Eagle Lake

This is the first good photo I took using an ND filter. I thought it'd come out

different, but it wasn't windy enough for the water to look misty. Also, I

don't like that the sky looks like it's washed out. It wasn't -- that's what the

sky looked like that the time. It was rainy! Still, the shot doesn't look as

well as I would've hoped. What do you think?

The composition is spot on with nice foreground detail and balance throughout.

Where I think you may have gone wrong is with the choice of filter. 

In this situation a ND Grad filter used on its own or in conjunction the the ND filter you have employed may have been a a better choice to help balance the light. 

A polarising filter may have been another alternative to cut down on the glare from the water. 

I am also wondering if a long exposure in this instance was a good option, if there was a chance of the wind dropping I would have gone for a shot with consequential reflections.

Of course the photographer is always in the best place to judge these things and I am only offering suggestions.

Compliments & Best Regards

Alf 

PS The larger view of this image should really be seen to be fully appreciated! 

Alf,

I dont know if a grad filter would've helped. The day was pretty gloomy. It was about to snow and there was no blue in the sky at all. At the same time, I've never used a grad filter so I may be wrong!

It's interesting that you mentioned the polarizing filter because, now that you mention it, I did use it. I mean, I tried to use it. I put it on and took the picture, and when I looked at it, there were black/blue marks on the corners of the image. First I thought it was the ND filter because when I used the polarizer alone, it didn't have the black stuff on the edges. It looked like a dark vignette with blue edges. I messed with it for a while and then just gave up and just used the ND. What was wrong with the polarizer? Do you know? 

There was probably nothing actually wrong with the polariser, but they are subject to patchy colouration, and particularly on plain sky's. Even blue sky's without cloud can result in terrible patchy colour that is most difficult to remove PP.  Filter stacking can also accentuate this effect.  

But if you rotate the polariser whilst looking through the viewfinder you should be able to see the darkening effect it has on the sky / water and make your choices from there.

Maybe using the polariser without the ND filter would have been a better choice.

Another way around issue without using filters at all, is to bracket 3 or more images at 1 EV apart and blend them in PS.

Alternatively underexpose the image and then reclaim the detail from the shadows in software such as Adobe Lightroom.  

It's all about experimentation and finding out what works best for you. 

One last suggestion would be to add a graduated filter to this image PP, that is to say the one available in Lightroom which can be asjusted to suit the scene.

Regards 

Alf 

Anne,   I'll leave the discussion of filters to you and Alf.  His critiques are excellent.  For me, you have an excellent composition and interesting image.  You could try processing what you have here as an HDR image using Photoshop or another program.  Harold Davis tutorial on PN or his book on taking HDR images can be real helpful if you need it.  Nice image here.  Larry