Peak to Peak Highway and Fall River Road, Colorado, USA

[Milehighguy]

A Fall day with a crystal blue, nearly cloudless sky provided an opportunity to explore and learn more about using my variable, polarizing filter and working with it in aperture priority. The filter "pops" the blues of the sky and golds of the leaves, plus can enhance running and standing water shots (among other things). I took about 130 pictures. The subjects pictures were taken mostly on the Peak to Peak Highway with a few on the unimproved, Fall River Road. I've got more to learn with using the filter which is sensitive to direction of use relative to the sun, "film type" settings, auto white balance, and post processing.
Camera: Nikon 3300, using 18-55mm and 55mm-200mm lens, selected pix with Promaster CPL HD filter.

1 - 1/50, f/14, ISO 200, 55mm, CPL filter

2 - 1/125, f/9.1, ISO 200, 85mm (using 55-200)

3 - 1/125, f/7.1, ISO 200, 24mm, CPL filter

4 - 1/160, f/9, ISO 200, 24mm, CPL filter

5 - 1/250, f/7.1, ISO 200, 24mm, CPL filter
There is a herd of elk at approx. 7 o'clock in this picture.

6 - 1/100, f/10, ISO 200, 50mm, CPL filter

7 - 1/125, f/7.1, ISO 200, 20mm, CPL filter

8 - 1/125, f/4.5, ISO 200, 18mm, CPL filter

[rpcrowe]

Lovely images of a beautiful area. When you mentioned a "variable, polarizing filter" I am assuming that this is a standard CPL in which the adjustments are done by rotating the filter.

Have you shot any of these in RAW? If not, I would suggest that you try RAW because of the control it will give you. The reason I asked about RAW is that you mention "film type settings" which I "think" are only available in JPEG.

I believe that in the 5th image (it would help to number the images so they can be referred to) you might have been shot using a wide focal length with your CPL. I say that because the sky is not even with the image left side less blue. This sometimes happens when using a CPL with a wide focal length lens.

All in all, very lovely images. I remember one-year chasing the aspens around Utah trying to get them when they were in their full golden glory. The elevation and their north-south location made the various areas show different colors.

[LePetomane]

Numbers 3, 4 & 6 tell me that winter is coming. Nicely done.

Coming from the east I always thought that fall colors were reserved for the New England states. Fall is the best time to be in the west.

[Milehighguy]

Richard ... Thanks for the helpful feedback! Yes I am using the CPL filter, a couple of the articles I have read on use of the filter use the "variable" or similar term. All pictures were shot in RAW. You are absolutely right about the "film type settings" ... jpeg only ... showing my learning curve in action??!! (I was thinking, perhaps, the film type might influence the filter's effect ... really a non-issue of course.) Thank you. Concerning the wide focal length, again you are absolutely on target as to my need to be more careful on setting up the framing with the filter. Working with my results in the field this was not necessarily clear, but certainly event in production. Appreciate the confirmation of the non-sat result. Regards ...

[Milehighguy]

Paul...Thanks.

[AlwaysOnAuto]

I seem to remember a Fall River on my journeys this past summer going to/from Kansas City. I think it was on the return portion of the trip when I took I-70 all the way across Colorado east to west. It was way too hot back then for me to stop and smell the roses I'm afraid. Nice shots, it has turned colors since I was there.

[rpcrowe]

The Western States have some lovely scenery. Here is a gallery of my shots from Arizona, Utah and parts of California.

A CPL filter is almost mandatory for shooting in these areas.

https://rpcrowe.smugmug.com/Other/DE...WEST/i-c8q7sNq

[Shadowman]

Nice shots.

[joebranko]

Beautiful images. Love the colours.

[Milehighguy]

Alan ... thanks for the comments.

[Milehighguy]

Richard ... I just visited your website. You certainly are far more advanced than I in making a much more smooth, natural shot using a CPL filter; perhaps one of my examples gets close to any of yours. I appreciate this comes with doing the work. Thanks for the fine examples and feedback.

[Milehighguy]

Thanks, Joe.

[Milehighguy]

Thanks, John

[madcrow]

Roger, I know very little about filters but I know good images when I see them and your are really good. A joy to look at.

[rpcrowe]

When one first uses a CPL filter, it just might be advantageous to shoot with exposure bracketing using either a half or full stop between exposures. Sometimes a stop or two will help the image. A half stop bracket will give you a full stop between the brightest and darkest image (from 1/2 stop over the meter reading to 1/2 stop below the meter reading) while a one stop bracket will give you two stops from the brightest to the darkest capture.

Additionally, the temptation is to adjust the CPL for he greatest impact. Often a bit less than maximum with a half or third stop exposure increase gives a nice rendition, especially of a contrasty scene.

I have been a fan of bracketing exposures ever since I attended a presentation by a National Geographic photographer (forgot his name but remember his presentation) in the 1960's who presented the concept of exposure bracketing to me for the first time. I was absolutely awed at the number of images

Of course, he was shooting Kodachrome transparency film at that time which had little or no exposure latitude. I could never afford to racket exposures using film but, began when I got my first digital camera...

Bracketing has been an adjunct to my photography whenever exposures are iffy. However when I need to do burst shooting - such as in airshows or sports, I don't use the bracketing as a tool. Neither do I use it in flash work. Much of my flash work is done with the camera in manual and the flash in auto TTL...

[Milehighguy]

Wow Richard, I was just going to poise questions about doing what you suggest with bracketing and exposure stops. This is very good, usable advice which is greatly appreciated. I can certainly see about the over-adjusting of the filter. On initial use of the filter, I have not been pleased with seeing a little too much of the effect. Your comments bear this out with methods to avoid it. Neat!!

[NorthernFocus]

Really a nice set, Roger. Awesome colors.

Since you are shooting RAW then your processing is the cause of some visible artifacts in the sky in some of your images. Two simple things that eliminate 99 percent of such issues:
1) process in 16 bit color mode
2) make sharpening the last step of your workflow

[Milehighguy]

Dan ... Thanks very much. I'm going into my PS Elements 14 right now and check on the set-up/defaults I've been thoughtlessly using. More great nuggets of useful, helpful info from a member. (The feedback from all has been wonderful ... learning a lot.)

[bnnrcn]

Very nice scenes Roger

[Milehighguy]

Thanks, Binnur.