Museum

[jmegson359]

I'm a complete beginner to SLR photography, went wandering around the city today with my NIkon d3100 trying out a few shots with a polarizing filter, this came out ok (although I know you're not supposed to shoot directly into the sun) so any tips on how to improve would be appreciated! Cheers

(have had to link to flickr account as my Mac is playing up and not locating the image)

http://www.flickr.com/photos/6145746...in/photostream

[milosh]

Hello and welcome to DPS!

First of all, do you notice how your sky in this shot is overexposed (white) while your museum building is a bit too dark? This is due to dynamic range of the scene being too great for your camera to capture.
The easiest way to overcome this is to avoid shooting while the Sun is high in the sky. Late afternoon (pre sunset) or early morning hours will give you a more evenly lit scene.

Second, I guess that you wanted to hide that bright Sun with branches, but they are also obscuring the view of the building, which is the main subject.

Third, when searching for the best way to frame your subject, try different positions, different heights, and different focal lengths (zoom), don't be afraid to experiment. I use my imagination before even trying to take a shot of something, I try to imagine the best way it could be framed, and then I try it. Just by looking through your viewfinder, you can see the effects of changing your position. For example, in this shot, I find the fence and the street light to be somewhat unnecessary elements, since they obscure the view of the building.

Fourth, just prior to pressing the shutter button, ask yourself "Is my horizon (subject) level?".
You will find that making buildings look normal and straight in your shots is challenging, perspective is a weird thing.
You will need to experiment with it, but just keep your eye on this while shooting.

Fifth, on your Flickr photo page, click the second arrow (above your photo), and then click the "Grab the HTML/BBCode" link. Then select the size (Medium 500 is fine for displaying here) and just select and copy the code that appears above the size drop-down box. Then just paste that code here when writing a new post. You can try it now as well.

I know that everything I just said may be overwhelming for a beginner like you, but take it easy, and just try to keep at least some of my points in your head the next time you go out to shoot. Little by little, you will get better and you'll notice that yourself. We were all there, nobody was born a great photographer. It might seem like a lot to learn, but don't rush it, and enjoy the journey.
And please, don't be intimidated to post your photos here, there is always someone who is willing to help! Keep shooting.

[jmegson359]

Dear Milosh

Thank you for the reply, they are all very helpful pieces of advice. I wanted to try and get the branches in the foreground to add interest to the museum, I was wary of overexposing the sky/underexposing the photo but apparently I didn't do enough to stop this

I have another photo taken on the same day, although I think I may have done the same thing, by overexposing the background and underexposing the subject. these are the settings i was using for the shot below:



Camera Nikon D3100
Exposure 0.004 sec (1/250)
Aperture f/3.5
Focal Length 18 mm
Focal Length 18.3 mm
ISO Speed 100
Exposure Bias 0 EV

I have also tweaked this ever so slightly in iPhoto, lightening the shadows a little and changing the temperature. Once again, how could I improve this?

[milosh]

Sorry but we cannot comment on your second photo since you're allowed to post only one photo for critique per day. Take a look at: Critique Forum Rules

[Krusty79]

Welcome to DPS. I would second milosh's comments to not shoot in the middle of the day and to remove any distracting elements from your images. Almost any shot you take in the middle of a sunny day is going to have a dynamic range greater than what your camera sensor can handle. I still have that problem shooting around dusk, but the problem is not as severe then. When you get comfortable editing your images, you can try exposure blending to overcome the dynamic range issue. Keep practicing!

Oh yeah, your polarizer will be most effective at a 90 degree angle relative to the sun and you don't always have to dial it for maximum effect. Be careful on wide angle shots because it can produce a gradient in the sky. You'll see that eventually if you haven't noticed that already.

Here is an article with some helpful tips - http://www.livermorevalleycameraclub...O_critique.pdf

Also, if you post an image for a critique, you're supposed to include your exif data as well (shutter speed, ISO, aperture, focal length).

[jmegson359]

HI Krusty (and Milosh)

Firstly, my bad on the Forum rules :/ secondly, thank you for both your tips, I appreciate all the advice I can get whilst I'm starting out.

Also, the exif data for the first image of the museum is as follows:

Camera Nikon D3100
Exposure 0.04 sec (1/25)
Aperture f/11.0
Focal Length 18 mm
ISO Speed 100
Exposure Bias 0 EV
Flash No Flash

Any comments on the above fountain image would also be hugely appreciated (as it is now 24 hours since i posted the last one i don't feel cheeky asking )

Cheers

[Krusty79]

Well, since you asked politely.... It is an interesting fountain and I can see why you wanted to shoot it.

You already know that the fountain is a bit underexposed. That's because of the bright sky. I do see a little vignetting in the upper corners (from your polarizer?). It's good that you did not center your subject, but your background is rather busy and distacts me somewhat from the fountain.

If I were able to go back and reshoot this, I would try to shoot later in the day, closer to sunset when the light is softer. I would try to shoot this in the shade or with the sun to my back. I would also try to frame it with a less distracting background. Finally, I would also try backing up a bit from where you took the shot and try to find something I can use for foreground interest. But, you should always experiment with different compositions. I hope that helps.