Some wonderful shots. I very much enjoy seeing your photos and settings.

This has been an interesting thread to follow, especially since solo does most of his outings in the local mountains. All the info from you two is very detailed, which is appreciated though not easy to put into practice. My pack always seems heavy as it is, so I've switched to a Panasonic GH3, and don't carry a tripod. I'm finding it difficult to progress beyond hand-held photography, though do value the pictures I get to use as slideshows on my desktop. Is there something to be said for simple snapshots, or does it become a waste of time once you become more skilled?

A couple examples from Outram earlier in the season, with flaws included.

Not a waste. Only waste is photo you could take but you didn't. Also all the "fancy" gear is just a supplement, not main ingredient. Tripod is obviously essential for long exposure shots etc. but even for that one can compromise (steady camera on rock, use higher ISO, etc). What matters most is love for photography & desire to capture the moment and then share it with others. Rest follows naturally.



This is great photo. What would make it even better is slightly different composition (horizon is right in the middle, so what am I looking at? Sky or foreground? Or both?). In other words I'd crop top 25-30% of the frame, because focus is these awesome low lying clouds on mountain peaks. Then some post-processing enhancements (I'd make sky bit darker, and clouds bit brighter to further emphasize dramatic effect. Then I'd try to bring up a bit shadows in lower part of the frame because it is a bit too dark right now). But shot is great because you had right conditions and you took it.

It depends on what your priorities are and what you want out of an outing. Since you're a hardcore hiker, with little time to rest, snapshots are the types of shots you can get by with however they can be improved by following some basic. As Zeljkok had alluded, the composition can be improved by the placement of the subject. For example, by tilting the camera down to include more foreground and less clouds unless the clouds are interesting. The lighting you had for the first shot was good but the sky was not interesting. I always think in terms of including foreground, middle ground and background in most of my shots. I rarely shoot towards the sun since I don't have good lens and photoshop to take care of the lens flare. Instead, I would wait until later in the day when the sun moved. Investing in a software program (there might be some free ones) can do wonders in lightening up the mountains to enhance some of the detail.
For myself, I have progressed from simple snapshots since my goal is to try and capture the best photo on an outing rather than being concerned about arriving at a certain destination. Granted, I've gone on outings whereby the light was not ideal and come away with no good photos and thus they just get deleted. The experience of being outdoors has become secondary to photography. I can't see myself taking snapshots anymore unless I want to just document my trips. I guess it would seem ridiculous to most hikers that after going out on a trip that I would be happy with at least one good photo rather than a dozen ordinary shots that I would end up deleting but as I mentioned, it depends on what you value the most on a hike.
I also went to Mt. Outram recently but only as far as the lake. I spent my time, once out of the forest, concentrating on photographing.

Dew on the meadow, Mt. Outram trail
Nikon D90, iso 200, f16, 1/60 sec, 16 – 85 mm Nikkor DX @ 38 mm
A single raw shot processed with ACDSee pro 8.
Hiking up the trail, I immediately saw the water droplets glistening on the foliage which appear as frosty patches in this colorful meadow. This shot was hand held with the lens Vibration Reduction (VR) turned on. VR provides up to 4 stops slower shutter speed to avoid blurred images. I probably didn't need it since I was shooting at 1/60 sec but it added insurance and I don't have that steady hands.

Window through the clouds, Mt. Outram trail
Nikon D90, iso 200, f16, 1/125 sec, 16 – 85 mm Nikkor DX @ 16 mm.
A single raw shot processed with ACDSee pro 8.
I didn't use any ND Grad filter but instead checked the histogram to avoid the highlights being blown out which meant the raw shot was a bit dark. This concerned me a bit since the camera does not have good dynamic range as my other camera and noise is more of a problem.
Taking this shot was a matter of waiting since the mountain was totally obscured with the clouds drifting constantly. I think the composition is good with the foreground of grass, although I wished there was more wildflowers, the middle ground of trees and background of clouds and mountain.

Slopes of Mt. Outram
Nikon D90, iso 200, f16, 1/80 sec, 16 – 85 mm Nikkor DX @ 22 mm
A single raw shot processed with ACDSee pro 8.
Not the best shot composition wise but the lighting was very nice thanks to the drifting clouds in the sky. By the way, when I compare the photo on this website and look at my computer monitor, the website doesn't do justice. Here, it appears to lack the vibrancy and the colors are less saturated????

