My wife just got me a digital camera for fathers day. I got it as an early gift and am just rediscovering how much fun photography really is. I'm a true beginner, but I'm having fun. I'd love to hear your thoughts on my first sunrise shoot. Tips on improvement are greatly appreciated. Of the 50 pictures I took, these were my favorite:
Congrats on the new camera!!! ... and Happy Father's Day!
First Suggestion:
Title them, or number them so that it is easier to reference. ;)
This one is really nice. I like the leading line of the shore, and how it meets the bridge and skyline in the distance that continues the line into a triangle visual, and then leads me to the skyscraper on the end (the Pru). Love the reflections, and the tones you have captured at Sunrise (kudos for getting up btw ...haha). In that regard, the composition, etc is very good.
Suggestions on improvement: The horizon is a bit tilted, and the bridge and skyline effectively splits the photo into 2 as it is placed in the center. Accentuate either the sky or the water with reflection by off setting the structure, skyline or horizon in your shots. The same thing can happen vertically depending on the subject and the circumstances of your shoot. Funny how the placement of the tree actually adds to the triangular appeal, but it may not be necessary to include it (i.e. cropping to eliminate more sky) to get the effect you want.
ah.. see how
this vertical splits the photo into a left and a right (much like the top and bottom of the other one)? Nice clarity, but the composition could be a bit different.
Overall a great way to start out! I really do like the first one I referenced! Nice job!
Thanks for the reply, I forgot to mention earlier that in all the searching on the web I've done, this site seems to have one of the best communities of people. Being a novice I'm hoping to learn much from this site, and eventually from the challenges.
You have some awesome pictures. My favorite being the sunrise and skyline reflected in the water. I have had my cameral 14 months and am still learning some of the many functions. That's where dpchallenge comes in..the weekly challenges force you to use more than auto priority. Hope you join us.
Advice: read and re-read the manual...take lots of shots for each function until you feel comfortable and are able to shoot without referring to the manual. Nikon offers a wide angle and two teleconverters which need adapters. These are also made by nikon. The info is in the back of your manual. I bought both and have used them. Must have a tripod for the best shots using the extra lenses. I am a little shaky so use tripod plus a remote that is also available through Nikon. I ordered mine from the camera store where I purchased the camera.
I really love my camera and have become addictive to dpc.
