peace and quiet

[jeff7]

I'm new to photography and recently took this shot of a quiet and peaceful scene. Any advise on composition would be appreciated. I would be happy to take an feedback on how I could improve, especially as it relates to exposure etc. It looks "dull" to me, I took the shot in the auto setting, so I was hoping that the camera would adjust accordingly and give me a "true" shot. I have an Canon EOS 450D.

Thanks in advance

[wal]

First welcome to dps, lots of things you can learn here. Great website. However, do read the rules when requesting a critique, eg: including exif data to simplify critique.

Back to the pic, the horizon is tilted. It can be corrected by using software,( with a loss of some details), therefore try shooting it straight from the begining. Composition wise, the grass on the foreground doesn't help. Also some post processing can help enhance your pic, play with the levels and curves. Experiment. Interesting rock formation and the shadows are good.

[KazeFox]

Hey !! Welcome to DPS

Hmm...you have surely captured a very nice landscape and personally i don't think that composition needs much work. As far as the "dullness" is concerned, yes, the photo does lack sharper colors. Although post processing could rectify that if you had taken the photo at the time of the day when there is more light...then it would have turned out better too.

[tvoelcker]

Great place for a nice capture.
I actually prefer the grass in the foreground since it offers a bit of contrast to the water.
There appears to be a slight haze which might be dulling the colors.
Not sure if there was something distracting to the left of the mountain but if not, I would of swung the camera a bit to the left ,leaving the boat on the right touching the side of the frame out of the picture.

[navcom]

Very intriguing place! I think your time of day is not wrong...quite the opposite. It appears to be in or close to the perfect time for landscapes (early or late in the day). In the middle of the day when the sun is high, the light is much more harsh. Here, the problem may be that the sun is being obscured or filtered by some haze or clouds or you waited just a few minutes too long and the sun just set. If it were out, you'd be getting very golden light as is evident by the color in the leading edge of the clouds.

I agree that the horizon is definitely crooked. Much better to get this right in the field. I also agree that the grass is distracting and does nothing for your composition. The best plan is to find your center of interest and then get rid of anything in the composition that detracts from it or doesn't compliment it.

Here, it appears those wonderful hills are the center of attention. If you got closer to the shore and then down close to the water looking up at a boat and then through a single boat to the hills, it would add to the presence and size of the hills. Maybe wait until a boat was pointing towards the hills or in a position that complimented them. Just an idea...might work...might not.

Hope that helps. Also, post your EXIF data. We can learn a lot about the technical aspects of your photo from it.

[jeff7]

These comments are really helpful - thanks very much. It's the detail that I have to get better at, right now I feel like I just "point and shoot", and being digital I figure I cna shhot as much as I want and hope for a good shot.
The comments about the horizon being crooked are valid, and to be honest, I didn't even notice that until it was pointed out to me.
I'll keep playing and improving I guess and perhaps one day I'll be confident enough to assist others like you are assisting me.

Thanks everyone (and I'll read up on the EXIF bit - sorry about that...)
Jeff