Creek C/C please

[dslrchat]

OK, unfortunately I did not have my tripod with me here, and could only take 1 shot (had 2 hound dogs leashed to my arm Lol).

I did not photoshop this pic other than to resize, what I am looking for here is critique on composition, should I have been closer/farther/different angle or is it just a boring pic?
Thanx.
http://forums.dslrchat.com/creek.jpg

 

[surfnturf]

I think I would have added a little more foreground to the picture. Either by backing up a bit or getting closer to the ground so that you see more of the log at the bottom of the picture.

 

[dslrchat]

Thnk you, and the more I look at it, I think I should have tried to pull out the stump sticking straight up near the log, My eyes seem to focus on that rather than the whole picture.

I lightened it up in this image trying to bring out the shadows, not sure if I made it better or worse?
http://forums.dslrchat.com/creeka.jpg

 

[skiboarder72]

too cluttered and bad lighting... wrong time of the day to be shooting things like this, the contrast is too high and destroys a lot of the detail, try a wide aperature lens to help get rid of the distracting background and find a stronger subject...

 

[The_Traveler]

I'm going to assume that you want an honest opinion undiluted with attaboys to make you feel better.

If not stop reading now.

But first of all, let me say that photography is very hard. It is difficult to take the impression that your eye and mind create and capture that on a sensor. Your eye can integrate over distance and a high dynamic range, constantly changing sensitivity, depth of field and focus. Meanwhile your mind is adding an overlay of emotional content and memory. None of this can be captured by your camera sensor; that's what makes it hard.

For your interest, I include a link to a picture of the same type I did that completely failed (one failure among thousands of failures). This was magic in my mind and a complete loss after I captured it. http://img501.imageshack.us/img501/3849/hiddenshackdsc746103057lp4.jpg

Camera Model: Canon EOS DIGITAL REBEL XTi
Image Date: 2008:05:04 12:48:50
Focal Length: 27.0mm
Exposure Time: 0.0063 s (1/160)
Aperture: f/9.0
ISO equiv: 400
White Balance: Auto
Metering Mode: Matrix
Exposure: program (Auto)

You have pretty much chosen the most difficult scene and the most impossible time to render a good image with a digital slr. At 1 in the afternoon the sun is directly overhead, making deep dark shadows and bright sun-lit spots where the foliage allows. This creates an image that your eye and mind can process but is much too large a dynamic range for a digital sensor. This needed to be shot earlier or later in the day when the sun is lower and the light more diffuse.

The most crucial defect is the lack of any obvious points of interest. I don't know what you were considering as the point of interest in the picture; my eye just roams around looking for something to focus on. Before taking any picture you need to pick out the elements that are important and then arrange them in the viewfinder so that there is some dynamic relationship, using dof and focus to create the image you want people to see.

The most prominent area in the image (yellow) has nothing defined in it.
The entire right hand side (red) is just a higgledy-piggledy of bushes with nothing to hold one's eye.

Last, and most minor, is that there is no signal about a real horizontal in the image. That tree lying down may indeed be tilted but it is the only signal about horizontal we get - and it looks off.

I can't resist saying that your choice of a f stop and speed were quite sensible and the higher iso would probably have worked just fine.
The recipe for this scene is different viewpoint, selective focus, later or earlier in the day and tripod. A tripod is enough of a pain to make each shot more important and make you think through what and why you are doing everything.

 

[dslrchat]

I'm going to assume that you want an honest opinion undiluted with attaboys to make you feel better.
.....................

Thank you very much!!! It is that type of post that is needed for me (and others I imagine) to learn.

I understand what you mean about the time of day and lighting, will have to keep this in mind for the future.

The focal point in this shot was the yellow section, it was the little waterfall that I was interested in, however did not turn out that way.
I will have to pay more attention to where I am standing and the levels, angles that I am shooting from.

Thank you again for your post, they help immensely!

 

[dslrchat]

I just wanted to add,
The angle of the picture probably was me and they way I hold the camera.
I am not quite used to the size of this compared to my small point/shoot camera. (which is why I have been taking so many useless shot, trying to get comfortable)

Any other comments by anyone is welcomed.
Pick away, its the only way I will learn.

Thanx

 

[uberben]

in locations that are cluttered like the one you were at, I find that its easier to pick one specific area to focus on. For instance. You could have moved in much closer and just look at the turbulance of the water going over either of the two small falls. I use my 70-200 or 100-400 for shots like this. You may want to pick up some Neutral density filters for this kind of thing. I use both graduated & full ND's. They make a huge difference when shoot in a lot of light.

But like it was mentioned before, Different time of day will help a lot.