It's that time againby
Frank BeckmanComment by karmat: My first impression is that this is a nice photograph. I absolutely love Christmas lights, and though some may question the "photojournalism" side of it, I can see how this would make the news in small towns or seasonal magazines.
I think the initial impact of the picture could be greatly increased, though, if you would choose one smaller piece, instead of trying to capture the whole thing. For example, the illuminated reindeer shot with a low camera angle, would make a nice picture as well. If you wanted to include the whole house, I would try to crop it so that the street doesn't show as much. The sidewalk leads the eyes up through the picture which is nice, but the street gives kinda slanted feeling to it. A 640 X 427 crop does some of this for you. Also, though I think I know why you did it, cropping the house on the right, and not on the left makes it feel unbalanced to me.
Technically, I think a larger aperture and slower shutter, if possible would make the focus sharper. If you can only control one, go for the larger aperture to make sure you have as great a dof as possible. I am assuming you were using a tripod, but if not, they are well worth it. If you do not have one, and do not want to buy one, resting the camera on top of a car or open mailbox door sometimes works well, if you can get the angle right.
Overall, I liked this picture, and it made me want to go out and look at lights in our community! Nice work.
