On the River Nile

[ngamal]

This is the first time for me here. I am a beginner, so I would need all the possible help to improve my work.

What do you think of this photo?

http://digital-photography-school.co...ile-river.html

105mm
ISO 200
1/320s
F/9

[shruggy63]

The first thing that strikes me looking at your photo is that the light is very poor, it's grey & flat? Try re-shooting on a clearer, brighter day just after sunrise or before sunset. The buildings in the background are a little out of focus; either make them very focused or very out of focus, not in between. I don't mean to be harsh, only helpful, but you may need to look at the crispness of focus throughout the image?
The picture lacks a subject. If you couldn't get a passing boat in the picture then maybe you could have made the reeds the subject by getting closer to them?
You should make the the strong horizontal line of the far river bank horizontal rather than slightly tilted.
As an idea, if you can go back to the scene at sunset (a tripod would be useful). Expose for the river & shoot. Then shoot again with flash to light the rushes. Then blend the images in post production?
Good shooting friend!

[Krusty79]

I agree shooting in the golden hours will help. For me, there is not much beyond the grass in the foreground to hold my interest. The sky is not interesting (see golden hours comment) and there is nothing about those buildings that holds my interest. A distinct building would help.

A circular polarizer would also help to reduce glare off non-metallic surfaces (like water) and may give you more vivid colors, depending on your angle relative to the sun.