Sydney night

[numsi]

Hey,
I've been doing photography as an amateur and have decided to kick it up a knotch. I've been doing it on and off and i think that's why i have not progessed much in such a lengthy span of time... Anywho I had just recently taken some pics of sydney's harbour bridge. I just want feedback on composition, white balance, exposure and any other general things that you want to point out. Thanks in advance.


Shot with canon 1000d
30 sec exposure
F 4.0
iso 100
focal length 28mm

[RichardTaylor]

Technical.

It doesn't look sharp, especially noticeable on the pylons.
Luna Park is way over exposed (you may want to try multiple exposures and merge them when PPing).

Aesthetic.

The comp looks ok, however all that black sky doesn't do anything for the photograph.
Try cropping a lot of it out and see how that looks.

[Krusty79]

I would go back and shoot this at f/8, since most lenses are sharpest around there and you'll get better DOF. I would also take the shot earlier in the night when you still have some sunset colors in the sky.

If you are still getting blurry shots, you might want to try using a remote shutter release and/or using the mirror lockup feature. If you have a good tripod, that should give you sharper images.

[Hill Country Hack]

I agree with Krusty. Shooting at f4 is too shallow. If using IS lens and tripod, turn off the IS and use the mirror lock up feature. It sure helps me.

[NikD300]

Where were you focusing while shooting this picture? Were you using matrix / center weighted or single point focus?

[numsi]

thanks for the criticism, i will try to work on all the key points. I was focusing on the top of the bridge where the flags are. I think i was using evaluative metering... i don't understand metering tho.

[crockny]

The tilt is giving me vertigo ...

[DanielLane]

did you use any kind of filter on there? I think this one calls for a two shot to make it work. One a little shorter to get the sections that are blown out (the park?) and another one a bit longer to get the bridge and especially the reflections in the water to really pop. A long thin crop would also help. The giant black sky is a little off-putting to me.