Newbie..

[drecrumbs]

Hey everyone, I'm VERY new to the photography world. I received my first camera (Canon S5 IS) this past christmas. This past month I've been taking photographs in between my time at school and work. Here's one I took today on my lunch break.

<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/47146451@N00/2219377025/" title="aaaa by jiminyClickit, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2235/2219377025_9f76dffa1d.jpg" width="500" height="235" alt="aaaa" /></a>

http://img227.imageshack.us/my.php?image=img0339version2do1.jpg


Make: Canon
Model: Canon PowerShot S5 IS
Shutter Speed: 1/159 second
F Number: F/4.0
Focal Length: 6 mm
ISO Speed: 80
Date Picture Taken: Jan 23, 2008, 12:28:01 PM

Please critique as much as you want. I am new, like i stated before, im new to it all. Your critiques would be greatly appreciated so I can continue to get better. I'm thinking maybe less sky? Maybe more post-processing? My post-processing skills are weak since im so new and all.

[The Weird Witch]

Your picture isn't showing.

[Galileus]

I cannot see your image!... There must be something wrong!
:(

[PolarBear]

Here is the image he intended to post. It's too big for the forum so I used imageshack's automatically generated thumbnail link. Click the image for the full sized picture.
http://img227.imageshack.us/img227/708/img0339version2do1.th.jpg (http://img227.imageshack.us/my.php?image=img0339version2do1.jpg)

I'm new at this stuff too, so I can't give too much input, but the sky seems overexposed and would be more interesting if it weren't so bright; that way some texture in it could be seen.

[drecrumbs]

sorry guys!!.. lol. I guess that shows how new I am. I replaced the original link with the one PolarBear provided (thanks).

[nbeuscher]

Hey, COOL picture. Where did you take this? and how did you get there on your lunch break? It looks like a really surreal place. However i think you are right about there being too much sky. Maybe if you crouched down and got a lower perspective it would be more interesting. Also i think maybe because the of the sky, the picture is too bright. But even in the foreground i wish i could see a little more detail. hope i helped :)

[drecrumbs]

Hey, COOL picture. Where did you take this? and how did you get there on your lunch break? It looks like a really surreal place. However i think you are right about there being too much sky. Maybe if you crouched down and got a lower perspective it would be more interesting. Also i think maybe because the of the sky, the picture is too bright. But even in the foreground i wish i could see a little more detail. hope i helped :)

Well there's a beach about half a mile from my house and it just happened to be low tide. So you get to see all of the neat little sea shells and plants that are hiding beneath the gulf.

And yes, you did help. I didn't know if it was just me, or if there really was too much sky. Maybe just a little above the horizon would be good? I was actually crouched down as much as I could go. My hand was on the sand as I took this picture. I guess from this perspective it looks bigger than what it actually is. I was no more than 10 yards away from the water.

Thanks for your input! :)

[Sandie]

A tripod and longer exposure would have given you a better sky. Keeping your horizon on a 1/3 line instead of the 1/2 line would help, personally I like horizons that cut diagonally across the image better than straight ones too. And continuing to shot in this amazing location will only make you better! This image does have an 'other world' quality that I really like. To learn the best settings take the same shot and bracket the shutter speeds, then do them again just changing position slightly....I think keeping a deep DoF (F stops of up to 16 or 32) and your shutter speeds slow will suit this site well!

[Dr. WooD]

I think you have way too much foreground, and sky. I'd try and re shoot it, and get a more even balance between the beach, ocean, and sky. Might help with a more interesting sky also. That can be a quick fix with PS.

Its not a bad picture at all. I just think at the right time of day, and right composition, you could score a great shot there.

[drecrumbs]

I think you have way too much foreground, and sky. I'd try and re shoot it, and get a more even balance between the beach, ocean, and sky. Might help with a more interesting sky also. That can be a quick fix with PS.

Its not a bad picture at all. I just think at the right time of day, and right composition, you could score a great shot there.

Thanks! I knew when i took the shot that it was a good picture.. but I also knew that there was something that was a little "off" about it. I guess I need to get myself familiar with photoshop. Maybe I'll do a reshoot if it stops raining over here.

A tripod and longer exposure would have given you a better sky. Keeping your horizon on a 1/3 line instead of the 1/2 line would help, personally I like horizons that cut diagonally across the image better than straight ones too. And continuing to shot in this amazing location will only make you better! This image does have an 'other world' quality that I really like. To learn the best settings take the same shot and bracket the shutter speeds, then do them again just changing position slightly....I think keeping a deep DoF (F stops of up to 16 or 32) and your shutter speeds slow will suit this site well!


I love to shoot here and there are so many locations to shoot at even though Hurricane Katrina really shook things up!

Thanks for the advice! I was working without a tripod on this day so I didnt want the shutter speed too slow so that I'd blur the image. But I agree, if I would've had a tripod i'd slow the exposure down. I'll try again with a tripod, deep DoF, and a longer exposure and see how it comes out. Just these past few weeks, I've been working completely from the manual settings and I find it's quite fun :).