Please critique my bridge and sunset

[docphysics]

It seems a little underexposed. What camera settings should I have changed to take a better picture? Larger aperture, longer expose?

 

[syphlix]

bridge looks fuzzy to me past the 2nd support thing...

was this on tripod?

 

[docphysics]

no, tripod just hand held. So longer expose with tripod would help?

 

[bigtwinky]

Your breathing is typically enough to shake a camera and make an image out of focus, even if you have super steady hands. So yes, a tripod is a must for long exposures.

As for the picture, I'm not keen on the little trees at the bottom, specially the ones that are cut.

I also don't like how the bridge just melds into the shoreline. Having more detail in that shoreline might help.

What were the aperture and shutter for the shot? (I dont have an exif viewer at work)

 

[shortpballer]

And putting the iso as low as possible. and keeping the shutter open a little longer. Do you know what aperture you were shooting at? In this personally I would have been around f6-f8

 

[docphysics]

Thanks for the tips! As for the aperture settings, I will check them tonight and let you know. Can't remember, as I took like a hundred pics.

 

[shortpballer]

I brightened the sky and tried to sharpen the image a bit. I'm not too good with photoshop. Only been doing it for about a week now. Let me know what you think. I think the image pops alot more now.

 

[docphysics]

WOW! I like it alot!!!! It gives the clouds ALOT more texture and depth! Very nice.

 

[shortpballer]

I like how the reflections in the water seemed to popout more. And since the bridge wasn't fully in focus, I made it a little darker to contrast the sky better.

Glad you like it

 

[benlonghair]

There seems to be some motion blur going on with the bridge. But that might be an optical illusion.

 

[NateS]

Well, you were at f3.6 and 1/100th. So you can't afford to go with a larger aperture or longer shutter speed unless you have a tripod. Get a tripod, set it in aperture priority and an aperture of f/8. Take whatever shutter speed it gives you. Also try and use a remote for shutter release or a timer delay to prevent shake from pressing the shutter.

You really need more than f3.6 to get it all in focus since the bridge is different distances from you on one end than the other.

 

[bigtwinky]

The smaller the aperture (higher number), the deeper the depth of field you have which results in more of the image being in focus.

When doing night photos or landscapes, with the camera on the tripod and using a remote release, keeping the ISO at 100, I tend to put my camera in Aperture Priority mode and set it to f/8 - f/11 and let the camera decide what shutter speed to use.

 

[docphysics]

Excellent, and very helpful! Thanks for all the tips everybody! I am trying to learn, and your advice really helps!!!!

 

[bigtwinky]

You are not trying to, you are learning. Nothing better than reading and practicing!

 

[Samanax]

If you like to take landscape type shots you might want to invest in a good tripod.

This web site if popular with landscape shooters: The Luminous Landscape