Treetops @ sunset

[lns_731]

Hi everyone!

I'd like you to critique my photo, please feel free to comment on any aspect of it. Thanks in advance!

Camera: Sony DSC-H20
Exposure: 0.017 sec (1/60)
Aperture: f/4.4
Focal Length: 63 mm
ISO Speed: 400
Exposure Bias: 0 EV
Flash: Auto, Fired, Return not detected

[navcom]

Hi! Do you have anything specific you would like critiqued? Color, composition, etc.?

Just a couple quick notes that I can see. For landscape photography, it is usually best to use the lowest ISO possible (in your camera's case, I believe it will go to ISO 100). I see some grain in your image but am not sure if it's due to post-processing/image reduction or ISO noise. Also, I would try to stick with an aperture of f/8 to f/13 or so. This will yield the best depth of field and image quality. Wide open apertures will usually produce relatively more washed out colors and will also degrade image quality. They are usually reserved for when you need to hand-hold the camera in low light and have no other choice. For landscape work, you usually have plenty of time to use a longer shutter speed and can use a tripod.

Let us know if you have a specific question.

[lns_731]

Navcom,
Thanks for all of those tips! I'm new to this so i'm still learning what camera settings are appropriate for certain subjects. It all seems a bit overwhelming right now, lol, I feel like i'll never remember how to shoot certain things. I was most interested in seeing what anyone thought of my composition, color, subject choice, etc...really just overall critique. What I like most about this picture is the sky, I think the colors are great, and would like to know the opinion of someone more experienced than I. I guess I am trying to "train" my eyes to see what will look best.


Lauren

[navcom]

I'm one that likes to simplify things...no need to make things more complicated than they are!

For landscape photography like what you are showing us, learning how to "set" your camera is relatively straight forward. I'll give you my landscape photography "checklist" of what has worked for me.

- Set the camera to the lowest ISO possible (100)
- Set to capture RAW if you have the software to convert to JPG (Photoshop or software that came with your camera). This will make white balance settings much easier as you can always change them later if you don't like what you see.
- Set your white balance. I prefer to custom set to the scene. Since you are new, select one of the presets you think will work for what you are shooting. As I said, if you are shooting in RAW, you can always change it afterwards back at home.
- Take your camera off the auto mode and put it in aperture priority (Av).
- Use a tripod.
- Put the camera on delayed shooting...that is, the camera will wait a couple seconds to take the shot after you push the shutter button. This allows the mirror to rotate up followed by a pause, which will guarantee you don't have any camera movement when the shutter opens.
- Turn off your auto focus and use hyperfocal distance to focus. You can learn about that on this forum. Just do a search for hyperfocal distance. This is your hardest step to learn...and it's not that hard.
- Finally, determine how much depth of field you need. For scenes where there isn't anything in the immediate foreground, set your aperture to f/8 or f/11. If you have something in the immediate foreground and also want those mountains in the background in focus, use f/13 to f/16. Use f/16 sparingly as when you get this small, you may start to lose some sharpness overall from lens diffraction.

Whew! That's a basic rundown. It looks like a lot but it's really not that hard. And most of these checklist items can be fudged or changed. There is no "set in stone" item. You are the artist and you have the control. Just learn the limits of your camera and what it can and cannot do. The rest will fall into place with practice.

As for your photo, your composition is quite good. It flows well and keeps your attention. I like the contrast between the trees and the sky. I just think you need to work on image quality a bit...but that will come!

[lns_731]

Wow thanks for those tips, i'll definitely keep them in mind next time i'm doing landscapes. Thank you so much for taking your time to type all that out to me, I really appreciate it! I'm going to copy and paste it into a word document on my computer so I can easily access it. Thanks again navcom!

[navcom]

No problem! Happy shooting! Don't forget to post some of your work on the forum!