Neuschwanstein, Germany - composition and exposure

[marcelo_valente]

Hello, I took this picture a long time ago while traveling through Europe. This is the famous Neuschwanstein Castle near Fussen in Germany. This is not a traditional shot so you may not recognize it, but here I am inside the castle.
I would like your critique on two things. Composition. I do know I cut a little of the top of the tower, but does that reduces the quality of the shot?
Also I would like to know about the exposure. This was taken with my point&shoot Canon 1000SD and I had to compensate +2 on exposure to get the tower to appear not as a silhouette, which made the sky totally blowout. So, please advise on how I could have made the shot a little better when taking it.
I will try to fix the sky in Lightroom 3(I'm using the trial version) and will post it here later on. But please let me know what you think of the shot as it was taken.



Exif:
Camera Canon PowerShot SD1000
Exposure 0.013 sec (1/80)
Aperture f/8
Focal Length 5.8 mm
ISO Speed 80
Exposure Bias 2 EV
Flash Flash did not fire, auto mode

[LeeR]

This is a prime case for HDR. The scene exceeds your cameras ability to register the entire dynamic range of light which leaves you with a properly exposed castle but a blown out sky. A second image, exposed for the sky and then blended with the first with the propoer HDR software would have given you a much better result. But that would have still left you with some compositional problems. You are simply trying to get too much into this image. The lens is set to its extreme wide focal length causing some of the lines to appear curved. Would it have been possible to back up a bit to get the entire scene into the frame? I don't know, but another approach would have been to take multiple images moving the camera a bit each time and using software to blend the finished product. That means multiple images for the scene and for the exposure. Too complicated? Then take a few steps back and wait for better light.

[Krusty79]

The two different parts of the building are competing for my attention. Were you trying to put two subjects in the picture? If the tower on the right is supposed to be the main subject, why is so much of it cut off? Not sure where you want to viewer to look.

If you were able to take the shot later in the day, closer to sunset, you wouldn't have the problem with the blown out sky (assuming you were not planning an HDR image).

[Aleix]

As Lee pointed out, having shot at 5,8mm makes some lines look weird. There's some software out there which could be useful to you, like:

• PTLens: PTLens
• ShiftN: ShiftN (my choice)

Both work pretty well but in different ways: the first one has a lens database with values for each to correct its distortions, while the second one sort of detects what should be a vertical line and turns it into one.

Greetings

[marcelo_valente]

Originally Posted by LeeR

This is a prime case for HDR. The scene exceeds your cameras ability to register the entire dynamic range of light which leaves you with a properly exposed castle but a blown out sky. A second image, exposed for the sky and then blended with the first with the propoer HDR software would have given you a much better result. But that would have still left you with some compositional problems. You are simply trying to get too much into this image. The lens is set to its extreme wide focal length causing some of the lines to appear curved. Would it have been possible to back up a bit to get the entire scene into the frame? I don't know, but another approach would have been to take multiple images moving the camera a bit each time and using software to blend the finished product. That means multiple images for the scene and for the exposure. Too complicated? Then take a few steps back and wait for better light.

Hi LeeR. Thanks for the feedback. I was looking at some other shots I took of the same place and probably should have taken the picture with a beautiful sky like this one below and one like the one above and do an HDR. I wasn't aware of the technique back then, so next time I'll try again. What software do you recomend Photoshop?
I agree that I was trying to fit too much in the shot. Better to take more pictures of the details if I cannot back up enough. But this a place crowded with tourists and maybe backing up I would have a lot of people together.




Thanks again for the advice.

[marcelo_valente]

Originally Posted by Krusty79

The two different parts of the building are competing for my attention. Were you trying to put two subjects in the picture? If the tower on the right is supposed to be the main subject, why is so much of it cut off? Not sure where you want to viewer to look.

If you were able to take the shot later in the day, closer to sunset, you wouldn't have the problem with the blown out sky (assuming you were not planning an HDR image).

Hi Krusty79. Unfortunatelly I wasn't able to stay longer in the day. There are visiting hours now after the castle was included in the list of one of the new seven wonders of the world. It didn't make the list, but it was one of the contestants.
I agree there is too much in the picture and the tower was cut off. I just tried to get too much into it and probably failed in the composition altogether.

[marcelo_valente]

Originally Posted by Aleix

As Lee pointed out, having shot at 5,8mm makes some lines look weird. There's some software out there which could be useful to you, like:

• PTLens: PTLens
• ShiftN: ShiftN (my choice)

Both work pretty well but in different ways: the first one has a lens database with values for each to correct its distortions, while the second one sort of detects what should be a vertical line and turns it into one.

Greetings

Hi Aleix, I'll take a look at the software. Thanks!!

[Krusty79]

Originally Posted by marcelo_valente

Hi Krusty79. Unfortunatelly I wasn't able to stay longer in the day. There are visiting hours now after the castle was included in the list of one of the new seven wonders of the world. It didn't make the list, but it was one of the contestants.
I agree there is too much in the picture and the tower was cut off. I just tried to get too much into it and probably failed in the composition altogether.

Before I started reading forums like these, I would often take a landscape shot and include a lot of details, thinking that when I went to view the image later, my eye would pick out all of the cool details in the picture. Well, I've since learned that approach does not work. If you don't give the viewer a clear subject to focus on, the eye wanders and the image does not hold the viewer's attention. I try to keep that in mind now when I compose shots.

I have also learned shooting in the middle of the day often presents a scene where there is too much dynamic range for my camera sensor to handle, so some parts end up getting blown out or lost in shadow.

Keep shooting and asking questions...

Greg

[marcelo_valente]

Originally Posted by Krusty79

Before I started reading forums like these, I would often take a landscape shot and include a lot of details, thinking that when I went to view the image later, my eye would pick out all of the cool details in the picture. Well, I've since learned that approach does not work. If you don't give the viewer a clear subject to focus on, the eye wanders and the image does not hold the viewer's attention. I try to keep that in mind now when I compose shots.

I have also learned shooting in the middle of the day often presents a scene where there is too much dynamic range for my camera sensor to handle, so some parts end up getting blown out or lost in shadow.

Keep shooting and asking questions...

Greg

Hi Greg,
I've found that there is great knowledge to be found here in the forum. I've been reading it a lot to learn as much as I can and keep things in mind when taking photographs. Thanks for your tips, and I will sure keep them in mind.
I noticed we have the same camera! Great camera isn't it? Do you have other lenses or just the kit?

[Krusty79]

Originally Posted by marcelo_valente

Hi Greg,
I've found that there is great knowledge to be found here in the forum. I've been reading it a lot to learn as much as I can and keep things in mind when taking photographs. Thanks for your tips, and I will sure keep them in mind.
I noticed we have the same camera! Great camera isn't it? Do you have other lenses or just the kit?

marcelo,

Yes, there is a gold mine of information on this site. I'm glad when the senior members post and share their knowledge. I have also found out that I learn a lot when critiquing other posters' photos, as it forces me to analyze what works about an image, what does not work and why.

If you want to try HDR, I hear Photomatix is the way to go. Haven't tried it yet, but I will eventually.

I took a break from photography when my 35mm Pentax SLR broke down in the early 1990s and have a renewed interest now, especially after getting my first DSLR (the XS) last year. I only have the kit lens. I usually just shoot landscapes, so that lens is fine for me now. I would like to try something wider eventually, but those get expensive. I would like to get a telephoto eventually for shooting wildlife, but I am not rich and this is just a hobby. I also have two mountain bikes to maintain!

Happy shooting,
Greg