Semi lights...please C&C

[baldtat]

Hi all:

New to the forum, and to DSLR photography. Here's a shot I took tonight of a semi while playing around with shutter speeds. The blur was intentional, and a tripod was used. Aside from composition, which I goofed, how could this photo be better?

Semi.... by SLAPtography 101, on Flickr

EXIF data:
Canon 1000D/XS
Kit lens 18-55mm IS
Focal length 44.0mm
Shutter speed 1.300s (how long is that exactly..sorry for the dumb ?)
ISO 800/no flash
Exposure Bias 0.00EV

Pic was taken about 7:45 in the evening.



Thanks in advance for any C&C...greatly appreciated.

[windrider86]

Please be sure to post your photo here for us. Much easier to critique for you if we dont have to flip back and forth from one page to another. txs

[RecurrentNerve]

Well, the composition is the main problem. Something like this would be better with the truck being in either of the end thirds with space in the other 2, so it's either travelling into space or out of it. And you need to fill the frame as much as possible, so zooming in is a must-do.

Also, the streetlights mean that you can see the whole truck rather than just its lights; that might be what you're going for, but if not, set up somewhere without any lights.

1/300 sec means one three-hundredth of a second, i.e. split a second into 300 bits; the shutter speed is one of those bits.

[Sterling]

That truck would've been travelling at warp 9 to get that blur in 1/300 sec.

1.300 seconds is one point three seconds, a little more than one second and a little less than than one and a half seconds.

[RecurrentNerve]

Ah, silly me. It's been a long week. Yes, 1.3 seconds!

[baldtat]

Originally Posted by RecurrentNerve

Well, the composition is the main problem. Something like this would be better with the truck being in either of the end thirds with space in the other 2, so it's either travelling into space or out of it. And you need to fill the frame as much as possible, so zooming in is a must-do.

Also, the streetlights mean that you can see the whole truck rather than just its lights; that might be what you're going for, but if not, set up somewhere without any lights.

1/300 sec means one three-hundredth of a second, i.e. split a second into 300 bits; the shutter speed is one of those bits.

Thanks...obviously composition was an afterthought. Really was just going for some cool motion blur, and I like that the truck can be seen. Your point about street lighting is well taken though, although setting up in an unlit area on this particular highway could very probably mean splatted photographer! Love your signature, BTW

Originally Posted by Sterling

That truck would've been travelling at warp 9 to get that blur in 1/300 sec.

1.300 seconds is one point three seconds, a little more than one second and a little less than than one and a half seconds.

Thanks..even though I've read and re-read about shutter speed, it's a little tricky to visualize for me.