Rush Hour

[ryhuz]

Hi, this is my first upload. It's nearing the 2year anniversary of my first DSLR (canon 1100), and I've been doing mostly personal photography (don't confuse that with camwhoring, I don't approve of that). I've never had the opinion of anyone other than friends and family, and would like to expand my audience slightly now.

This is one of my favourite recent shots, taking when I was cycling with my friend in Exeter (I study in the UK, born and bred SGean though). I do very minimal post-processing (just with canon DPP, and maybe the odd HDR. I like to keep things natural). I understand this is not the perfect shot, nor the best, but I'm choosing this to upload because it is quite high on my favourite's list.

1. in what area is critique to be sought?
I would like some tips or advice on post-processing. I'm also wondering if I should upgrade my body (I'm using canon 17-55 f2.8, big disparity, i know) because i've been thinking about it, but not sure if the investment is worth it (since I don't really make a living out of photography, nor am I making a living at this point in time)

2. what one hopes to achieve with the piece of work?
I want to expand my audience slightly, and get a wider scope of public opinions

3. under what circumstance is the picture taken? (physical conditions/emotions)
I've been chasing sunsets and trying to find old and new situations to shoot during the golden hour. Admittedly, my timing has been pretty off, plus UK weather isn't exactly sunshine and daisies

4. what the critique seeker personally thinks of the picture
apart from my prose up there, I actually think the trail lights are a little messy (it was a traffic jam, hard to get a nice car flow), and I'm a bit uncertain about the flares and light glimmer shapes (not sure what the proper name is).

 

[WhiteFields]

I myself is too very green in photography, lots to learn for me too.

my humble opinion would be that it will look more appealing if u could clone/remove away the starburst on the top left corner.

and also i felt that the surroundings are a little underexpose since u mention this is a HDR, I expect the trees and background to be slightly higher in exposure.

Cheers!

 

[ryhuz]

I myself is too very green in photography, lots to learn for me too.

my humble opinion would be that it will look more appealing if u could clone/remove away the starburst on the top left corner.

and also i felt that the surroundings are a little underexpose since u mention this is a HDR, I expect the trees and background to be slightly higher in exposure.

Cheers!

Thanks for you opinion. This particular photo isn't a HDR. But i guess the top left starburst is a bit out of place. should have cropped it out at the very least.

Thanks again!

 

[WhiteFields]

u are very much welcome. keep shooting! Cheers!

 

[thoongeng]

If I were to nitpick I would say there something lacking to grab attention... there are light trails, but they do not lead to anything. Some of the trails to the right and sunset colours in the background looks blown. And was your filter on? (some flare spots noted)

Post-processing wise probably can recover some of the blown highlight details, and maybe get more details in the shadows too.

Regarding whether to upgrade your camera body... is there something that you can't achieve with your current camera that can only be achieved with something more expensive? Or is it the BBB bug? From what I know 1100D though entry level is still quite a capable camera

Otherwise a good effort. Thanks for sharing

 

[ryhuz]

If I were to nitpick I would say there something lacking to grab attention... there are light trails, but they do not lead to anything. Some of the trails to the right and sunset colours in the background looks blown. And was your filter on? (some flare spots noted)

Post-processing wise probably can recover some of the blown highlight details, and maybe get more details in the shadows too.

Regarding whether to upgrade your camera body... is there something that you can't achieve with your current camera that can only be achieved with something more expensive? Or is it the BBB bug? From what I know 1100D though entry level is still quite a capable camera

Otherwise a good effort. Thanks for sharing

I think I had both a CPL filter (since I don't have a ND) and a hood on the lens. maybe i'm just not that good at controlling flare yet.

so far the only problem i have with the 1100D is the slow rate of fire, and I take sports photos sometimes. But i've lived with it so far, plus it's not like any of my photos are getting published, so it's probably the BBB bug. haha

Thank you for your advice! I will note the leading and details in highlight and shadows.

 

[nitewalk]

It would be good to leave out the starburst at the top left corner. When we start out, we always think "wah i want that starburst effect, what aperture u use ah." But to me it is not important. Anyway, i always believe that light trails should complement a composition, without the light trail it should still generally be at least a decent composition. U could use the trails to fill the foreground, or could use it to emphasise curves or give context, but in this case i see nth but trails and statburst which as it is, u can do it anywhere and adds no value to the original composition (without trails). Hence, i do agree with thonggeng in some parts. Once u are sort of familiar with doing trails, it would be good to take a step further and think about how best to use trails to complement any composition. It is a particular characteristic of shooting roads at night but it should not be the entirety of the whole photo.

 

[ryhuz]

It would be good to leave out the starburst at the top left corner. When we start out, we always think "wah i want that starburst effect, what aperture u use ah." But to me it is not important. Anyway, i always believe that light trails should complement a composition, without the light trail it should still generally be at least a decent composition. U could use the trails to fill the foreground, or could use it to emphasise curves or give context, but in this case i see nth but trails and statburst which as it is, u can do it anywhere and adds no value to the original composition (without trails). Hence, i do agree with thonggeng in some parts. Once u are sort of familiar with doing trails, it would be good to take a step further and think about how best to use trails to complement any composition. It is a particular characteristic of shooting roads at night but it should not be the entirety of the whole photo.

that's very good advice. thank you

 

[catchlights]

it is better to shoot from an elevated angle so you will get a better light trails,
and if you are shooting on ground level, try shooting from the other direction, not the cars coming toward you, so you have less issue of light flare and nice red tails light light trails.

you don't need a ND filter, just need to wait for the right time, about 20mins after sunset, shooting at f11, you should able to get 15 sec long exposure.

here is some timelapse of vehicle traffic, hope this help.

 

[d2xpeter]

IMHO, would be good if you could use the rear-curtain flash to capture one or two vehicles near the foregrd in addition to the headlight trail.
This would enhance the impression of the "Rushness"