Old barn

[tsy72001]

Here is a picture of an old barn, I took two different shots. The one I am sharing was sharpened, straightened, annd cropped in PSP Photo 2x . Below is the link to the full barn. How is mu compisition, color, crop and subject? What can I do better and what did I do correct? Thanks for your time. Old barn full shot.
EXIF Date for picture shown:
Camera Model Canon EOS REBEL T3
Shooting Date/Time 1/22/2012 2:47:49 PM
Shooting Mode Manual Exposure
Tv( Shutter Speed ) 1/100
Av( Aperture Value ) 8.0
Metering Mode Evaluative Metering
ISO Speed 400
Auto ISO Speed OFF
Lens EF-S18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS II
Focal Length 55.0mm
Image Quality Fine
Flash Off
White Balance Mode Cloudy
Sharpness 3

EXIF data for FULL barn:
Camera Model Canon EOS REBEL T3
Shooting Date/Time 1/22/2012 2:47:31 PM
Shooting Mode Manual Exposure
Tv( Shutter Speed ) 1/100
Av( Aperture Value ) 8.0
Metering Mode Evaluative Metering
ISO Speed 200
Auto ISO Speed OFF
Lens EF-S18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS II
Focal Length 18.0mm
Image Quality Fine
Flash Off
White Balance Mode Cloudy
AF Mode One-Shot AF
AF area select mode Automatic selection
Picture Style Standard
Sharpness 3
Auto Lighting Optimizer Strong

[Hill Country Hack]

Hello and thanks for posting. I love looking at and photographing old barns. I find them as dying history.

I'll get straight to the point. First off I cannot find a subject of the image. I first thought it was the window, then changed my mind to the piece of door/fence in the middle left of the frame, I jumped to the rusted equipment. My eye would not settle onto the image.

The focus is off. I'm not sure at to why. Your shutter speed was high enough to negate camera shake and I'm thinking your kits lens has IS. Maybe your holding technique is lacking. Sometimes the kit lenses are not sharpest at extreme of focal lengths. I know mine gets a bit soft at the extremes unless everything is perfect. I therefore stay in the mid focal lengths.

You shot in the middle of the afternoon. That is not the best of light. Try the Golden/Blue hours, the light is softer and more colorful. The entire image is a bit flat, there is no depth for me.

I don't mind the crop (I didn't look at the entire barn pic). The color is not it's best because of the time of day you chose to take the picture.

Do not get discouraged. Photography is a never ending learning curve. Take the imput, look at the image with an objective eye and learn how to do it better next time. You will see improvement if you practice and learn all you can.

[tsy72001]

Yes, I know time was off. That was when I went out to feed the horses. I will try to go later next time. This day was so windy that could be why the focus is off. How should I make a "subject" of the pic??

[Hill Country Hack]

The subject of the photo is entirely up to you. The composition and perspective should lead the eye to what you want us to look at. A good exercise is to ask yourself "why am I taking this photo"? You may need to go through a thought process. This is a good article to get you started. It is pretty short and an easy read. 11 Surefire Landscape Photography Tips

If you are interested in landscapes, google up a bunch of them and look at them with a critical eye.

[Krusty79]

Basically, you have to decide what attracted you to the barn and what is the best way to convey that to your viewers. What composition emphasizes those points and minimizes distractions?

This article may help - http://www.livermorevalleycameraclub...O_critique.pdf

[tsy72001]

Thanks, there are many helpful people on this site!!