Train tracks under a bridge

[Joneck]

Hello all,

I'm a ripe new student of photography. I began about 3 weeks ago and am eager to improve.



Camera Canon EOS REBEL T1i
Exposure 0.013 sec (1/80)
Aperture f/4.0
Focal Length 10 mm
ISO Speed 100

Software Adobe Photoshop CS5 Windows
Exposure Program Aperture-priority AE
Exposure Mode Auto bracket
White Balance Auto

[windrider86]

Do you have anything in particular you want help with?

[Joneck]

Ah, sorry for my newbieness.

I'm very new to photography so like I said, anything that jumps out at you feel free to mention. I guess what I want to ask is how the composition looks? I like the lines in the picture. Also whether or not I should shoot this type of photo with a higher f-stop. Really any advice you can give that will help me will be much appreciated, everything from my composition to the quality of the image and any post processing advice. Sorry I don't really have any specific questions... I'm not sure I know enough about photography to even study my own photos and come up with specific questions.

[corvus2606]

My suggestion would be to try to get it at midday when the shadow is directly under the bridge. This would tie the image together, and i feel would draw the viewers eye through the image much nicer, the harsh shadow stands nly as a distraction at the moment.

I'm also assuming you have bumped up the contrast and vibrance in post, If it were my image, i'd pull it back a little, it just looks a little unnatural to me

[sourav]

f stop is not of great importance here, as you are focussing your camera on a far away object, with a low focal length, so you will get a deep DOF.
I would have liked to see the other track as well.
The shadow has already been mentioned.
When you have sun at an angle, you could have chosen a different angle to compose your shot, you could have moved a bit towards your left, to break the symmetry and align the shot with the shadows.
Let me explain this vividly......if you move left, the leftmost bridge line would become straight, and the central bridge lines would be perpendicular to the angle of shadow.
Why I say this is cause the tilted angle of the sun is breaking the symmetry you are trying to achive. Since you cannot change the position of the sun, you can break the symmetry by chaging your position.
Hope this helps.
Cheers

[Joneck]

I see what you both mean. Thank you much for the advice!

[Michael_2010]

What is it that first caught your eye with this setting? The geometry of the bridge and the rail? How did it look from the opposite side looking back this way?

I probably would have gone with a larger aperture, so that the bridge could sort of fade into infinity and all the distractions in the background would have become nothing more than a colorful backdrop for the bridge. But, the harsh grittiness of these type locations also tend to lend themselves to a black & white treatment, because the lines are precise and the contrast can be intense.

Definitely worth playing around with and using as a learning tool. Right now...... it just doesn't float my boat.

[corvus2606]

one other thing i'd suggest re composition;

there are a lot of horizontal lines in the image, you have some great leading lines (the rail ties, and the structure under the bridge) but all they lead to is a horizontal line which stops the eye dead. Its quite difficult to really see all the way in to the image. not much you can do about it in the case of this bridge, but something to keep in mind.

[Joneck]

Thank you all greatly for your advice! I really appreciate it.

[Joneck]

Originally Posted by Michael_2010

What is it that first caught your eye with this setting? The geometry of the bridge and the rail? How did it look from the opposite side looking back this way?

I probably would have gone with a larger aperture, so that the bridge could sort of fade into infinity and all the distractions in the background would have become nothing more than a colorful backdrop for the bridge. But, the harsh grittiness of these type locations also tend to lend themselves to a black & white treatment, because the lines are precise and the contrast can be intense.

Definitely worth playing around with and using as a learning tool. Right now...... it just doesn't float my boat.

I definitely liked the geometry and the lines. The reverse view had a bunch of kids riding bikes and parked cars. There are also a couple of streets that intersect, a big flat wall supporting the bridge, some stores across the street. I thought it would be too cluttered of a background.

The aperature on the lens I used was open as far as it could go unfortunately.