Coastal Photo Feedback

[Rafterman]

I took these last May on my annual trip to Wrightsville Beach, NC with my wife. We're going again this May and I want to come back with some awesome photos that will be wall-worthy for our living room, which we're currently redesigning with a coastal theme. These are the types of locations/subjects available to me out there, so I'm looking for feedback on improving the pictures I have now so I get even better ones in a couple months. Please keep in mind that I took these with an entry-level DSLR (D3100) and was a bit more of a digital rookie than I am now.

1) Sunrises

24mm, 4sec, f/16, ISO 100



2) Sunsets over the Intracoastal Waterway

105mm, 1/250, f/4.5, ISO 100



Sand Dunes

35mm, 1/2500, f/2.8, ISO 100



Birds

160mm, 1/4000, f/5.3, ISO 100



Thanks in advance.

 

[ceeboy14]

Best advice I can give is to get a Lee .6 and .9 GND filter set so you can keep the light in the foreground as well asinthe sky. Oh, and watch your horizon lines...water tends to stay relatively level.

 

[Rafterman]

Best advice I can give is to get a Lee .6 and .9 GND filter set so you can keep the light in the foreground as well asinthe sky. Oh, and watch your horizon lines...water tends to stay relatively level.

I already have some ND filters in my photo gear wish list on Amazon to buy before we go back this spring. On which photo did you think the horizon was off?

 

[PropilotBW]

Possible shot: Set up a tripod and take a series of shots for panorama. Do you have photo editing software that will allow photo merging?

 

[Rafterman]

Possible shot: Set up a tripod and take a series of shots for panorama. Do you have photo editing software that will allow photo merging?

That's a nice idea. Yes, I have Photoshop CS3 at home and CS5.5 at work.