Please CC. First photo project :)

[WilfordSy]

Hi guys,

Could you kindly give me some comments and critique? This is my first time to do landscape shots. This photo project is for my assignment to use low depth of field to focus on a subject and blur the background (Photo #1) and another is to use high depth of field to focus from the foreground to the background (Photo #2-#3).

Any preference on which is better? Photo #2 or #3? And if you have tips on how I can improve my shots. Thanks in advance

Photo #1: ISO 100, 50mm, f1.8, 1/1000sec - Cropped using photoshop with color enhancements

Photo #2: ISO 100, 30mm, f22, 0.4sec - Photo enhanced with photoshop.

Photo #3: ISO 100, 29mm, f22, 1/5sec - Photo enhanced with photoshop.

 

[MTVision]

The first one looks a little soft but it's hard to tell for sure since I'm on my phone and can't see a large image. It's hard to nail focus with your lens wide open @ f/1.8. Lenses don't perform their best wide open. The sweet spot is usually closing it up 2 stops. You would still get a nice blurred background by closing it up a little. Also the bird is almost dead center in the frame which can make for a boring picture but you can fix it with a crop. Also, watch for your horizons - this one is crooked.

The 2nd and 3rd aren't very interesting IMO.

 

[WilfordSy]

Thanks very much for the honest opinion!

Here's an edited version of #1. Fixed the horizon and cropped the bird to the right.

Anyway, I'll try to get more shots of other landscapes. I guess these shots were the "best" of my batch of shots but they're not really that intriguing.

Thanks again!