Your photos 31

Your photos (31)

Take Better Photos

Hints and tips
by Philip Grosset

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with comments from Philip Grosset

"This picture of my parents house was taken at about 10pm. The exposure was for about 20 minutes and you can see star trails, although probably not in the resolution I sent you. I liked the way the colors came out under the moon light, and also the way the light from the house lit up the surrounding landscape." (Mike Sirott, Chicago, IL)

My problem with this picture is that it doesn't really look as if it were taken at night! The very long exposure has produced a quite unreal effect. If this is what you want, fine - but I'd really prefer the version below.

Funnily enough, the darker sky seems to increase the moonlight effect. Don't let it go too dark, though, or all detail will be lost, as shown below.

This is too dark. Not recommended, unless you are doing a series about haunted houses!

"This picture of my vehicle was taken on an off-road trail in Grand Teton National Park. I like the mountains in the picture, but feel that I could have simplified the composition a little. What do you think? Thanks." ( Mike Sirott, Chicago, IL)

Yes, I prefer the simplified composition in my version on the right. Moving your vehicle into the bottom left-hand corner, like this, brings out the contrast between it and the vast mountain in the background. It also removes most of the ugly track.

Reply from Mike Sirott: "Thanks very much for the quick reply and thoughtful review. I agree that the darker sky highlights the features of the house and gives a sort of warm, mystical look to the scene. Almost like a vignette of the house. I like your cropped picture of the mountains. Originally I was aiming to include the trail in the foreground to kind of give the picture depth and a sense of openness. However I see that the picture does fine without it too. Very nice thank you."

"Hello, please tell me what u think of the attached image file. This was taken in London England. It is a picture of the London aquarium, and it was taken from an observation point that is across the river Thames from the aquarium. Please tell me what u think." (Oasisman)

The lighting makes this look impressive, but it would have been more attractive if there had been some foreground framing to add some depth to the scene.

"And this one is the second photo that I would like your feedback on. This was taken from Canary Wharf, across the River Thames, its a picture of the millenium dome on London. What do u think of this photo? Many thanks." (Oasisman)

This too would benefit from more foreground interest, although it was a good idea to include the river. A boat on it might have added to the picture's appeal and provided some human interest!

Reply from Oasisman: "Thank for the fast reply. If its not too much trouble, Id like to ask a question. I would have liked to include a few more things in the pictures, (foreground framing as u call it) but I have the following issues that Im in need of help with. I found that in order to get specific items in the picture that would add to the foreground, I would have to reduce zoom and back up. As a result of this, the focal points (being the aquarium in one photo and the dome in the other) would have become less defined, and harder to see. Is there a solution to this problem? Perhaps a wider angle lens, that will get a larger area into the picture while maintaining the zoom? Any info would be helpful. Thanks again."

Careful choice of camera position should produce an acceptable compromise. The important thing is to get everything in focus. The depth of field can be increased by using a shorter focal length lens or a smaller aperture. In your case, if you have a camera that allows you to do so, try using a smaller aperture, together with a longer exposure to compensate for this, and focus on a point about a third of the way up to the furthest point you want to be sharp. Hope this works out. Good luck!

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