Beach scene

[frisby]

Hi,

No snow this time. Just after some critique on composition (I know it's not the most photogenic of plants) - what could I have done to make it more interesting? And I tweaked the levels a bit in iphoto so I'm interested to know if I've made things better or worse?

Cheers,

Frisby

EXIF info:
0.0125s 1/80
f/5.6
ISO 200
Focal length 21mm
Type of camera: Nikon D90

(Medium)

[navcom]

Hi Frisby!

Here are some observations you might be able to use...

It's a pretty cluttered scene that doesn't really attract much attention. I know the bush seems to be the subject but the surroundings you've included don't really support it. Also, the lighting is pretty drab.

Maybe a different approach from my end...what were you trying to achieve with the shot? Were you trying for something drab and cluttered?

On the technical end, why did you pick f/5.6 for the aperture...just wanted to know if you had specific reason.

[frisby]

'Cluttered', 'Drab' - I concur.

The problem is I've only just got the DSLR and I'm trying to do a photo walk a day and this is my local beach. One of the reasons I'm asking about composition is for exactly this kind of feedback. So maybe what your saying is I have to approach my photo walks with a more focused approach in terms of composition and subject?

f/5.6? [cough - looks embarrassed] I know if I open up the aperature all the way the background won't be sharp so I was playing with setting it a bit down. I know there's a more accurate way of doing this with a calculator but like I say I'm a newbie and still playing. Stupid question but what's the best way of assessing whether things are in focus? I know if I zoom in I'll see how sharp the image is but at the moment I'm trying to train my eye to see what's sharp and what's not so I'm not sure exactly how sharp I can get things.

Sorry for the crappy photo and the extended response.

[navcom]

Photo walks are great. And you are right...a more focused approach (no pun intended) is exactly how to take it to the next level.

Look for your subject first...something that is interesting and draws your attention. Then figure out how to compose your image. Find elements that support your subject. This could be lines in other objects that point to your subject. You could use colors, textures, symmetry, any number of elements. Maybe even empty space all around your subject. Empty space forces the viewer to look at the only real prominent subject in the photo.

The trick is to "de-clutter" the scene so only elements that support your subject are being photographed. Sometimes this means you need to zoom in a bit. Sometimes you need to increase the size of the scene to get everything in. Maybe a different angle, different perspective, etc. It just depends on your subject. And some subjects are harder to compose than others.

As for your aperture, in landscape photography the important thing to know is that it controls your depth of field. The smaller the aperture (larger the f/number), the greater your DOF will be. At f/5.6, your DOF is very small. Most landscapes, such as your shot, require a much larger DOF. For my landscape shots, I usually start with something around f/11 or f/13. If I need to go smaller I will but keep in mind that as the aperture gets smaller (again, larger number), a little demon called diffraction starts to make your image soft. This usually starts somewhere around f/16 or so and gets worse the smaller the aperture gets. So I generally stay between f/8 and f/13 or so if I can. There are times I will go to f/18 or f/22 but I need a good reason and it also depends on the lens I have on my camera.

As for focus itself, I would recommend using manual focus for landscapes. If you can, use hyperfocal distance focusing (search the forum for it...tons of info on how and why). In order to use it, the focus ring on your lens needs to have distance markings on it. Most do but there are some newer ones that may not.

Hope that helps!

[frisby]

That's fantastic. Thanks.

Did some reading and this was really useful -

'focusing about a third of the way into the scene'

Read more: 10 Reasons to Turn off Your Autofocus

Thanks again.

F