What’s Your Preference?

ldontheedge · #1 (**permalink**) 01-21-2010, 04:29 AM

I really like the idea of this shot, but it still doesn't feel like I wanted it to. I'm relatively new to photography, so I'm still looking for ways to improve composition and such. I have very little knowledge of editing and post processing, so is there anything I could do to make this shot better?

Camera: Canon EOS Digital Rebel XSi
Exposure: 0.002 sec (1/500)
Aperture: f/5.6
Focal Length: 55 mm
ISO Speed: 100
Exposure Bias: 0 EV
Flash: Off, Did not fire

offwhitedog · #2 (**permalink**) 01-21-2010, 01:12 PM

Hi, I'd suggest the following:-

1) compose the shot with the horizon higher or lower, i.e. rule of thirds

2) having the road off-centre to the left is good, but include some of the landscape on both sides of the road to give it some context

3) what are the "U" shaped marks on the road? it might be worth removing them

4) same for the white blob on the roadside!

5) can you change your viewpoint so that the yellow signpost on the horizon becomes a 'feature'? for example, where it is right on the brow of the hill from your viewpoint

barabe · #3 (**permalink**) 01-21-2010, 01:58 PM

Hello and welcome to DPS,

I hope you will find everything you are looking for here because it is a great learning tool.

I think your picture has great potential but there is a lack of punch to make it stand out.
You might wan t to increase the contrast and saturation to start and maybe rotating the shot a few degrees to the right.

ldontheedge · #4 (**permalink**) 01-21-2010, 11:28 PM

Thanks for the feedback. I considered cropping out part of the sky to get the horizon line up a little higher, but I wanted to get a second opinion. I'll give that a try. The U shaped things on the road are lines drawn by the construction workers for one reason or another. Like I said, I have very little experience with post processing, so removing the blob of snow or the markings on the road would be difficult. I'm slowly teaching myself how to use GIMP (can't afford photoshop at the moment), but I think the shot would look much better without the snow blob, the Us on the road, and the few trees on the far right of the photo.

What do you mean when you say rotate the shot to the right? Are you saying I should try to level the horizon line, or that I should make it even more sloped than it already is?

Thanks!!