Tell me what I can do better and I need some advice

[fredzilla]

Just got a DSLR Canon EOS Rebel XS. This is one of my first shots.
Also I plan on going somewhere out in the country to take some night sky photos and any advice would be greatly appreciated. If anyone knows of a good spot to take night sky photos please fill me in. My plan is to go to the Perryville Battleground in Boyle County.

[barabe]

Please include your EXIF files for us to guide you in the right direction.

[fredzilla]

Program Manual
ISO 100
Exposure Time 8 Sec.
F Number F/5.6
Flash Off
Focal Length 49mm
Lens Aperture F/5.7
Shutter Speed 8 Sec.
Color RGB


Taken with Canon Rebel XS, 18-55 kit. I hope this what you need for info. I have this camera for only a week and I still don't know all about it yet. Thanks in advance for any help you may be able to provide.

[Nicole]

Nicely done for a first shot. I do have a few suggestions for you for future shots, though like most things with photography they're more of personal preference sort of things.

The first thing that stands out to me is the branches on the top of the frame. To me, they don't contribute much. Then it makes me look at the branches on the bottom of the frame and makes me wonder if you could've gotten closer to the water to get rid of the branches overall.

The second thing is that I probably would've adjusted my white balance to be a little cooler to counter some of the orange that's produced by street lights. It's not something you're going to eliminate, but it turns the sky a bit more blue / purple rather than orangy / pink.

And then the last thing that I'd consider doing is actually closing down your aperture a little more and using a longer shutter speed. The reason I prefer to do that is because it can create some nice effects with the light. The shot is well exposed though so it's not imperative, just more of a personal preference on that.

Good luck with your night sky photos!

[Fred Haider]

This is a great photo. You are an accomplished for sure. You tried a night shot for the first photo good for you

[stargazer]

Nice shot ... and I agree with Nichole that much of this is subjective. The photographer rules! But I also agree that the branch at the top is distracting ... and leads you to check out the branches at the bottom of the frame. All this causes you to focus on the wrong elements.

[fredzilla]

Thanks all for the help and info. I agree about the branches. I should take a hatchet and chop em down.

[mikedugganphotography]

Really the only thing that stands out to me that could use attention are the branches in the top of the image. You could crop these out on this shot but you want to take a solid look at what you are seeing through the viewfinder prior to exposing the image. With night photography make sure to bracket so that you can see changes from the different exposure and also have the ability to merge more than one like image.

[fredzilla]

Moved to a different location away from the branches. Got rid of most of the orange sky but does it seem a little under exposed? Just put up a link this time. Please let me know what you think.

Color sRGB
Exposure 20 sec.
Focal length 70mm
ISO 400
Aperture F/32

http://i53.photobucket.com/albums/g6...a/IMG_0281.jpg