Snowy Tree

[mfillhart]

Camera: Sony DSLR-A200
Exposure: 0.003 sec (1/400)
Aperture: f/10.0
Focal Length: 18 mm
ISO Speed: 100
Exposure Bias: 0 EV
Flash: Auto, Did not fire

File Size: 237 kB
File Type: JPEG
MIME Type: image/jpeg
Image Width: 685
Image Height: 1024
Encoding Process: Baseline DCT, Huffman coding
Bits Per Sample: 8
Color Components: 3
X-Resolution: 72 dpi
Y-Resolution: 72 dpi
Coded Character Set: UTF8
Object Name: DSC02016
Viewing Conditions Illuminant Type: D50
Measurement Observer: CIE 1931
Measurement Flare: 0.999%
Measurement Illuminant: D65
Orientation: Horizontal (normal)
Software: QuickTime 7.6
Date and Time (Modified): 2009:02:01 13:46:30
Host Computer: Mac OS X 10.5.6
Exposure Program: Program AE
Date and Time (Original): 2009:02:01 12:15:22
Date and Time (Digitized): 2009:02:01 12:15:22
Brightness Value: 10.37
Max Aperture Value: 3.5
Metering Mode: Multi-segment
Light Source: Unknown
Color Space: sRGB


Want to know ways to improve this type of picture. examples, would be angle it was taken at, should it be centered more, those kind of tips would be appreciated.

Thanks

[navcom]

Not quite sure what your center or object of interest is in the photo. Any chance you could expand on what you were attempting to capture? It might make a critique a bit easier. Thanks!

Nav

[mfillhart]

my interest is the tree, sorry, thought that was said through the title

[maplegum]

If your focus point was the tree, I'd actually try to not cut the top and sides off the tree then. I do like the park bench next to the tree too, it add's perspective.

I can see the sun trying to shine through too, that might have looked better if you captured more of that.

[barabe]

I like the feel of your shot, I could see myself siting on that bench and relaxing and enjoying life and the sun warming me up.I do agree that it would have been nice to get more of the tree. I also think this shot is a little underexposed.

[navcom]

Originally Posted by mfillhart

my interest is the tree, sorry, thought that was said through the title

I wasn't sure if you were trying to incorporate the bench and the sun or do something along those lines.

I would agree with maplegum. If the tree is the center of interest, you should probably try to keep it all in the frame. Also, it might help to find an angle where there isn't as much background clutter. The tree kind of blends into the trees behind it.

I would also work on the exposure. It's hard to get snow exposed right...it's easy to get gray instead of white. You have to overexpose by a stop or two to get it more natural. In this case, the sun is also playing a bit 'o havoc with your exposure. I would meter for the snow and increase your exposure by +1. You may have an overexposed sun, but it's a starting point....play with aperture from there to get a happy medium.

Getting the tree as the focus is hard in this composition so don't sweat it too much. There's a lot going on around it. You might want to narrow your field of view and center in on a particularly interesting limb with frost/snow or maybe get closer and have the bench on the right 1/3 and the tree and a limb on the left 1/3 or something like that.

One of the first lessons I was taught when I was learning photo composition was to look at the scene, determine what your center or object of interest is, and then try to "unclutter" the picture as much as possible...take out what detracts from your center of interest. You can do that by changing your shooting position, changing your distance, changing your perspective (on the ground or up on a ladder, etc.), changing lenses, using a narrow depth of field, and so forth.

Hope that helps!