Okay, the first thing for you to agonize over today is why you placed the horizon right in the center and split the photo into two....
Then next on the agonizing menu is your foreground. Now you did find one, so that is a step in the right direction, but next time try to find one with a bit more interest...
Now something you shouldn't have to agonize over is your pretty well done sky. You captured that nicely without over cooking it and blowing out the clouds.
Remember to think in terms of the rule of thirds as you compose, you will end up using it (if you want cool looking photo's) 99% of the time...
Hope that helps... Now don't agonize too much over these, it's the weekend, so get out and shoot some more!
Jim
P.S. Are you a dragon who only eat's soup, or a dragon that is only good for making into soup?
Hm! Taking another quick look... The blurred foreground bothers me just a bit.
Did you shoot it this way on purpose? Try shooting bet f11 and f16 to get that foreground sharp.
Petecc wrote:
Hm! Taking another quick look... The blurred foreground bothers me just a bit.
Did you shoot it this way on purpose? Try shooting bet f11 and f16 to get that foreground sharp.
And yes, the 2nd one has a much better composition, but look at where the horizon is? Dead center again... On this one, how about cropping it into more of a pano shot? Look at where the rocks come into focus, and crop right above that.
I'm not familiar with your Canon Ixus. The one I found (link below) online is a 2.1 megapixel released in 2000. This model does have a manual setting but I don't think you can adjust your F-stop.
The foreground rock really draw(pull)me up, and into the frame, nice.
The out of focus arae, is a bit distracting, and theres split frame/horizon thingy again.
Great colors/exposure.
The clouds and the water really add alot.
Overall, I like it alot. Maybe a new crop. . . .
If the camera does have Manual or Aperture Priority (AE) it likely only goes to f8. However diffraction will start really setting in at f6.3 or so because of the small sensor size. Also because of the small sensor the camera will have much greater depth of field at wider apertures (smaller f number) than an SLR. F5.6 or f5 will be a good choice to start experimenting with.
I think it's time you invested in a DSLR. A Nikon D40/D50 or the Cannon Rebels, can both be had for not alot of money. If you are serious at all about this, you will want to do that. No doubt the P&S camera's can produce some nice shot, but in terms of adjustments and quality, they still fall short.
Thanks for the input all.
I read the manual and I cannot change aperture or shutter speed.
I already had it set at it's lowest ISO.
I guess I need something with manual control then.
These are a good try and I can see what you were after in no 1 with the white water leading in through the pic to the distant pastoral scene. The second one is better, SD, but I think that if you want to develop your photography you will need to invest in a better camera - one that allows you to control what you are doing. The basic DSLRs that Jim mentions are the best bet because of their flexibility and will help you to learn about photography (f numbers, depth of field etc., etc.), but the later canon P+S allow you to control everything and, indeed, shoot in RAW mode (G9). They are lighter and can take good quality pics, but to improve you need to get away (bit by bit) from "auto" mode where the camera decides everything for you.
MartinMcl wrote:
These are a good try and I can see what you were after in no 1 with the white water leading in through the pic to the distant pastoral scene. The second one is better, SD, but I think that if you want to develop your photography you will need to invest in a better camera - one that allows you to control what you are doing. The basic DSLRs that Jim mentions are the best bet because of their flexibility and will help you to learn about photography (f numbers, depth of field etc., etc.), but the later canon P+S allow you to control everything and, indeed, shoot in RAW mode (G9). They are lighter and can take good quality pics, but to improve you need to get away (bit by bit) from "auto" mode where the camera decides everything for you. ...Show more →
To tell you the truth, I am actually wrestling with the decision D300 vs 5D.
But that's best discussed in another topic.
It's really composition, saturation leading lines and any other stuff I am currently interested in.
But I really have taken everyones comments on board.
