Critique this photo

[Kristi2k]

I bring my camera to work every day just incase I see something like this. I shot this photo standing outside of the EMMC hospital (where I work) overlooking the Penobscot River.

I'm new to my XTi and am still figuring out what settings are best for different situations. My goal was to capture the sun's rays breaking through the darker clouds.

http://farm2.static.flickr.com...62519_80c11e1c1f_b.jpg

Camera: Canon EOS Digital Rebel XTi
Exposure: 0.002 sec (1/500)
Aperture: f/14
Focal Length: 33 mm
ISO Speed: 400
Exposure Bias: 1/3 EV

 

[Brainonska511]

Is there a way you could upload the photo with the EXIF data intact, or at least copy the major portions of it into this thread?

It's a pretty cool effect with the light shining out of the clouds.

 

[Kristi2k]

Ah, of course:

Camera: Canon EOS Digital Rebel XTi
Exposure: 0.002 sec (1/500)
Aperture: f/14
Focal Length: 33 mm
ISO Speed: 400
Exposure Bias: 1/3 EV

 

[montanafan]

I like the effect from the sun's rays coming through the clouds. You found a nice scene to capture there. If I were to critique one thing, it would be that it's a little blown out in the white of the cloud where the sun is. In camera you could have tried shooting at a smaller aperture, or lowered your ISO to 100, and you definitely wouldn't want the +1/3 EC.

I saw in another thread where you are thinking of learning some post-processing skills. For a shot like this with a dark foreground and a light background, you would take two shots. In one you would expose for the lighter sky and then in the other one you would expose for the darker foreground. Then in PhotoShop or whatever software you use, you'd blend the two exposures to get the maximum effect.

You have a good eye, keep at it.

 

[Kristi2k]

I used exposure bracketing and 1/3+ was the best, anything less was way too dark, the trees were a silohwet (sp?) which is not what I wanted. Hopefully I'll have another change to play with this in the future.

 

[BillyBatson]

nice photo, i don't like how it is skewed though, it is slanted to the right

 

[IrishBells86]

It's a nice photo.. the only thing I'd do to it is make the horizon straight, that's distracting to me. As for the reccommendation of bracketing this picture, I think it would confuse the eye and look unreal. Obviously, the sky is the most interesting part, you don't need to show more detail in the trees and foreground.

 

[ProfJohn]

Ok, I am going to be overly critical here, but a bunch of people telling you that it?s a nice photo isn?t really much help.

It is a nice photo and the sunlight effect is neat. But the light colored clouds and horizon sort of drown out the effect. Would be much more dramatic if the clouds were darker, not your fault of course.

I think the tree to the left is distracting as well. Would be a better shot if you could have moved to the right and just had the water and trees on the other side in the photo. Or if you could have gotten lower and had the tree frame the shot on the left side of the photo.

Waiting for the sun to get lower in the sky and to start turning that warm yellow color would have made a difference as well, much more dramatic lighting. The same if the cloud cover had been much darker; the light shinning through would be far more dramatic.

One suggestion, try changing the shutter speed when taking photos of the sun or lights. If you used auto exposure the camera is trying to make the whole photo look good when what you are going for is the dramatic effect of the lighting. Lowering the shutter speed would have given you a darker shot, but the light effect might have been more pronounced.

Since I am being so critical I am including some shots of my own so you can see that I have at least a little clue of what I am talking about.
Sunset on the north shore of Hawaii
Sunlight breaking through the clouds, not a great photo
The joys of a tripod when taking photos with lights

Where in Maine are you? I went to Highschool in Topsham.

 

[Kristi2k]

Criticism is welcome, I agree with some of your points but not all. I would have been able to frame the picture better if I had not only had 5 minutes until work started. I took this outside of EMMC Hospital (Bangor) where I work. Thank you for the input!

 

[jpeyton]

The tree in the foreground is a little distracting, and landscape shots usually work better in 'landscape' format (not portrait as you have it).

Coloring could be warmer, but Photoshop can take care of that easily.

 

[pradeep1]

I shot these Mammatus Clouds outside my office a few years ago:

http://www.photo.net/photodb/p...oto_id=3319897&size=lg