My first photos! Any advice?

keller · Oct 15, 2005

Blue Building: http://img442.imageshack.us/img442/6234/opera2ms.jpg
Cityscape: http://img442.imageshack.us/img442/8978/southbank7vp.jpg

Hey all, I've just taken my very first photos (apart from the times I clicked away on my $20 compact, which doesn't count). They're both of the cityscape at night.

I think I've made a lot of mistakes with the photos, does anyone have any advice to improve on them?

With the 1st photo (blue building) I wanted to get all the various coloured lights contrasting with each other.

The 2nd photo was taken from a bridge over the river. I wanted to capture the river, the trees/riverbank, and the cityscape (all on the right-hand side of the river). I don't think my composition was too good, should I have taken the shot from across the river, or at least a different angle?

The photos were taken with a Canon A520 (4MP), with f2.6 and shutter speeds from 0.5 to 2 seconds (these two photos' shutter speed is about 0.8"). Photos were saved as JPEG.

Artemis · Oct 15, 2005

These are your first photos? they are very very good, id be proud of these for my collection

Try getting rid of the bottom bits, takes so much away from the photo...then everything else appears good to me

speciespython · Oct 15, 2005

These are your first photos? they are very very good, id be proud of these for my collection

i agree...i like the 2nd one

is that...melbourne?

laura

LaFoto · Oct 15, 2005

FIRSTS?
Well. Wow.
Some jump in headfirst and really know what they are doing here! If I think of my first attempts at photography, not to mention nighttime photography...............!

keller · Oct 16, 2005

Hey all, thanks for the encouragement

Yep, it's in Melbourne, right on the Yarra in the middle of the city. Lights were quite bad that night though, but I found increasing the shutter speed helped brightened it up.

Yeah the bottom bit is a bit of a problem, I didn't realise it was there until I uploaded the camera, its actually the bridge fence where I mounted my camera. Next time I'll need to move the camera closer, or buy a tripod.

Do you think those pictures could have looked better if they were darker or lighter? I did about 20 shots with different shutter speeds (ranging from 0.4 to 2"), and took out what I thought to be the better-lighted ones.