what do you think about this sand?(yes, sand)

[syverthronix]

I took this a while ago and editted it in photoshop. since I'm just beginning and stuff. I don't know the right things to do, I just took the picture and editted in until it looked good for me.
But it still don't look as perfect as others do it. Do you guys have tips on how to improve shots like this?

Exp. time: 1/80
F/22
Focal length: 18mm
ISO: 100
Canon 1100D (using the 18-55m kit lens)

[shocellist]

Personally I don't really know how to shoot sand like a pro, but perhaps I can help anyway. Why was your aperture f/22? It's hard to tell but it looks like you were shooting down at the sand so there wouldn't be need for a high DOF. Also, at 18mm, you can use a much larger aperture and still get everything in focus. f/10 might be ideal here!

To be honest this photo gets me a little disoriented. I can't tell how big anything is, the angle of the shot, etc. It might help to shoot in a way that clarifies the size of things and the angle of shooting.

[Doug Sundseth]

One of the things I like about this sort of abstract photography is that it is so fractal in nature. You can't necessarily tell whether this is an aerial shot of a dune field or a close-up shot of a small piece of beach.

But: The footprints (?) running across the upper right corner of the photo are harming the composition, IMO. They draw my attention up and out of the photo almost immediately. If they were more identifiable, they might work as the subject of the photo (though they should be more central in that case). Otherwise, I'd try to pick a stretch of sand with interesting textures without that sort of distraction.

[syverthronix]

One of the things I like about this sort of abstract photography is that it is so fractal in nature. You can't necessarily tell whether this is an aerial shot of a dune field or a close-up shot of a small piece of beach.

But: The footprints (?) running across the upper right corner of the photo are harming the composition, IMO. They draw my attention up and out of the photo almost immediately. If they were more identifiable, they might work as the subject of the photo (though they should be more central in that case). Otherwise, I'd try to pick a stretch of sand with interesting textures without that sort of distraction.

thanks for the tips. I enjoy taking pictures like these but I don't know the "guidelines", so to speak. And is the first guy's tip really necessary to get excellent shots?

[Doug Sundseth]

Depth of field depends on aperture, focal length, photosite size, and distance to subject. In general, if you're shooting square to your subject or shooting a short focal length, you can use a wider aperture and still get images sharp throughout. Most lenses are at their sharpest in the f/7 - f/11 range, so I'd recommend that. (Which is to say, "Do what Shocellist said", essentially.)

Static subjects that aren't transparent or glossy are pretty straightforward to photograph most of the time.

[shocellist]

thanks for the tips. I enjoy taking pictures like these but I don't know the "guidelines", so to speak. And is the first guy's tip really necessary to get excellent shots?

No, it's not necessary! Like Doug said, it all depends on the situation. In photography, there is so much variation between things (focal length, aperture, shutter speed, what you're shooting, etc) that while advice can be given on an "in general" basis (like lenses are generally sharpest between f/7-f/11), every situation will need slightly different settings.

If you're shooting sand at 18mm pointing straight at the ground, f/7 should be enough to get you a huge DOF, but if you're shooting it at 55mm, you'll need a much higher f-stop to get the DOF you need. And of course, if you want to throw some stuff out of focus, you might use a wide open aperture of f/3.5 or something.

[ACL Burger]

Hi shocellist,
I find the picture an interesting experiment in playing with patterns an light.
You look carefully and it seems the picture is upside down. Illusions created by light.
Every picture we take is another opportunity to learn something new.