WPC 1420 - Cityscapes CRITIQUE
May 23, 2014 23:46:59 #
DerrickCurtis has volunteered their WPC 1420 - Cityscapes entry to the Photo Critique Forum* to find out what they could have done to make it better. Be nice, but be honest as this will help everyone with their craft. Thank you DerrickCurtis and thank you everyone!
From WPC 1420 - Cityscapes RESULTS http://www.uglyhedgehog.com/photo_contest_ratings.jsp?pcnum=118
* If you are new to the Photo Critique Forum please read the Section Rules http://www.uglyhedgehog.com/t-159520-1.html
From WPC 1420 - Cityscapes RESULTS http://www.uglyhedgehog.com/photo_contest_ratings.jsp?pcnum=118
* If you are new to the Photo Critique Forum please read the Section Rules http://www.uglyhedgehog.com/t-159520-1.html
May 24, 2014 06:05:25 #
I hope you have an opportunity to retake this shot. It is overexposed, very noisy and it could be sharper.
You need to keep the ISO as low as possible (800 is way too high for your sensor in this case) and time the exposure in seconds. At ISO 100, 8 seconds at f/11 can be a starting point (on a tripod, of course) and you might want to bracket +/- a stop or two to be sure.
Needless to say, your exposure should be set manually and you may even need to turn off autofocus. You cannot rely on your camera meter or even your LCD preview or histogram. Don't delete anything until after you have seen your results on your computer.
For your crop sensor you should probably not go smaller than f/11 to avoid diffraction. It looks like f/5.6 was too large for this shot.
You need to keep the ISO as low as possible (800 is way too high for your sensor in this case) and time the exposure in seconds. At ISO 100, 8 seconds at f/11 can be a starting point (on a tripod, of course) and you might want to bracket +/- a stop or two to be sure.
Needless to say, your exposure should be set manually and you may even need to turn off autofocus. You cannot rely on your camera meter or even your LCD preview or histogram. Don't delete anything until after you have seen your results on your computer.
For your crop sensor you should probably not go smaller than f/11 to avoid diffraction. It looks like f/5.6 was too large for this shot.
May 24, 2014 10:07:12 #
The shot does have technical issues (as described above), but personally I don't have a problem with the soft look. I think it suits the scene. To nit-pick, I could mention that the horizon is slightly off (not a problem for me, but you know how judgemental those pro photographers can be.... :-) ).
Composition-wise, to make this shot stand out a bit more, I'd say it needs something more in the way of a large building or two. Everything in the shot is small and either far off or very far off. A very minor criticism, but to stand out in a competition, there's got to be something....
Composition-wise, to make this shot stand out a bit more, I'd say it needs something more in the way of a large building or two. Everything in the shot is small and either far off or very far off. A very minor criticism, but to stand out in a competition, there's got to be something....
May 24, 2014 15:13:18 #
Good afternoon to everyone...
The first thing I'd like to do is apologize for not being able to come by as often as I would like, I feel like a "drive by" member at times, looking at pictures and reading the odd thread whenever I get the chance.
Secondly, I'm flattered my photo has been chosen for this critique, and I'm very much looking forward to hearing what real photographers have to say about it.
Now, a little back ground on the photo, and the person taking the picture (that would be me). Notice I didn't use the term photographer. I think the term "photographer" should apply to someone who knows what they are doing with a camera, and most days, I really don't. I try, some times I get lucky...and every once in a while, I like a few of the pictures I've taken. So, I'm a guy who carries a camera with me and enjoy pressing the little button that makes the camera work.
On this particular night, my wife and I were visiting NYC for the first time together, we went to the top of the Empire State Building, and we just wanted a few souvenirs to remember our visit. So, between being the tourist, taking selfies and pointing out different objects we could readily identify, I snapped a few pictures. I had three of them I was considering submitting for this particular contest, after asking my wife and a few friends which one I should go with, this was the only we agreed on.
With all that said, thank you to UHH for giving me the opportunity to showcase a photo now and then, and thank you to everyone for your observations on my picture...D'
The first thing I'd like to do is apologize for not being able to come by as often as I would like, I feel like a "drive by" member at times, looking at pictures and reading the odd thread whenever I get the chance.
Secondly, I'm flattered my photo has been chosen for this critique, and I'm very much looking forward to hearing what real photographers have to say about it.
Now, a little back ground on the photo, and the person taking the picture (that would be me). Notice I didn't use the term photographer. I think the term "photographer" should apply to someone who knows what they are doing with a camera, and most days, I really don't. I try, some times I get lucky...and every once in a while, I like a few of the pictures I've taken. So, I'm a guy who carries a camera with me and enjoy pressing the little button that makes the camera work.
On this particular night, my wife and I were visiting NYC for the first time together, we went to the top of the Empire State Building, and we just wanted a few souvenirs to remember our visit. So, between being the tourist, taking selfies and pointing out different objects we could readily identify, I snapped a few pictures. I had three of them I was considering submitting for this particular contest, after asking my wife and a few friends which one I should go with, this was the only we agreed on.
With all that said, thank you to UHH for giving me the opportunity to showcase a photo now and then, and thank you to everyone for your observations on my picture...D'
May 24, 2014 15:26:43 #
Hi, DC. Thanks for agreeing to post the shot. So far, nobody has pointed out that it fits the requirements implicit in the title. I'd say it's about as "cityscape" as you can get.
May 24, 2014 22:47:03 #
I think you did well in the contest. Being in the top 20 isn't shabby. The image might have some technical issues, but it does a very good job of giving the viewer a sense of what downtown NYC is like after dark. The composition is good with the street center left leading the eye right into the center of the image and the sky scrapers in the distance.
May 24, 2014 23:16:02 #
@Selmslie: Thank you very much for your very technical analysis, I wish I knew what it all meant. I am learning, slowly. I have no idea what the settings on the camera were the night I took the picture, even now, I go through a lot of trail and error shots. There are some things that I do get, but it's not instinctive, so there are times I forget. Thanks again.
@R.G.: I know it's not what you're saying, but you're right, even a bad picture of NYC is a good cityscape photo...lol. On that night, I took pictures in all directions, one of them was looking northeast which captured the Chrysler Building and into Queens, another was looking northish past central park and into Harlem. All three pictures look the same...I think. Thank you for your comment.
@Country's Mama: The angle of the street leading to the buildings...I was very fortunate the architect and NYC planners put the Empire State Building where they did...HAHA. Thanks for the kind words...D'
@R.G.: I know it's not what you're saying, but you're right, even a bad picture of NYC is a good cityscape photo...lol. On that night, I took pictures in all directions, one of them was looking northeast which captured the Chrysler Building and into Queens, another was looking northish past central park and into Harlem. All three pictures look the same...I think. Thank you for your comment.
@Country's Mama: The angle of the street leading to the buildings...I was very fortunate the architect and NYC planners put the Empire State Building where they did...HAHA. Thanks for the kind words...D'
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