Thanks for the commentary Zeljkok and Solo75, there are some good points to listen to. It's possible more people are interested in this thread than it may seem, but feel it would be difficult to contribute much to the discussion. Some great stuff here, keep on adding more

One thing I have learnt from some pro photographers is to differentiate your photos when taking landscape shots from the same locations as others. One way to do this is to look for a unique composition or shoot under weather conditions that give dramatic appeal. By following that advice, your photos won't look the same as everyone else.
I prefer a lot of drama to a landscape since those types of photos don't look mundane however weather conditions dictate how successful you'll be. Extraordinary weather conditions don't occur often but when it does, I like to take advantage of the situation. One thing I am grateful for this year is the weather has been variable compared to last year. Constant sunny days with heat really kills my appetite for photography.
The following photographs were taken at several viewpoints along the Porcupine (Goat) Peak trail which overlooks Lindeman Lake. Initially, there was a thick blanket of drifting clouds which meant waiting for some clearing to occur before capturing the scene. The clouds were drifting fast which meant taking multiple exposures impractical. When 10 am arrived, the sun had dissipated most of the clouds and the sun shone. That's when my photography ended but I also included a clear (sunny) shot of Lindeman Lake which appeals to most people but is not my preferred shot.

Nikon D90, iso 200, f14, 1/160 sec, Tokina 11 – 16 mm @ 11 mm
Auto focused, Lee 2 stop ND Grad filter (soft), Exposure Compensation ( -1.00 ev). The selected exposure value (ev) was required in addition to the ND Grad filter to prevent the highlights (cloud) from being blown out (after checking histogram).
A single raw shot processed with ACDSee pro 8. With my camera in Aperture Priority mode, the shutter speed essentially doubles going from ev value of 0.00 to -1.00. The ev value of -1.00 really darkens the image when exposing for the clouds therefore the raw shot was quite dark. This brought considerable (luminance) noise in the dark areas when the image was lightened up so noise reduction (NR) was applied. The built in NR from the ACDSee pro is not the best.
The base iso for the D90 camera is 200 and even then noise was apparent. It's no secret that a higher iso amplifies the noise. Compare my Nikon D800 which has a base iso of 100 and with greater dynamic range & megapixels, the image quality would have been better but it's not bad of an image for an 11 year old camera.

Nikon D90, iso 200, f14, 1/160 sec, Tokina 11 – 16 mm @ 11 mm
Auto focused, Lee 2 stop ND Grad filter (soft), Exposure Compensation ( -0.67 ev).
A single raw shot processed with ACDSee pro 8. Noise reduction applied.
One of the challenging steps in post-processing an image with a lot of highlights is creating enough separation (contrast) with the dark mountain in the background. It's easy to be too aggressive with those sliders. Some of my previous post-processing were not that good as it showed banding in the clouds and sky. The outdated and lack of functionality of the ACDSee pro 8 software doesn't help either. Often times I need to re-process difficult raw shot again, after looking at it sometime later, because it doesn't look quite right. It can take 4 attempts before I am satisfied with the results.

Nikon D90, iso 200, f14, 1/100 sec, Tokina 11 – 16 mm @ 11 mm
Auto focused, Lee 2 stop ND Grad filter (soft), Exposure Compensation ( -0.67 ev).
A single raw shot processed with ACDSee pro 8. Noise reduction applied.
One of the problems with photographing in a restricted space is the lack of being mobile in setting up the camera for a good composition. When you're faced with a drop-off in front and bushes around you just have to make the best of it. Where the branch trail ended at this viewpoint, the tree on the left had several branches poking above the foreground rock which I thought would be distracting; I wanted the tree trunk showing so that the landscape is framed by the other tree on the right so I squeezed my way down a bit and under the boulder for a more clear shot.

Nikon D90, iso 200, f16, 1/50 sec, Tokina 11 – 16 mm @ 11 mm
Auto focused, Lee 2 stop ND Grad filter (soft), Exposure Compensation ( 0.00 ev).
A single raw shot processed with ACDSee pro 8.
This shot turned out pretty good despite the sun but the light was kind of diffuse with a thin layer of cloud covering it. I like the way the rocks in the foreground point towards the background. The photograph was taken at 11:11 am when the sun was in a favorable position due south. Earlier on in the morning, the sun is due east and the mountain slope on the right in dark shadow.

Although titled "Photos from my outings", this great thread has grown into general photography discussion too. So here is something I found today on Shutterstock photography Forum & I think all the peeps here might find interesting; it is fairly good discussion about focusing and depth of field. Most important part is in bold, around the middle - so even if you skim through this, read that part.

I probably should have titled it 'Discussions on my photos'

That's a great article especially when describing the size of the universe as it relates to the depth of field and type of lens (wide-angle vs macro or telephoto).

