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Photo Critique #138
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Photo Critique #138

on May 25th 2012 with 13 comments

Friday Photo Critique is our weekly community project, where we publish a photograph submitted by one of our wonderful readers, then ask you all to offer constructive feedback on the image. It’s a great way to learn more about photography, express your viewpoint, and have your own image critiqued!

Quick Ground Rules

  1. Play nice! We’ve deliberately chosen photographs that aren’t perfect, so please be constructive with any criticism.
  2. Feel free to offer any type of advice – composition, lighting, post-processing etc.
  3. You can also link to photographs that you feel offer a great example of this type of image shot exceptionally well.

Without further ado, here is this week’s candidate for Friday Photo Critique!

The Photograph

Photo Details & Inspiration

  • Nikon D7000
  • 78mm
  • f/25
  • 1/50
  • ISO 100

Taken at sunset after a thunderstorm, I tried to get the ethereal light sometimes seen in that situation. My photography teacher kicked himself because he was caught without a camera when the storm happened.

Photographer: Maria Schnell

Please let us know what you think in the comments – how would you have approached the scene or taken the photo differently? A massive thank you to everyone who commented last week.

The most constructive and helpful comments will be featured on the site. Interested in submitting your own photo? You can do so here!

 
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By

Rollover to read this author's bio or click through to see a full list of posts by this author.

I was raised in the suburbs of Cincinnati, Ohio. After high school, I left for Western Kentucky University where I obtained degrees in photojournalism and cultural anthropology. I am currently employed by CityBeat, an arts and entertainment weekly in Cincinnati. The work I am doing here is very rewarding and I suspect it will continue to be. I am available for freelance work in all areas of photography.  

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  • http://www.paulvanderheyde.com Paul van der Heyde

    Nice photograph, I love the colors of the clouds!

    Don’t really like the cables on the right of the picture though… Maybe you can clone them out with Photoshop?
    I think I would like this picture even more when the tree wasn’t covering the clouds. That way full focus would be on those beautifully colored clouds.

    Still, nicely done :)

  • bsmity

    I would have put the tree off center not only giving it some negative space but also eliminating the power lines. Other than that, great shot!

  • Rob

    Nice. Maybe slow the shutter by a stop to brighten the sky just a tad more. Place the tree in the left third of the photo to show off some more of the glorious sky and clouds.

  • http://jeremybeasley.com jeremy

    I love the colors of the sky and the silhouette that you were able to capture. My only critique, agreeing with Rob, would be to place the tree off-center, either right of left to show emphasize more of the line of clouds parallel with the tree silhouettes. Other than that, well done, Maria!

  • Sway

    Good shot, I agree with Rob, when shooting remember the rule of thirds. If the tree was placed in the lower left third you would feel a little more of what’s happening in the sky, which i believe was your main attraction. The tree seems to disrupt the sky. But overall I believe it’s a shot well taken.

  • http://frymanfoto.com Bill

    Really nice colors in this photo. Great clouds and effective use of the tree silhouette. I agree with Rob that the tree should be moved to one side or the other and I think to the left but that may not be possible. Another change that I would make is to get rid of the wires on right side (apparently going to a tower or something which, depending on how close it is may prevent moving the tree to the left). My only other comment is that it looks like there may have been some dust on your sensor, having been there myself I know this is time consuming to clean up in post processing but I think it would help.

  • George

    Like the way the tree leads the eye into the top right. Putting the tree more to the left rather than centre would make it stronger. Not sure that a crop of the left side would achieve this. Could have up to about 1 stop less exposure to darken the sky a bit – you wouldn’t lose any detail in the tree or foreground doing this as it is all in silhouette which adds to the image.

  • Ethan C.

    I personally would reduce a little of the red, kind of looks like somethings on fire. Another suggestion would be the silhouette. Off center the tree so its not in the middle and that the angle would be different so I can see the whole silhouette of the entire tree. Other than that I like the idea of the colors and subject.

  • Laurie Anne

    Hello Marcia,
    After reading all the other comments, the only other thing I would suggest is next time to try and get more depth (1/3) to your foreground (the line of trees below the main tree) or more height to your sky above the top of the tree – either not both – to balance the image more. Move back a little…

  • Bedanta

    Nice color.

    Next time, you can try the following:

    1. Vertical shot to get more sky/cloud with the tree on right bottom. This way, you will also be able to eliminate the cables which are distracting.
    2. Shoot wider. Did you zoom in to get more of the tree? (Exif shows 78mm). The tree is actually obstructing the clouds.

  • http://www.tomwindeknecht.com Tom W

    First of all, I love the vibrant colors in the sunset and the silhouette of the tree.

    I agree with some of the others – the cables on the right are slightly distracting, so I would recommend photoshopping those out.

    At 100%, the photo is slightly fuzzy. Not sure if a tripod was used, but it may have helped if you didn’t use one.

    There also appears to be some “dust sensor spots” on the photo. You should clean your sensor of the dust, or have it professionally done.

    I hope this helps!

  • Tiberman Sajiwan Ramyeads

    Apart from the composition aspects, f/25 was excessive. It has ‘softened’ the shot. I would have tightened down to aorund f/8 or f/9 for this shot. I have been closed down to f/25.

  • Soli Contractor

    The whole image needs a greater depth of field and be much sharper to give it the starkness it aims for.