Critique: Disruptive Nature of Wind

[Tigurius]

Hi everybody, my first "other" critique.
A couple weeks ago here in my hometown (Edmonton Alberta) we had a really crazy windstorm with winds gusting up to 105km/h. The destruction was jaw dropping as there was absolutely no warning at all as to it coming. It just started out of no where.

It ended up collapsing the roof of the CN Tower here. So, if I could please get some critique as to my composition and choice of showing the disaster? I didn't have much time as the rain started again right after I took the photo and police were all over the place. So I'd like some pointers as to what I should look into for the next (well hopefully not...) "disaster".

This photo did at least make it on to a local news website...



Camera: Canon EOS Digital Rebel XS
Exposure: 8
Aperture: f/13.0
Focal Length: 55 mm
ISO Speed: 800

[Samanax]

Was this really an 8 second exposure? If you had a tripod with you and could do a long exposure you might want to keep the ISO to 100 or 200 to limit the amount of noise in the shot. I think a f/stop of f/13 might have been too stopped down too, maybe use f/8 or f/11 for a setting like this. And the only thing that bothers me about the picture is the bottom edge where there is no rubble in the shot. And I wish I could see the top of the first purple pillar.

[Jim1956]

Your last statement, "This photo did at least make it on to a local news website...", kind of sums up my impression of the shot--a documentary shot. If that was your goal, then you accomplished it.

If you were trying to capture any mood/feeling/emotion/etc. then I do not think it is in this photo. If you want to bring out emotion, then look closer to see if something in the rubble might convey some emotion, a smashed toy or something like that. Maybe print it in B&W to remove the distracting purple.

I realize that time was short, but these are things to consider as you walk up to the scene, not once you are there.