First attempt at a sunset

[maestro159]

This is my first critique post so please let me know if I left anything out.



EXIF
Nikon D3000
Exposure: 1/5
Aperture: F/29
ISO: 100
No PP

I am working on taking sunset photos and this is my first attempt at a composed shot. I think I can do better and would like to go back and try again, but I would like some suggestions on how to make the shot better. Specifically: How is the exposure? How is the composition/ does the tree make for an interesting enough subject? Any other critiques and suggestions are welcome.

Two issues I see are: the horizon is not quite level and I would like to get closer to the tree to move the horizon down some.

Thanks

[Krusty79]

Welcome to the forums. Did you have another shot of this about 10-15 minutes earlier? It looks like you just caught the end of this sunset. If you had shot this a little earlier, I think you would have more of the pinkish cloud look. Usually, trees are good silhouettes for sunset shots, but because this sunset has smaller, puffy clouds instead of large clouds that streak across the sky, I don't think the tree works as well because it kind of merges into the clouds on the right. Yes, your horizon could use a bit of straightening also. I still have to straighten mine out and my tripod has a level. You could also crop out most of the black space at the bottom of this shot, as it is not contributing to the image.

If you decided to try and expose the tree and ground correctly, you might be able to get a better shot, but you would have to find some foreground interest and you would have to let in a lot more light to expose the ground correctly. In order to keep the sky correctly exposed, you would probably have to use a graduated neutral density filter or possibly exposure blending/HDR.

[tlpphoto]

maestro159,

I'll second Krusty79's comments. The main thing you need is more color in the sunset. Whether you took the shot too early or too late, I'm not sure. You have the tree placed on a third of the image, which is good. And the clouds in the sky make for a prettier sunset image, if there is color on them. As Krusty79 said, in this case, the clouds merge with the trees to distract.

In general, this is a nice composition. Hopefully it is near your home so you can return to it on other sunsets to wait for the clouds and color to combine just right.

Happy Shooting!
Tim

[maestro159]

Thanks for the input. You are right I was a bit late. This was the first shot of the set and the clouds get progressively darker through the pictures. I will hold out for a a more colorful sunset and try again.

[EOBeav]

+1 on Krusty's comments. Also, don't be afraid to get down low on these shots, or reposition yourself so that you get more of the tree. Keep at it!