Newbie: Composition Critique and Others (Urban Grated Window)

[kaze06]

IMG_03821 by JMA70, on Flickr

EXIF:
Canon EOS Rebel T3
Canon 18-55mm EF-S Lens
ISO: 100
Focal Length: 18mm
Aperture: f/11
Exposure: 6.0 sec

I shot this tonight after roaming around for a while looking for some good night photography. The basic layout of the shot was a fluorescent street lamp providing light directly adjacent to the window. I set my tripod down to its lowest setting and angled the camera upwards, set the exposure high and fired away some shots, and this one turned out the best.

Really what I'm looking for is critique towards composition and how I could improve the way the photo is laid out. I feel like there's a lot of empty space in the left hand side but at the same time I feel like it provides balance. A bit of a foot note is that I just got this camera literally four days ago and this is my first DSLR, and my first venture into real photography. I'm still learning the basics of composition and getting a hold of basic concepts such as the exposure triangle. This was initially just supposed to be me going out and getting some experience doing long exposure shots but these turned out quite nicely, or at least I feel they did.

Any constructive criticism is welcomed.

[shruggy63]

I like it. Very urban/industrial. Re composition, I like the low angle & converging lines in the metal screen but in terms of balance I think the deep black weighs too heavily against the mid range of the screen & bricks? You could try cropping the black off to the point where you may even lose a bit of the wall on the left.
The shadow from the window ledge is very strong too. If you'd used a second light source below & to the right of the camera you could've softened that shadow & maybe increased the texture on the wall? An LED torch with a bit of translucent plastic over it as a diffuser can be useful.
You could probably get away with F8 too?

[Zabet]

I can't help thinking it is a pity that the moon wasn't featured in the top left.

[kaze06]

Originally Posted by Zabet

I can't help thinking it is a pity that the moon wasn't featured in the top left.

Actually, in the original pre-post shot there was a white orb in the black area to the left of the photo but unfortunately it wasn't the moon, just some flare from the light being directly adjacent to the lens. I really like that idea though. I'll have to analyze the area a little more and possibly recompose and reshoot.

Keep them coming guys!

[crockny]

I like the viewpoint -- makes me feel like a voyeur or burgler ... I also like the mix of lines in this -- very good beginning!

[baajero]

That's a solid start great shot... if you crop some of the black on the left it'll even it out a bit... but really nice picture

[EOBeav]

It's a grated window. This stuff works a lot better if you process in black and white.

[oneroner]

hi
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