What’s Your Preference?

ktunacik · #1 (**permalink**) 01-02-2012, 05:25 PM

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Will you please critique the exposure, composition, and anything else you note about the photo? Thank you. This is my first post on here. Kathryn

Post Production: I adjusted the luminance of the grass in Aperture3.

Camera Nikon D5000
Exposure 0.004 sec (1/250)
Aperture f/10.0
Focal Length 17 mm
ISO Speed 250
Exposure Bias 0 EV
Flash Auto, Did not fire
Max Aperture Value 4.1
Metering Mode Multi-segment
User Comment KTS
Sub Sec Time 50
Sub Sec Time Original 50
Sub Sec Time Digitized 50
Color Space sRGB
Sensing Method One-chip color area
Custom Rendered Normal
Exposure Mode Auto
White Balance Auto
Digital Zoom Ratio 1
Focal Length In35mm Format 25 mm
Gain Control None
Contrast Normal
Saturation Normal
Sharpness Normal
Lens AF-S DX Nikkor 10-24mm f/3.5-4.5G ED

ktunacik · #2 (**permalink**) 01-02-2012, 08:11 PM

The data I posted is probably too much information. Is there a way to just copy and paste the most important data?

Doug Sundseth · #3 (**permalink**) 01-02-2012, 08:55 PM

For EXIF, just copy the whole thing and delete the bits you don't care about. I'd recommend keeping the first seven lines and the last line of what you posted.

For the photo:

The exposure looks fine, and you picked a time of day with nice lighting.

I'd recommend cropping much of the top of the image (plain blue sky doesn't help the photo much) and probably part of the foreground as well, assuming the foreground is important to your vision of the photo.

If it's not, I'd crop much tighter on all but the right side to show mostly the headland and the island.

In any case, I'd move the horizon line off the vertical center of the photo.

ktunacik · #4 (**permalink**) 01-02-2012, 09:20 PM

Thank you for the feedback. Here's a link to the image with some of the changes you suggested. I cropped it in 4x6 format. I wonder whether I should crop it at whatever custom aspect I want to include only what I want in the image, or whether I should stick to the standard aspect ratios.

I do like the grass in the image, because of the lovely green color and the light on the grass. But the mountains and island were technically my subject. I'm wonder whether these two aspects are competing with each other. I'll post another shot that is limited to the water and mountains on the flickr page. Maybe the grass is too distracting.

ktunacik · #5 (**permalink**) 01-02-2012, 09:29 PM

Here's the link to the other images.

Hill Country Hack · #6 (**permalink**) 01-02-2012, 10:23 PM

For me, version 2 on your Flickr page is much better. Moving the horizon up into the upper third and taking away some of the sky did wonders for the image. The mountain in the background is either a bit out of focus or haze. I'm unsure if you are aware of hyperfocal distance in landscape photography. If not, give this a read. http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j...4jy6iUtMd0R2VA

Doug Sundseth · #7 (**permalink**) 01-03-2012, 12:24 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ktunacik

Thank you for the feedback. Here's a link to the image with some of the changes you suggested. I cropped it in 4x6 format.

I like it quite a bit better (but then I would, I suppose

).

Quote:

Originally Posted by ktunacik

I wonder whether I should crop it at whatever custom aspect I want to include only what I want in the image, or whether I should stick to the standard aspect ratios.

If you're not printing, there's no particular reason to constrain yourself to a 2x3 aspect ratio. If you are printing, you can easily frame any of the standard aspect ratios, but you can also matte your image up to a standard size or build your own frame. If you're willing to take that extra step, most of the reasons to choose a standard size are gone.

Quote:

Originally Posted by ktunacik

I do like the grass in the image, because of the lovely green color and the light on the grass. But the mountains and island were technically my subject. I'm wonder whether these two aspects are competing with each other. I'll post another shot that is limited to the water and mountains on the flickr page. Maybe the grass is too distracting.

Seeing the crop, I don't know that I would make the suggestion to crop to just the headland. It's worth looking at, probably, but I really like what you've done already. (I don't think the grass is too distracting.)