Critque please

PaulStat · 6 Feb 2010 at 17:16

Ok so my quest to improve my skills continues, this morning I got up at ridiculous hours and went down to the mumbles to take a shot I'd imagined in my head. Lined it all up dialed in a setting of f13, metered for the lighthouse which came out at 1/4 sec and stuck the Cokin ND8 on the front.

And came out with this.

I quite like it, but is it missing a certain je ne sais quoi?

I guess because of the angle of the shot there just isn't enough light on the ground?

BruceLee · 6 Feb 2010 at 17:22

How about a different crop? I agree with the foreground, theres not a lot of interest in it/too dark, can you bring out more details in it?

PaulStat · 6 Feb 2010 at 17:33

Closer crop? here's one taken a couple of minutes later at 1/10 sec. I had to increase the fill light which means the foreground is a bit noisy, but perhaps that doesn't matter?

BruceLee · 6 Feb 2010 at 17:54

Something like this, although its a bit pap without having the original file.

edit, you have some dust bunnies on your sensor as well I think.

fiNker · 6 Feb 2010 at 18:06

Nice shot, i like the cropped edit as it gives the sunset and lighthouse more of a focal point, nice edat bruce.

PaulStat · 7 Feb 2010 at 08:44

those were actually seagulls, but yeah i agree they were distracting. Here's an update. I'd appreciate some input from the regulars here

DB_SamX · 7 Feb 2010 at 13:45

Personally and as a newb, I would have metered to the left/right of the sun (read in Understanding Exposure), zoomed a bit more so the ligthouse is larger and have it where the right third and bottom third lines would intersect.

Bit like BruceLee's effort.

Stupot_ · 7 Feb 2010 at 14:30

Nice thought but as said lacks forground interest. Bruce has hit it with the crop.

A.N.Other · 7 Feb 2010 at 21:28

I'd finish with it something like this, but I think that even now it lacks something. Probably a bit of interest in the sky, actually, but you can't have everything.

D.P. · 8 Feb 2010 at 07:28

DB_SamX said:
Personally and as a newb, I would have metered to the left/right of the sun (read in Understanding Exposure), zoomed a bit more so the ligthouse is larger and have it where the right third and bottom third lines would intersect.

Bit like BruceLee's effort.

I agree.

A simple but effective composition.