First Attempt at Last Light

[thotshouse]

This shot (1/4000s f/4.0 ISO640 29mm) was taken around 6.45pm at Punggol end. I hope to have some feedback for improvement in the following areas.

1. Composition - Is the tree on the left distracting?
2. Exposure - Will it be better if I had used a flash to light up the foreground?
3. Exposure - What is generally considered as a better picture? Slower shuttle for the smooth water effect or faster shuttle to freeze the waves? I noticed that a lot of people chose the former

Thanks in advance for your time and comments.

 

[Bcool]

The first thing that strike me is that the image is too cluttered with too many elements competing for attention. While it is commendable to have a foreground subject to lead the eyes into the scene, choosing a clump of leaves that blocks practically the left side of the frame and covering the horizon isn't exactly ideal.

Furthermore, the image is flat and needs strong vivid colors to make it punchy and come alive. Some simple post processing could turn this around.


There's an interesting scene playing down below the waterline that is worth exploring......something like this........

Tell me and I'll remove the photo.

 

[jeffL]

I think i saw you ytd at punggol, standing behind you while you shot this pic. I was holding a pns camera.

The colours seems a bit muted to me, doesn't pop out. Better to crop your pic like the above example. btw did you use average metering?

 

[thotshouse]

The first thing that strike me is that the image is too cluttered with too many elements competing for attention. While it is commendable to have a foreground subject to lead the eyes into the scene, choosing a clump of leaves that blocks practically the left side of the frame and covering the horizon isn't exactly ideal.

hmm ... true. Your version is indeed more pleasing.

Furthermore, the image is flat and needs strong vivid colors to make it punchy and come alive. Some simple post processing could turn this around.

There's an interesting scene playing down below the waterline that is worth exploring......something like this........

Tell me and I'll remove the photo.

Is this cropped from my photo? How did you reproduce the reflection in the sea? It's amazing. :thumbsup:

 

[thotshouse]

I think i saw you ytd at punggol, standing behind you while you shot this pic. I was holding a pns camera.

I was there on last Wed (10 June) ... I guessed you saw someone else. LOL.

The colours seems a bit muted to me, doesn't pop out. Better to crop your pic like the above example. btw did you use average metering?

I used "Center Weighted Average" metering for this shot. I did have some problems with the auto-focusing though (the sun was too bright) ... will probably try manual focus the next time.

 

[shaoken]

I think the reflection is created by playing with curves??

 

[marvintheroundone]

Hmmm, I would have gone nearer to the rocks and lower.
Increase f-stop and decrease shutter for long exposure.
The tree is indeed distracting...
There are alot of people doing long exposure to make the water look smoother and stuff. But it all comes down to your style. You may even consider isolating a subject on the beach (A rock?)...? Haha

Neverthelast just keep on shooting my friend.