I would like this one C&C'd, as it's the best I can do.

[stsinner]

Please critique this picture, as it's the best I could come up with.. I moved several things out of the shot from previous shots.. But you can see my main 19" flat screen in the background, and I don't know if that's distracting, or if the picture is captivating enough. I was on tripod and trying various different settings..

 

[Jklersy]

I like the forum up on the comp in the background .

If your goin for a christmas theme i would crop the fish tank and find a way to block everything else from the scene thats on the left.

 

[Moe]

Gotta be careful on cropping the fish tank out, as this might result in a square picture which some do not prefer. I don't know if you are able to either hang a sheet from the door frame on the left to block out that room or not. At least turn the monitor off. You could also pose people there. Another thing that catches my eye is the light reflected in the mirror. All that being said, I absolutely love the tree! It looks like it is loaded with ornaments!

 

[tirediron]

Tell us what you want to acheive with the image? Is it a Christmas theme, or ??

 

[kundalini]

Here's my slant. This is not good, but possibly can be. The WB is off and casting a yellow hue. You've probably exposed too long which is causing the blown details of the cozy fire and smudged all your tree lights. Heavy shadows from the mantle ornaments. The tree looks as if it's about to be toppled (using the wide end of your lens?). The framing of the doorway interferes and competes with the top of the tree. The second room (with monitor) is a miss and totally removes the essence you're trying to portray.... Christmas decs.

Some possible remedies.

- Put your camera in portrait orientation on the tripod. IMO, what is important is the tree and mantle.

- Move around ~90° from where you are now. If the mirror above the mantle is still in view, replace it with a wreath.

- Place a cover over or turn off the aquarium light. It's throwing a blue-green light into the scene.

- (Debatable) Set camera to Av priority, with an aperture of ~f/8. Set flash synch to ~1/125 and flash mode to TTL (You have a SB-600, right?) and have it off camera.

- Bounce your flash everywhere... the ceiling, the wall to the right, the wall behind, off some crumpled foil, through a sheet...... be creative.

- Meter on the tree. Meter off the fire. Meter several spots.

I don't know, there's more but these are just a few thoughts. Try one or two of these and see what you get. Let me know if I am full of it too.

Good Luck.

 

[confused_in_the_darkroom]

I love the christmas theme, but def get the computer out of the pic and the aquarium, maybe you could go vertical? and I would almost consider using a lower angle when taking the picture... maybe drop down half a meter.

 

[ANDS!]

My advice, dont photograph this dead on. Find a weird angle (from behind the XMAS tree, under the tree, something), to give the perspective a little bit more "pop".

And uhm - why does the FISHTANK need to be there?

 

[kundalini]

I had an angle of view kinda like this in mind .

 

[ANDS!]

I had an angle of view kinda like this in mind .

Indeed. I would even, if possible, get on the floor and shoot up bottom up, as if the tree and the fireplace are looming large above the viewer - really anything to punch a "normal" scene up. And how about limiting the light, so that we get a play of exposure on the tree's decorations, and the outline of the fireplace, maybe toss a sitting rug in front - give a vibe of a nighttime cozy scene. . .could even set out a plate of cookies and some milk to complete the theme!

That and get that tank outta there!

 

[Ron Evers]

The distractions as others have mentioned but the first thing that hit me was the white balance. Did you have the camera set for tungsten as I think you should have?

 

[stsinner]

The distractions as others have mentioned but the first thing that hit me was the white balance. Did you have the camera set for tungsten as I think you should have?

I played with White Balance, and I believe I finally settled on Incandescent....

 

[stsinner]

Gotta be careful on cropping the fish tank out, as this might result in a square picture which some do not prefer. I don't know if you are able to either hang a sheet from the door frame on the left to block out that room or not. At least turn the monitor off. You could also pose people there. Another thing that catches my eye is the light reflected in the mirror. All that being said, I absolutely love the tree! It looks like it is loaded with ornaments!

Thank you.. I'll try your advice.. And the tree IS loaded with ornaments... I love ornaments, especially when they are special..

 

[kundalini]

Any joy on a re-shoot yet?

 

[stsinner]

Any joy on a re-shoot yet?

Not yet, but the tripod is still sitting over there staring at me.. What WB setting should I use when there is nothing but the tree and fireplace to light the scene? Tungsten?

 

[kundalini]

Personally, I set my WB in camera to Auto and then adjust in post. I run everything through LightRoom 2 first, then (because of certain reasons) I have to export to Capture NX, then Save as JPEG to open in Photoshop for final edits.


But to answer your question.... it seems you are lighting the scene with incandescent.