Tree in the lake.. Too blue?

[SwissJon]

Went out with my new Nikon tonight to see what it was like to use. In general, I like it. I miss a couple of things from my Sony, but the camera feels like a "Grown ups" camera, and feels really nice to use.

So on to the important stuff, the photos.. Tonight wasn't the best sunset I've ever seen, and without a remote release, I got a bit of camera shake, but I think the results speak for themselves.

So the question I have regrarding this is the colour, is it too blue? do I need to alter the white balance to enhance some other colours? This is actually the colours that were showing at the lake.

Secondly, is the subject strong enough to stand on its own like this? Do I need foreground interest?



Creation date: 14/03/2011 18:44
Camera: NIKON D7000
Lens: AF-S VR Zoom-Nikkor 70-300mm F4.5-5.6G IF-ED
Focal length: 180*mm*(equiv. 270*mm)
Aperture: F11
Exposure time: 1/4"
ISO speed rating: 100/21°
Program: Aperture priority
Metering Mode: Center-weighted average
White Balance: AUTO1
Focus Mode: AF-S
Image Stabilizer: Off
Noise Reduction: Off
Flash: Flash did not fire, compulsory flash mode

[EOBeav]

Actually, that's a nice combination of pinks and blues. The tree is sufficiently dark to create a nice silhouette effect. Just a question of composition: I wonder if this would be a shot where you could break the rule of thirds and place the tree a lot further over to the left?

Congratulations on your new acquisition. Something I've done in the past when I don't have my shutter release along: Use the timer, and by the time you've counted down from 10, whatever shake your finger has created is long gone.

[troutwhisperer]

SwissJon,

I like the subject and I believe it is strong enough to stand on its own without any foreground.

The color does seem too blue to me and does not appear to be natural. That said I still like the photo.

[Krusty79]

Congratulations on the Nikon!

When I first saw this, I thought there was some haze or smoke in the air. But if you say that's what it actually looked like, then I guess there wasn't much you could do other than maybe try a polarizer. On some nights, the light just isn't that striking. The only other recommendation I have is to try to shoot it when the water is calmer and the reflection is smoother.

[DelCan]

I like it myself SwissJon. I think the colors look pleasing. IMO

You can change your signature now!

Del

[LeeR]

If this were my image I would crop some off the top and bottom and run a levels adjustment. Then play with the "hue" slider. You're going to find that you can change the coloration to just about anything you want and it will still look good. Well done.

[SwissJon]

Originally Posted by EOBeav

Congratulations on your new acquisition. Something I've done in the past when I don't have my shutter release along: Use the timer, and by the time you've counted down from 10, whatever shake your finger has created is long gone.

Just read the manual (I had to download it as the one I got with it was in French and German) Apparently if I switch the camera to Mup mode, the camera will automatically take a picture 30s after the mirror is raised. That seems to be a very useful feature to me. I'll give it a try tonight

In the meanwhile, is this what you had in mind?

[dvtldav]

Nice shot. I really like the colors.

Dave

[LeeR]

I certainly do like the tree square in the middle. There are times when we can get away with placing things in the middle, but this is not one of them. Your original composition was good, I just think it is a bit stronger if you crop some off the top and bottom like this:



I know it means cutting out some of the subtle variations in the sky and water, but compositionally it is stronger.

[SwissJon]

I like the colour enhancements you've done there Lee. I'm not so keen on the pano crop, but I agree that the tighter crop top and bottom makes it stronger, thanks, I think I might keep the original dimensions and crop tight as you have.