Photo Critique #171

Photo Critique #171

on Jan 11th 2013 with 5 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

  • Canon 550D
  • 18mm
  • 1/40
  • f/5.6
  • ISO 100

I’m still a beginner in photography from South Africa, Johannesburg. In this photo, I wanted to capture the clouds and the sunset, while driving around to take the picture I found this tall tree and decided to incorporate it in the photo. I like the way all the elements worked out.

Photographer: Nicholas Mills

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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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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  • puttnampete

    The tree almost stands out like 3d
    9/10

  • DLiptak0204

    The composition is good, but I think it would’ve been better if you stepped back a little bit and made the tree take up less of the frame. Use the rule of thirds or the golden ratio maybe. Also, if you have a tripod, use a smaller aperture cause it appears that you focused on the tree, but at ƒ/5.6, the background isn’t bad but could be sharper. If you have a tripod and want to get creative, use your lowest ISO with a smaller aperture to allow for a slower shutter speed that is slow enough to blur the clouds in the sky. The coloration of your image is beautiful! One more thing; make sure there is no wind if you’re going to use slower shutter speeds. It will make the tree sway and appear blurry. Keep shooting!

  • Vicki

    I like it. The only thing I would do different is less of the ground, maybe a panorama.

  • http://jeremybeasley.com/ jeremy beasley

    Hi Nicholas –

    Since it seems you were simply practicing a technique (“I wanted to the capture the clouds and the sunset…I found this tree”) versus trying to communicate a larger message, my critique is focused on the technical execution.

    I like your exposure for the sky which then created the silhouetted tree. The silhouette of the tree is also sharp which means you focused correctly as well.

    If I could I could improve anything, I’d echo @314fa68148b2641c6cc99a68a1b97449:disqus and modify your composition. The trees in this shot–from the foreground and background–are silhouetted and have a large visual weight which pulls your eye away from the sky. I’d consider moving in closer and/or cropping your shot where the tree in the foreground was the only silhouette. Or as @Vicki suggested, you can move back pushing the tree into the middleground/background and capturing more of the sky.

    Overall, I think it was a well-executed technical shot. Happy shooting!

  • http://www.wix.com/simonabarbu1/simonabarbuphotography Simona Dumitru

    I think the sunset is amazing. The colors look dramatic and the composition with the lonely tree in the foreground makes it a good photograph. However, I believe that you should bring out more details in the foreground, also adding a bit more depth and enhancing the color in the foreground. Seeing more of the trees silhouettes in the left side of the picture will bring out more interest to the picture and lead the attention to something else than the sunset.