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DPChallenge Forums >> Tips, Tricks, and Q&A >> Shooting blue skys
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Showing posts 1 - 14 of 14, (reverse)
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 09/27/2005 07:46:51 AM · #1
I have noticed several of the top photos from the Destinations challenge have very nice blue skys. Is there a trick to getting the sky to turn out with the deep colors?
 09/27/2005 07:48:15 AM · #2
Most likely circular polarizing filter. Could also be some Photoshop play there as well, but I'm not sure.
 09/27/2005 07:52:57 AM · #3
This image:



Though not in a challenge was shot without a polarizing filter. I made the blues in the sky a little bluer by bumping the blue & cyan saturation to about +20. Although it looked pretty good to me when it came out of the camera.
 09/27/2005 08:02:41 AM · #4
Just making sure the exposure is correct goes a long way toward getting blue skies. Also, making sure you're not metering on some darker foreground element, which would tend to blow the brighter skies.


(I think I used a CP also in this photo)


(definitely no CP on this one)

Message edited by author 2005-09-27 08:04:45.
 09/27/2005 08:28:08 AM · #5
As the others have said, but the polarizer is a definite plus to the skies and it also deepens other colours too.


09/27/2005 08:39:08 AM · #6
In winter u have darker blue sky's.. That helps too
If the sky i took not satisfy me, then I adjust in Photoshop with Contrast and Levels.
 09/27/2005 08:41:44 AM · #7
on my entry I didn't use a polarizer, I made the blues a bit darker with selective color. In the original it allready had the nice blue sky, It was taken at around 5:00pm so the sky didn't come out white.
 09/27/2005 11:49:40 AM · #8
Thanks everyone, this has been very helpful!
 09/27/2005 12:02:28 PM · #9
I have discovered that it helps to keep an "eye" on where the sun is positioned in the sky. I have found it much easier to capture a rich blue sky color with the sun at my back or off to the side of one of my shoulders and that it is much more difficult to do so when the sun is in front of the lense and the sun is high in the sky.

In my Portfolio, this following image was taken fairly early in the morning. In post processing I lightly touched the blue and cyan channels to give the sky a richer feel. There was no filter used for this shot.



This second shot was much less blue then the first shot initially, due to the sun just beginning to get in front of my right shoulder when I took the shot. This was still taken before 10am and thus ended up leaving some nice blue in the sky. I used a polarizing filter with this shot.


This last shot, before I really knew much was also taken just before noon and as you can see from the shadows on the hotel the sun was off my right shoulder and a slight bit behind and above me. There was no filter used for this shot.





I have taken a number of other shots, trying to capture some blue sky, but found nothing but a blown out white sky, because I wasn't mindful of the sun, time of day and didn't have any filters.

Message edited by author 2005-09-27 12:22:31.
 09/27/2005 12:06:25 PM · #10
Shot with a CPL as well.

09/27/2005 12:06:26 PM · #11
Just to add to this conversation I have a question about using a circular polarizer to make the sky more blue. When I use mine the sky seems to fade from a dark blue in the upper left corner and then fades to a lighter blue. I know it's due to the polarizer, but wasn't sure if there is a way to prevent this to get even color. Anybody know any tricks?

Here is an extreme example after playing with it:
09/27/2005 12:18:38 PM · #12
Originally posted by JayWalk:
Just to add to this conversation I have a question about using a circular polarizer to make the sky more blue. When I use mine the sky seems to fade from a dark blue in the upper left corner and then fades to a lighter blue. I know it's due to the polarizer, but wasn't sure if there is a way to prevent this to get even color. Anybody know any tricks?

Here is an extreme example after playing with it:


It's a function of how wide your lens is. The polarization effect is at a maximum when the sun's at right angles to the axis of your lens. With a very wide-angle lens if you set up at right angles to the sun then the sun's at 90 degrees in the center of your image but it's at 45 degrees on the extreme near side and 135 degrees on the extreme far side. Does that make sense? I mean, it makes sense in the sense that it's a fact, but can you visualize it from my description?

To see what I'm talking about, set your cam up on a tripod with a moderate telephoto pointed at a clear blue sky. Set up so the sun is off your right (or left) shoulder and adjust the polarizer for maximum darkening. Now keep your eye on the viewfinder and start panning around and watch the sky change color; that's the effect I'm referring to.

Here's a shot arngrimur did with a 10mm lens and a circular polarizer, unedited original from the camera; see how it's darker in the center of the sky and how the shape of the darkness is an inverted vee?



To a certain extent this can be corrected in Photoshop but it's tricky. In the below quick correction, I selected for the sky and used a large, soft brush to dodge the darker areas to as even as possible. The I applied a blue-to-transparent gradient and faded that:



This was discussed a little bit in the Landscape/Natural light Mentorship thread, although no more deeply than I have just done here.

Hope this helps,

Robt.
 09/27/2005 12:18:43 PM · #13
As everyone has mentioned, using the polarizer can do that.
Keep in mind that it is not very effective unless at right angles to the sun.

Here is an example of being at just the right angle (pun):

When you shoot wide angles, and/or are not at right angles,
angular gradients in the sky will be seen like this:


There is another way to darker the skies in Photoshop though.
Image, Adjustments, Selective color, open the drop-down box and scroll down to the Cyan. Go to the bottom slider (black) and add 20%. Go back to the drop-down and select Blue and repeat sliding the bottom black slider to 20%. Do both the Cyan and Blue at same amounts to keep some of the banding from forming. You can repeat this process several times too, and it's better to do it in smaller increments than to try and add 50-100% at one time as blotching in the sky will occur.
 09/29/2005 03:28:46 PM · #14
Depending on the scene you are shooting, you can also look into a graduated neutral density filter. This will help the sky from being blown out.
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