Some sunset shots

[Compaq]

I've used Canon EOS 40D with Canon 50mm f1.8. At f-stop 2.8 aperture priority chose shutterspeed 1/50 sec (so you can imagine the amount of light available).

It looks like there is some focusing problem. These photos aren't edited, right out of the camera. How is the exposure? The colours? I thought I got the best colours at whitebalance: cloudy wather (the most red out of the sunset).

I also set the contrast settings in the camera at max, and turned up the saturation at max and colour tone half up (as an attempt to get more colour and increase the vividness).

Here are two examples with different composition. Please come with tips on how to improve.

btw, if it matters, the camera was hand-held, no tripod used.

#1

#2

 

[flyingember]

for capturing the sunset the second one is better.

the first one is really blurry and I'm not sure if the second one is in focus either.

composition-wise, the second one is better but the lack of horizon focus takes away from it

use a tripod next time.

 

[KmH]

Your focus issue is because you used a wide aperture f/2.2 for both photos and had fairly shallow DOF, not to mention a reduced hyperfocal length.

The more saturated colors in #2 is from under exposure. You used a faster shutter speed - 1/160. you could have stopped the lens down 2 stops and used f/4.3 to get the same exposure but more depth of field and use more of the lenses sweet spot for sharpness.

Which 50 mm lens did you use? The f/1.8 nifty-fifty, or the f/1.4.

 

[Compaq]

I think I mentioned it in the first post, but I used canon's 50mm f1.8. When you mention it, images do get less sharp when closing on the "extreme" values of the aperture. I don't own a tripod, and had to hold the camera. Had I owned a tripod, I could have gone up to f5-6 or something, and have a couple of seconds of exposure, right? That would bring me sharper images (not wide open aperture) + more in focus, yes? Have I understood this correctly.

Even if the pictures aren't great, they have "possibilities" ? Thanks for comments.

 

[flyingember]

Had I owned a tripod[/quote[

you can make or find a surface to set it on. a tree branch would suffice for the first shot

 

[Compaq]

If you don't look at the fact that it's out of focus, how about the colours? Did I get those right? I have a few more with a different whitebalance, which looks a little less vivid, though, perhaps, more realistic.

 

[flyingember]

If you don't look at the fact that it's out of focus, how about the colours? Did I get those right? I have a few more with a different whitebalance, which looks a little less vivid, though, perhaps, more realistic.

without being there I'd say the colors are good. they're well saturated

I'd remove the color from the foreground. you have some ghosting and hot pixels

 

[Compaq]

Should the foreground be close to black and very little detaily? It's, after all, the the sunset that's supposed to be looked at. Having the little line of wood is just for a comparison, right? If I adjust the contrast a little, would it be better?