Is this well composed?

[studentoflife]

Hello all,

This is my first thread here on this forum. I am still learning the basics of Digital Photography. Just wanted to know what do you think of the following pic? I have been told to concentrate more on composition. Would you say the following picture is well composed? At least thats what i thought so




PS

[mangia]

Well it is OK if you are looking at the road but again you have a symmetrical image (one half for sky and another for ground)

Try to cut sky and make it in 3:2 ratio.

[Saralonde]

When looking to compose a shot, ask yourself a few questions:

• Why am I taking this? What is it about this image that appeals to me?
• What is the subject of this shot? Am I making it the focus of the image?
• Is my shot in focus, and if not, does the blur add to the image?
• Where is my subject located? (Folowing the Rule of thirds is a good start.)

[Robin Sarac]

Don't forget that there are lots of great resources on the basics of *photography*...not just digital phtography.

I would have gone for less sky...but it depends on what you're trying to capture. Lots of sky would work if the road was straight and maybe desolate...in that case a lot of sky might contribute to the sense of long, lonely roads ahead.

This might be taking things too far, but...

Including the ROAD WORK AHEAD sign doesn't "lead" me anywhere...what is significant about there being road work ahead? The sign is so prominent, that it should mean something. Does that make sense?

In my opinion, if you're just taking any old picture, then sharpness, color, and exposure / detail are more important than if the picture tells a story.

[Nicole]

Originally Posted by Robin Sarac

Don't forget that there are lots of great resources on the basics of *photography*...not just digital phtography.

Yep, always good to remember, all those resources out there on photography in general pretty much still apply to digital photography (unless they're telling you how to physically change a roll of film that is )

Some things stood out to me as kind of problematic. First, and this isn't a problem, more of a statement, I'm guessing you were taking this picture while in a moving car (hopefully not while being the driver), which makes things more difficult because you're moving at 60MPH. Next, and this is kind of minor, make sure to get lines that should be straight as straight (like the roadwork sign... you'd expect the legs to be straight even if that's not actually the case). But it will help level everything out and make it look "right" for lack of a better word. Finally, I agree with what's been said about making sure that you're focusing on something that will actually stand out as your subject. Finally, one more technical thing, I'm not sure what kind of camera you're using, but a polarizer would have hopefully helped the sky from going white (unless it was cloudy and the sky was white). You can also put a pair of sunglasses in front of your camera, but definitely not if you're driving! lol

Welcome to the forums, hope to see more posts from you.

PS, you might find this post on guides to composition useful

[studentoflife]

Agreed the word "digital" was not appropriate ...its plain basics of photography

thank you all for your inputs, looks like i have to learn a lot ..Yes i did go through the composition lesson from http://www.chadwickartphotography.co...ing_flow1.html and especially after reading that lesson i wouldn't agree more about the "roadwork sign" comment

[jiminyClickit]

studentoflife, Welcome

We learn from each shot posted, as well. For instance, you've illustrated so well how much time of day can affect a view: in another hour, this would have been a very different view. The second area of brightness (after the orange road sign) is the center sky/treetop area. It might be difficult to wait for the Sun, or cloud formations, to influence a shot, but it's usually worth it. Levelling the horizon may give the road a better curve placement, too. To answer your question, in general (after a little crop of sky as mangia suggests) and maybe right side to return to aspect ratio, your composition is better than many students start with. We all improve daily. Stay with it.

[Englishteacher]

Welcome, Studentoflife. I really appreciate you willingness to let us critique your shot so early in your photography career. This reminds me of some of my early attempts ... with film no less. I would suggest a polarizer filter to help out the sky and ... well ... another road at another time. This stretch will never be a beauty until the construction is finished and all the orange signs are gone. That said, I like the curve, if it didn't have all those silly cars .... Even with the cars and the signs, repositioning to eliminate the big one, waiting until the leaves turn, setting up for sunrise or sunset, and raising the horizon will help this scene a lot. This may be totally impossible with this section of road, but evidently there are lots of hills, thus many curves, in your area. I encourage you to find them and let those scenes speak to you. If they have a story, capture it. If they don't try a few shots for the experience, and don't be afraid to delete or throw the shots in the trash bin.

Again, I appreciate your effort. Keep trying, evaluating, posting, and learning. Fortunately, digital is much cheaper than film!