Critiques are welcome for my Sunrise photo

Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS USM

11/21/2003 08:27:31 AM · #1

Hello,

I am a beginner photographer, and I would like to learn more about photography. Yesterday I made a photo of a Sunrise: I have a totally automatic camera - HP PhotoSmart 318 - and I can't adjust anything but the flash. I know there are some strange effects on this shot that I couldn't help, but I am really curious about your comments and critiques. Positive and negative are welcome as well. Thank you very much,

Marta

Marjo

Canon EOS-7D

11/21/2003 09:00:49 AM · #2

Hello Marta,
I think I will always be a beginner...there's so much to learn.
I like your capture. Good job. I can't remember the last time I shot a sunrise, I'm not a morning person. I don't think the darkness on the left side or top adds anything and I would crop it tighter. Just leave a hint of the black.

Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS USM

11/21/2003 09:24:55 AM · #3

Marjo, thank you very much for your helpful advice. You have right, there is always something to learn, and we have always new chances to get better and better.

I just tried another crop of the shot, I have trashed some blacks from the left and top. What about this one? Or shoult I try it even tighter?

Marjo

Canon EOS-7D

11/21/2003 09:55:52 AM · #4

The crop looks great! Much more dramatic this way. When I crop a photo, I will sometimes try about 10 different versions until I find the one I like best while keeping in mind composition. I always keep the original, though. There are a lot of tutorials on this site that are great and very helpful.

Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 24-70mm f/2.8G ED

11/21/2003 10:17:43 AM · #5

Thank you very much! :-) After all I also think this new one is better. I always try some hue, saturation, level, contrast, brightness, sharpen and noise reduction versions, anyway, I didn't have much experiments with crops. From now on. Infinte possibilities for the same photo. :-)

Anyway, I just wonder what kind of airplane had this way, falling into the Sun. :-)

wkmen

Olympus SP-570 UZ

11/21/2003 10:18:27 AM · #6

I love sunsets and sunrises, and you have a nice shot there.

One thing I've started trying to do is to remember the "golden thirds" principle when setting up the shot in my camera. It's really just a guideline, but I think this could be especially applicable for sunrises/sets. Many of us think they're so beautiful that they stand on their own - and they do in nature. But to produce a good photo of one, with all the millions of the sunset photos out there, you could benefit from "golden thirds".

No offense, but in case you don't know what I'm taking about, "golden thirds" is achieved by imagining your screen/viewfinder being divided in equal thirds vertically and horizontally.
You then place
a) your point of interest near one of the intersection points, or
b) a horizontal feature's edge in your scene along one of the imaginary lines 1/3 or 2/3 up the screen, or
c) a vertical edge along one of the 1/3 imaginary lines, or
d) two or all of the above.

Try it out and see how people react to your efforts, without telling them what you intended to be different. But most of all, have fun, and rest assured that sunrise pictures are rarer than sunset pictures...

Neil

Fujifilm X-T30

11/21/2003 10:22:07 AM · #7

It's a nice sunset. One thing to look for in these now, which is a detail most don't notice but for some detracts, is unnatural elements, such as what I believe is a jet vapor trail in your shot. I've had some really good sunsets negatively impacted by them when I was shooting by the Mall in Washington DC. It's just too close to National airport.

Canon EF 17-40mm f/4.0L USM

11/21/2003 10:37:53 AM · #8

wkmen and nsaphiro, thank you very much, too!

wkmen: I know about the "golden threes", or sometimes mentioned as "rules of thirds", I also tried to pay attention to it with the secont crop. I tried to compose the Sun to an intersection point, but I am not sure, whether I should have used it rather for the horizont. Mmm... I give it some other tries. :-)

nsaphiro: Should I clone out the jet vapor trail? I know it's unnatural, I just thought it would be funny. I think I will have a good time with PS. :-)

soup

Canon EOS-30D

11/21/2003 11:35:09 AM · #9

i think the jet trail adds something to this shot.
kind of some action - when you wouldnt expect it...

its cool

EDIT - i think the rule of thirds was followed with the ways its cropped...

Message edited by author 2003-11-21 11:37:10.

Neil

Fujifilm X-T30

Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 24-70mm f/2.8G ED

11/21/2003 11:43:52 AM · #10

Originally posted by vadvirag:

nsaphiro: Should I clone out the jet vapor trail? I know it's unnatural, I just thought it would be funny. I think I will have a good time with PS. :-)

No, I just point that out to watch for in the future when composing and shooting. Most people just integrate that in as a "natural" part of our skies ;)

Here's one of my Mall shots where I've left it in. Most people who see it really like it and don't complain about the vapor trails. But on an earlier shot, someone did, and now I watch for them and try to avoid when possible.

MWitt

Canon EOS-5D

Tokina AF 28-70mm f/2.8 ATX Pro-SV for Canon EOS

11/21/2003 11:51:26 AM · #11

Personally, I like the vapor trail a lot in this photo. One thing I noticed is that the horizon might need to be rotated left a degree or two. Your view may be level,,,but it seems a little heavy on the left.