architecture critique

[rx2010]

Thoughts and critiques of exposure and crop on this photo. Thanks for you help.





Camera: Nikon D90
Exposure: 0.003 sec (1/400)
Aperture: f/5.0
Focal Length: 70 mm
ISO Speed: 200
Exposure Bias: 0 EV
Flash: No Flash

[BCampbell]

Definitely underexposed. I can see you're probably afraid of blowing out the sky if you increase the exposure on that dome. In fact it looks a bit blown in spots already, so that's difficult. This is a sunset shot? Maybe you're snooting from the wrong direction, i.e., get the light source behind you.

As for composition, the bit of building on the left is distracting, and I really want to see what's on top of the dome. Cropping that off is a little strange. I think if your subject is the dome, you should include whatever's on top of it.

[wulf]

The sky is already blown out. Since the eye tends to be pulled to the brightest point of a picture (unless it is mainly bright, in which case a significant dark spot might win out) that doesn't help show the building as the main subject. You need to be there at a different time of day to get different lighting.

However, even if the sun were behind you rather than behind the building, there would still be the composition. I suspect a few steps forward or back would have helped. Moving back would give more context to the main building and avoid cropping it in awkward places. Moving forward would lose the building on the left and hopefully draw attention to features on the main subject.

Wulf

[mvalentin]

I agree with the time of day and the position you are in. I understand you wanted to have it lined in a symmetry but I also do want to see the top of that building as well. By stepping back gives you more depth and angle of however you wanted that building to look and also cropping the other building out of the picture.

[LenDog]

Time of day was definitely a problem, you want the sun behind behind you on this one - but, you don't "need" the Sun behind you. I don't know if you cropped the top of the Dome off or just didn't get it in the original photo. If you had it, you'd have been better off to crop more of the bottom out, leaving the top of the Dome in. The building on the left would be more of a distraction if the bottom were cropped out, but isn't a bad inclusion if you'd have backed up or left the top of the Dome in the photo in the first place.

Lastly, it looks like you applied a GND filter in post processing (and did a pretty good job at it). My guess is you cropped first and applied the GND afterwards. Go back and undo your crop, apply the GND first, and then work the crop, and you'll end up with a better photo. That crop button is close to the top on lightroom, and I've personally made the mistake of hitting it first many times.

BTW - checked out your flickr photostream, some great photos there, my compliments.