New to photography

[Morigaine]

Hello

i am pretty new to photography and i know i have heaps to learn however i am particuarly confused by composition, could you please critique this shot and offer any suggestions
thanks heaps

Morigaine



Nikon D40X
f14
shutter speed 1/40 sec
ISO 400
focal length 18mm

[leviathan]

Hi Morigaine, looks like a lovely coast scene you have captured. I love the sunlight and shadows upon the rocks. In fact, compositionally, I want to see more of the rock since it is what's most interesting. If you let the rock fill the frame a little more, I think it would look even better. Keep the photos coming!

[wal]

composition speaking.. i'd put in less sky .. following the rule of thirds, the sky would fill the upper third of the frame because there is not much intresting sky to see.. further more the horizon's a bit tilted and this is even more visible due to the coastline.

[Morigaine]

Thanks guys great comments after reading your comments i tried croping the photo and straightening it and it made the world of differance.....

it was just amazing watching the rocks turn golden and i was so thrilled to capture it....
my biggest problem at the moment is getting so excited that i shoot away but need to slow down and think about composition ect.......

any further coments are most welcome....

[AlexGac]

Originally Posted by Morigaine

Thanks guys great comments after reading your comments i tried croping the photo and straightening it and it made the world of differance.....

it was just amazing watching the rocks turn golden and i was so thrilled to capture it....
my biggest problem at the moment is getting so excited that i shoot away but need to slow down and think about composition ect.......

any further coments are most welcome....

Hi M!
I remember when I first got a digital camera about a decade ago. Being able to experiment with having to develop film made a world of difference. DO NOT stop clicking away aggressively until you are so comfortable with your camera that you can operate it in both Av and Tv modes without having to think it through functionally. Comp is definitely important, but if you're brand new then you should be spending lots of time getting familiar with... well... EVERYTHING before you reign yourself back.


For the Photo:
I definitely agree that the sky should be the top-third of the frame-- maybe try some non-standard crop ratios. The rock and the waterline are the interesting parts here. I would also recommend trying the same shot with ISO 200. You should still be able to hand-hold it (shutter should be reduced to 1/20) especially if you have image stabilization.

Here's a challenge for you: crop this for the water, and crop this for the rock. Remember the rule of thirds, and try to think of what the dominant feature is of each frame and highlight that. Post back here and let's see what you've got!