Kokanee Creek Canyon, Kokanee Creek Park
Nikon D800, iso 6400, f22, 0.67 sec, 18 – 35 mm Nikkor lens @ 35 mm
Auto focused using an estimate of hyperfocal distance.
A single raw shot processed with ACDSee pro 8.
Not so much a great shot but rather I wanted to showcase what happens when a bad image is taken with a capable camera and processed to give good results. Normally, any camera can be used under ideal lighting conditions to give good images but a camera with a good sensor can perform better at high iso.
I had no intention of using such a high iso but sometimes when I'm always quickly adjusting for either the aperture, shutter speed and f stop, the wrong adjustments can be done by accident. In this case, I somehow had the camera on auto iso rather than manual. Since it was early morning and I was using a polarizing filter which reduces the light by about 2 f-stops the camera automatically boosted the iso up to 6400 without me noticing since I always have the camera in aperture priority mode and only notice the shutter speed changes. However, herein lies the difference between the Nikon D800 in which the maximum useable iso is 6400 versus the Nikon D90 where iso 800 is the max. The photograph was indeed quite noisy, when viewed at 100%, and the only available noise removal (NR) is built into the ACDSee pro 8; not the best. I had to put it through NR twice and each time I needed to sharpen the photo since NR softens the image and there is some loss of detail but the photo turned out pretty good. There are better NR software which reduces luminance and chromatic noise while preserving detail.

Mountain reflection, Kokanee Glacier Park
Nikon D800, iso 125, f16, 1/20 sec, 18 – 35 mm Nikkor lens @ 18 mm
Lee 2 stop ND Grad filter (soft)
Auto focused using an estimate of hyperfocal distance.
A single raw shot processed with ACDSee pro 8.
The problem with photographing landscape is hoping that the location I chose is the ideal place to capture good lighting. I had scouted out this area during the day; a small tarn surrounded by grass and boulders and sheltered enough from wind for a nice reflection. My plan B was to photograph at Kaslo Lake, a short distance away. When evening arrived, clouds had started building up in the sky to the east where the sun would set over the mountain ridge. The light was diffuse and made the scenery look flat and uninteresting; no drama at all. I didn't think I would get the good light falling on the mountain peak so I walked the short distance to Kaslo Lake and set up my tripod there. At least I would get some nice cloud reflection on the calm water. At some point, I glanced back and through the trees I saw the mountain lit up so I ran back to the small tarn. I took 17 shots while the fleeting light lit up the ridge and/or peak, here and there, over a span of 12 minutes. Since the main focus of this composition was the peak reflection, I chose the shot where the light lit up the peak only. The dark ominous clouds provided a moody atmosphere and it was the start of a thunderstorm that raged throughout the night.

Kaslo Lake, Kokanee Glacier Park
Nikon D800, iso 125, f16, 1/30 sec, 18 – 35 mm Nikkor lens @ 24 mm
Lee 2 stop ND Grad filter (soft)
Auto focused using an estimate of hyperfocal distance.
A single raw shot processed with ACDSee pro 8.
This was my plan B shot and the light initially didn't happen because of the clouds drifting in but I waited patiently until breaks in the clouds provided enough fleeting light to light up the forest to the right for a brief moment. As far as composition goes, there wasn't much choice on where to photograph since the shoreline was limited but I made sure to include foreground rocks and have the trees hide Kokanee Glacier Cabin in the background. I prefer not having any man-made objects in my photos if I can help it.


Old growth forest, Retallack Cedars Trail
Nikon D800, iso 200, f16, ½ sec, 18 – 35 mm Nikkor lens @ 24 mm
Auto focused on the nearest tree trunk.
A single raw shot processed with ACDSee pro 8.
This is a short trail in the West Kootenays located between New Denver and Kaslo and it offers a chance for a relaxing walk in one of the few remaining old growth forests in BC. Photographing inside the forest is so challenging because the landscape is so chaotic. I concentrated on a tight shot with a few cedars and took advantage of the reflected light on their trunks. I was bit annoyed that it was a bright sunny day so I had to walk around and position the camera so that the sunlight was in the background and not lighting up the trees which would have produced a dappled harsh contrasty light. However, the light in the background did help separate and define each tree nicely but later on as the sun rose higher it penetrated all of the forest to produce harsh light and dark shadows.


Trout Lake
Nikon D800, iso 200, f11, 1/3 sec, 18 – 35 mm Nikkor lens @ 35 mm
Auto focused on the forested slopes.
Lee 2 stop ND grad filter (soft)
A single raw shot processed with ACDSee pro 8.
A simple reflection taken just after 6 am during the start of sunrise where I photographed at the south end of Trout Lake located between Kaslo and Beaton. Early morning is usually ideal for reflections since wind is not problematic. What I particularly liked about the colors is the warm pink contrasting with the cooler blue.


