Sunset

[SwissJon]

I took this photo yesterday evening with my "always in my pocket" point and shoot. Tweaked the blacks, saturation and contrast in Lightroom.. I like it, but my wife doesn't, I'm not sure why and what's wrong with this picture. Too much Post processing? Too much Black? Should I crop it to portrait format? Square?

Thanks



EXIF data:
Camera:Panasonic DMC-TZ10
Focal Length: 45.7mm (240mm Equivalent)
ISO 80
No Flash
1/200 at f/4.8

[navcom]

If you are going for the contrast shot, the exposure looks fine. I think it's purely a composition issue. There is no main subject and there isn't anything overly compelling. It's a pretty sky but that usually isn't enough. The buildings on either side are competing and not adding to the image. Also, what was the reason you chose f/4.8 for your aperture? I'm assuming your camera probably doesn't have a big choice on aperture but thought I'd ask. Just curious.

Just my thoughts. Hope that helps!

[50 Proof]

I think because most of the photo is dominated by the black silhouette of the two buildings. The sky looks beautiful but it's mostly hidden. I personally like this shot though. It's not your typical sunset photo with a distinct horizon line where the only thing interesting is the colorful sky. I think the buildings add to the interesting factor and sort of frame the sky.

[SwissJon]

Thanks for those comments..

You're right, there's a missing subject.. I was absolutely after the contrast and was hoping the sun would pick up as the subject, either that or the shapes of the buildings might..

For the same reason as everything else in this photo, I chose f/4.8 because of circumstance.. At that zoom setting, it was the widest the camera would give me, I was at a 240mm equivalent and didn't have a tripod so I needed the fastest shutter speed I could get to avoid shake, the camera would have let me chose up to f/6.3, as usual I was shooting in aperture priority.

I was heading down the highstreet on the way to catch the train at the time.. Actually, heading is a bad desctription.. I was running because I was late. I saw the sunset, screeched to a halt, back tracked a few steps, shot a couple of frames with my trusty Lumix and started running again.. Total thinking time for settings and compostion.. About 30 seconds.

I made the train with about 10 seconds spare..

Unfortunately there's no subject I can compose with this shot on that hill, which is a shame because we have some really stunning sunsets at this time of year.

I wonder if cropping this to portrait and cutting out the building on the right completely wouldn't help? Or shall I just consign this to the "merely average" section of my photos and move on??

[navcom]

I'd say consign it to "merely average" and move on...and there's nothing wrong with that. It's still a memory and a learning experience. You can't get better unless you take thousands of "average" shots first. And you never stop learning.

I think the hardest thing for new photographers to understand when it comes to sunsets/sunrises is how important composition is to getting a breath-taking shot. It was for me when I was learning (and am still learning!). It's so easy to think that the pretty sky and the sun itself can make the perfect main subject. Unfortunately most of the time it doesn't. It's just deceiving because when you are standing there looking at it, it's majestic and awe-inspiring. But that feeling doesn't transfer to a piece of photo paper unless there is a good composition to back it up as the viewer doesn't have the other human senses except for sight (and cropped at that) to put themselves in the scene.

Instead of being the star players, the sun and sky usually make the perfect supporting cast members in a composition.

[SwissJon]

Thanks Navcom.. That's a really insightful comment. Very helpful.