f8 is a very popular aperture setting but be careful about using it ... the proper lighting conditions have to be apropriate. honestly, i've never used it ... not apropriate for any and all the photos i've ever done .. but my hubby uses it a lot
not sure what aperture setting u used, but its appears to be a little dark out there for an f8 (just my guestimate, im not a professional by any means

)
since your on digital, u may want to check your white balance and iso settings as well...
im not sure how long u've been "photographing" ... but in a setting like this, i think program mode would not do this photo justice ... a step up from there would be to do a aperture or shutter priority (dont know if your camera does that or not) ... that way u can set your aperture (for example) and the camera fix the shutter apropriately... assuming your iso and white balance are in accordance.
dude, your on digital, u can take 100 pics a day and it doesnt cost u a dime

... experiment, experiment, experiment ... does your camera have bracket mode? ... where u can take 3 shots, one over-exposed, under-exposed, "normally" exposed?