Marina Magic

[GlennD420]

Hi DPS members,

This will be my first thread and picture that i have uploaded to these Forums. Ever since i was lucky enough to stumble across the forums i cant stop reading the useful tips and techniques which have been supplied by the community, "I love it".

So i would liek to share one of my images which i took about 2 weeks ago, i have just recently got into Photography (always loved it but always had the impression that it would be something i would be never able to afford to do).

Here are my Camera settings for the picture.

Camera:Sony a390 (kit lens)
ISO: 100
Aperture: F/4.0
Shutter Speed: 10 secs

In my opinion the picture obviously isnt the greatest, but it was the colours that attracted me to liking the picture, and i would just like to get a few opinions on what others think of it, if you can think of anyway i could improve the image either by post production or for the next time im in that area please do.

I apologise in advance if i have posted this in the wrong section or if the picture doesnt come out the right size.

Positive and negative feedback welcome

[EOBeav]

Any reason you chose f/4 for your aperture? Scenes like this with a lot of depth usually need more depth of field f/11 to f/16 is generally a good choice for that.

The colors really are nice My only other suggestion would be to hone in on just one of those boats, or some other object. Compositionally, it's pretty busy.

Thanks for sharing this, and keep shooting!

[GlennD420]

Thanks for taking the time to reply EOBeav.

The reason i shot it with F/4 was because i didnt want much of the background that was in the shot in full focus, the reason for this is that the background buildings spoil the view when visable (they are tin roof buildings etc), i thought by taking the picture like this people will be able to see that they are there but not be able to fully see how "ugly" they are. Saying that though i will return to this spot as i liked it and try again with different apertures taking your advice with me.

I do have pictures of the stunning yacht to the left on its own with similar colours coming through, but unfortunately with my exposure times being quite long the yact had moved slightly leaving the outcome blurry.

Thanks again.

[SwissJon]

Welcome to DPS.

I love the colors in this photo, I think your reasoning to use f/4 is perfectly sound. The only things I'd suggest with this picture is that first, you've cut off the tops of the masts, which is a pity.. and secondly the angle you used places the white topped pillar smack in the middle of the boat, and the red thing touches the other, which is a shame. Photographs are made of layers, you've thought hard about the layer behind your subject, and the subject layer, but seem to have forgotten about the layer in front of it.

[Krusty79]

=EOBeav
My only other suggestion would be to hone in on just one of those boats, or some other object. Compositionally, it's pretty busy.

Your colors are cool, but I agree this scene is busy. I can't identify the subject of your shot. I used to try to fit everything into my shots and let my eye pick out the interesting details later, but that approach led to boring photos. I'm not saying your is boring, but it helps a lot to have a subject that you want to lead the viewer's eye towards. There is really no focal point that attracts the eye here. I'm curious what it would look like if you just pointed your camera down one of the piers and used that as a line to lead the viewer's eye into the image. Also, if you were to reposition yourself, you might be able to work some of those cool reflections into the shot. But, basically, I think you need to simplify the composition. At least you are shooting in the golden hour, which helps a lot.

[GlennD420]

Thanks for the input guys, its really appreciated.

I will explain my choice of angle not to defend it, but rather how it was my only choice. This marina was caged off with a padlocked gate, leaving no way to gain access to the jetty . The only space i had to work in was about 4m sq were the flag pole was.

I have since asked for permission to enter the marina from next week at nights, and access was granted, so ill hopefully be able to experiment closer to the boats with the advice you guys have given me and create better focal points and better composition, Hopefully

Thanks again guys, information taken on board