an 8 hour drive) and decided to take a short hike to some falls I know. It had been raining buckets but quit just before I got to the trailhead. I took some quick shots but the rain was starting again so I didn't get to shoot any with my new ND filter......the histogram looked okay until I got a good look at it in my truck when I saw the huge spike at the far right (I thought it was the side of the display). As you can see, they are pretty blown out and pick up a magenta cast when I reduce the exposure settings in raw development to try to recapture some more of the water and these are the best I got. I think I got the best results on them when I desaturated them fully and played with the shadow and highlight contrast settings in RSE. All shot with E-500, ISO 100, ZD 14-45, RAW, custom WB...sure wish I had put the ND on. I will go there again next time I visit my folks, weather permitting, and won't even try these without using the ND first.
1 wide view color



2 wide view desaturated and fiddled with



3 close view color



4 close view desaturated and fiddled with



5 small section of the trail.



I will do better on these next time....these falls are too nice to not get a better image.
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I wish these trees weren't here, I want to see the forest!

 

[Henry Caron]

What did you meter for these photos?

Henry

 

[tuthdoc99]

I checked the exif, it looks like I was on spot metering. I thought I had it on center weighted and I was metered on the water not the adjacent rocks....should have used my hand, I guess. Also, I should have shot full manual, then I would have seen on the meter that they were not going to be good without the ND filter....I did these in S mode, 1/3 sec(the ones you see here), 1/2 sec and 1 sec all of course were at f22 because the lense would not stop down more.
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I wish these trees weren't here, I want to see the forest!

 

[EMale]

You can see an soupcon of magenta tone to the overall image on the colour ones.. and they have magenta streaks in the waterfall.

Where's that come from? Inaccurate Custom WB? Raw conversion?

I'm asking as I've never come across it before.
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[Henry Caron]

Agree with the need to have metered off the rocks, as for the colour cast try setting the white balace in raw to 6000 as it was a cloudy day.

Henry

 

[tuthdoc99]

I did custom WB with a white cardboard that I often use so I don't think it is that. I think the magenta came with the raw conversion in RSE. The farther to the left I pushed the EV from 0, the more pronounced the magenta became. If you like, I can post one with no changes in the RAW conversion at all.
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I wish these trees weren't here, I want to see the forest!

 

[tuthdoc99]

according to Olympus Master in RAW, the WB was 5600.
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I wish these trees weren't here, I want to see the forest!

 

[John_Radcliffe]

In tricky lighting, it's when the histogram looks OK that I check the Highlight warning just to be sure

 

[Dan]

well too bad it's such a long trip away...not too bad though. I look at these as good learning op's. You knew what you wanted to do when you got there, use the ND, but got a little distracted it seems. Start with your plan and then move away from that as you see stuff on the histogram.

Are you wondering about an E1 (or it's rumoured replacement) and 14 - 54 or 11 - 22 lens about now? The weather sealing is just a wonderful gift...I've seen it at a number of soccer games, weather gets bad quickly, away go the canons and nikons and I keep shooting with my E1! Visiting team's often ask how I can shoot in the rain! On trips its very nice too to know you don't have to keep it in perfect weather.

Dan

 

[malc56]

all the photos seem to have wonky horizons, unless its just how they were put on the computor i would make sure you keep the camera level. nice waterfall though

 

[tuthdoc99]

Malc56, the horizon is slightly down on the right....the only thing in the frame to truly reference by is the flat water on the left of the fall, the trees all lean in toward the water and the rocks curve down from erosion.

Dan, I do take this as a learning op, just disappointed that I didn't do better...but I was hurried because of the weather and didn't do all that I wanted....yes the E1 does look like a good idea with maybe the 14-54. The more images I take, the more I learn that I don't know enough or have forgotten things I did know. I will start utilizing the hilight warning more as well....maybe click through all the info settings when I start shooting just to see what is really going on.
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I wish these trees weren't here, I want to see the forest!