Newbie shot of MBS

[shiltontan]

Hi there,

A little background...
I've been interested in photography for a while and have been reading CS for a few years. But I've only managed to afford a camera very recently. Unfortunately, due to NS, I've not really been able to shoot. That said, I'm not totally new to photography, but I'm new to cityscapes.

1. in what area is critique to be sought?

- Composition: the main subject is MBS. The first thing the viewer should see is the merlion, then the flyer, then MBS. I've included lead in lines at both sides, and a line out from MBS. Question is, is the light trail on the left too strong? Does all this make sense?
I've also left more space on the left and included a building to balance this out. Does this work for you?

- Technical execution: This is a HDR composite. MBS lights, light trail and a Longer exposure(to blur the movement) of the flyer was layered in.
Does the HDR look natural? Is it obvious that elements were added in?, especially the light trail?

- Tonality: Should the exposure for the merlion be reduced? How is the brightness level of the sky, and the water? Is the dodging/ burning obvious? Any local area adjustments lacking?

2. what one hopes to achieve with the piece of work?

- Nothing too special here, just wanted to capture a shot of MBS...

3. under what circumstance is the picture taken? (physical conditions/emotions)

Erm, taken from the bridge slightly after dusk...

4. what the critique seeker personally thinks of the picture

It's not too bad... this is the first decent cityscape shot I managed. But I want to know how to improve.

Thanks in advance,

Shilton

 

[xenith0]

Looks great! I think the picture was very well taken! I'm just an amateur, but I'll comment anyway (so I can learn too).
The HDR looks natural to me, doesn't even look like a HDR until you mentioned it, which is a good thing.
The light trail looks somewhat unnatural, given that you didn't take a long enough exposure for something to produce a trail that long (clue: water doesn't look calm).
I like the sky, but the MBS Lotus and the Merlion looks blown out to me.
Composition wise, I think a landscape would be better without the horizon right smack in the middle, unless you want to show symmetry. Also, I can't really tell that MBS is the main subject, as there's nothing that really distinguishes it from the others (height, brightness, etc). The leading lines don't really lead to it, more like the empty space between the flyer and the lotus.
The best thing I like about the shot is how the buildings stand out from the sky. Well done!

 

[xsaifuddin]

sweet composition! maybe a little more structures on the left might balance out better. but still looks great overall!
details were preserved nicely.
looks natural.

cheers!

 

[Stingrayangel]

Its a good photo..

 

[Bukitimah]

I like the overall feel although I don't where or how to express them. Good shot

 

[sinned79]

technically no complains. but then too much subjects in the photo?

which is your subject?
- ritz carlton?
- singapore flyer?
- MBS?
- merlion?
- that lotus musuem?

but this photo is still good for travel guides/brochures though.

 

[kei1309]

i would have preferred more of the lights shooting out from the MBS. it seems a little tight there for me, especially on the left and right.. but i suppose that can't be helped if you wanted to leave other distractions out.

but nice colors and exposure!

 

[Ding5678]

OT:
The lotus museum is the "Art Science museum"

 

[Chrissp]

I like your photo! Good composition, colors and overall feel. Sorry, not a critic.

 

[edutilos-]

I do not think there are too many elements in the photo, and you have done a good job of balancing them out. Without the light trails on the left there would be serious balance issues.

My problem is with two things:
1) Overexposed merlion, if you had done HDR properly this would not be an issue
2) The perspective has led to the MBS looking rather "stretched". One way to resolve this problem is to select the right side of the image (from where the MBS starts), and reduce the width of that section while retaining the height. If you do this properly (making sure that the resultant image still looks coherent with no broken lines, etc), it will look much better in my opinion.

 

[allenleonhart]

hmm. it feels side heavy... with a very empty bottom left, thats my only point that i can pick on. other wise... its pretty fine

 

[shiltontan]

Thanks for your replies, I have taken note of the areas for improvement.

Shilton