Mt. Begbie
Nikon D800, iso 200, f16, 1/90 sec, 18 – 35 mm Nikkor lens @ 19 mm
Auto focused using an estimate of hyperfocal distance.
Lee 2 stop ND grad filter (soft)
A single raw shot processed with ACDSee pro 8.
The day started out cloudy but cleared up during my hike up. I wasn't happy about the bright sunny day when I reached the alpine. Since this was the first time hiking this trail I wasn't familiar where to take photos so I walked around until I saw a small tarn. The water was more calm during the early morning to produce a better reflection but the sky was plain blue color and boring. Late morning saw some clouds drifting over Mt. Begbie and towards the sun. The sunlight was a bit diffuse but a slight breeze prevented a good reflection. What made up for that issue was the nice cloud formation.


Sutherland Falls, Blanket Creek Park
Nikon D800, iso 800, f13, 1 sec, 18 – 35 mm Nikkor lens @ 26 mm
Auto focused using an estimate of hyperfocal distance.
Circular Polarizing Filter
A single raw shot processed with ACDSee pro 8.
An easily accessible waterfall with not many vantage points. There is a chain link fence, at the end of the trail, which gives direct views of the falls but I bypassed it and headed down to the boulders for a slightly angled view. I even scrambled up to the top of the cliffs to where the water drops but didn't see any good compositions. I think a bit more volume of water with it spilling over the foreground boulders would have been nice. Waterfalls tend to create its own draft therefore I had to boost the iso to 800 in order to shorten the shutter speed otherwise the vegetation on the right would have been quite blurred. I had to clean up some noise in the dark areas when the image was lightened up.


Low clouds, Lindeman Lake
Nikon D90, iso 200, f11, 1/6 sec, 16 – 85 mm Nikkor DX @ 85 mm
Auto focused
A single raw shot processed with ACDSee pro 8.
A zoom lens works wonders in compressing a scene and focusing on the clouds swirling through the trees on the mountainside. The goal was to shoot often until there was just the right combination of visible trees and clouds. This, of course, depends on one's personal choice.

Gargoyles, Lindeman Lake
Nikon D90, iso 200, f11, 1/50 sec, 16 – 85 mm Nikkor DX @ 85 mm
Auto focused
A single raw shot processed with ACDSee pro 8.
A zoom shot up to the gargoyles above Lindeman Lake. It was just a matter of patiently waiting for the clouds to depart a little. Although I did take more clear shots of the rock pinnacles, I prefer this one as it gives them a ghostly character. I converted the shot to black and white since there wasn't much color in the original.

Excellent shots, as usual. Thanks for posting these with all the info. I have input a maximum of 4000 ISO in my Nikon D500 as that's the most I deem acceptable for noise. I only shoot auto ISO when shooting wildlife, but sometimes I forget to change it. This shot of the grizzly cubs was taken at low light and during a rain storm. I'm happy with it as I don't find the noise excessive. https://forums.clubtread.com/attachm...270634&thumb=1

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I don't know how you get these griz shots, but this is not first time. Every one is a stunner.


ISO is separate discussion. Reading that this is ISO6400




There must be grain, and significant amount of it, when blown up to 100% (Image is very nice though, even if you say average)
Max ISO I shoot with is 640, and even that very rarely and only if I have no other choice. Normally it is 160 or 125. Noise really bothers me & just about any image I process I end up using both Photoshop "Reduce Noise" Filter and Blur tool for the sky. Apparently I am isolated case judging by comments in photography forums

The D500 is a very capable camera from what I had read from reviews. It probably would have been my preferred camera if I would not had bought the D800. I had read that some people have used up to iso 6400 with good results for the D500.

The raw image was grainy. Despite the poor quality noise reduction feature of the ACDSee pro, it did a good job of eliminating grain after running the image through twice. I had read that one pro photographer had used iso 10,000 on the Nikon D800 for a night time aurora shot but cleaned the noise up quite well with Photoshop. I wouldn't be afraid of noise in my image if it can be cleaned up however a better NR software would have done a better job.

The D500 paired with the Nikkor 200-500 is a match made in heaven for wildlife photography. I find that the back button focusing is a godsend. With the camera being able to shoot 10 FPS in raw I find that I don't miss a lot of action. I took 850 pictures of the griz and hers cubs and only a few were out of focus. I use shutter priority and have it set for 1/1000 with 5.6 Fstop, with is maximum on that lens. Most pictures were at iso 4000 with some being 2800 iso. I don't use the D500 for landscape very often as its a dedicated wildlife camera. I also have the Nikon D7000 and a Sony RX100 for landscapes.

Thats how you get these griz shots. I thought there must be quite a zoom. I wish I had 500mm lens. I got CANON EF 70-300MM F4-5.6 L IS USM LENS & it is superb optically but still not close enough, and at 300mm reasonably slow with F5.6. Canon has several 500mm or better lenses but they are dear & only affordable for pros, not in recreationalist domain