Key West Scenes

wolfejm

I recently returned from a trip to Key West where I captured these three photos that I really like. These may be some of my best shots yet (I'm only less than 6 months seriously into this hobby). I like to believe I'm getting better, but would love to know what some of you folks think

Thanks & Cheers!

I like the energy in this image, and the pirate flag that sneaks into the image.


I like the contrast of the strong fence against the softer open sea. The fence contributes quite a bit of drama to the scene.


This image is the emotional opposite of the above image for me. It feels very relaxed, and draws me out on the water. I also really love the sky in this one, because it adds a slight bit ot tension to the otherwise calm scene.

tobers

Hi Jeff,

I see what you mean about #2. The metalwork creates a very interesting tension in the picture. There's a peacefulness about the sea but you cant absorb it because of the nastiness of the metal thing. Very nice.

#1 is pretty much a picture of a palm tree. Maybe a slower shutter would bring out some of the energy of the movement.

#3 - what's the rope attached to?

wolfejm

tobers,

tobers wrote:

Hi Jeff,
#3 - what's the rope attached to?

Thanks for the comments! I'm embarased to say I don't remember what the rope is attached too.

wolfejm

How can I make them better?
I would greatly appreciate any comments on how I might be able to make these (or shots like these) better. I enjoyed taking them, and I do think they're better than my normal shots. Now how do I take them even further?

Thanks in advance!

jamesl

I like these quite a bit. The composition on all of them is good. To me, what really seems to jump out of these images is the sky. Without the sky, they are not as impactful. If you want to improve them, you could do some more processing on the sky. Perhaps a bit of contrast to bring out the clouds more. If you were to go reshoot these, I would suggest either going late in the evening or early in the morning to capture the sweet light. This will give much better definition to everything in the image, as well as capture some nice colors. You will probably need a tripod, as the exposures will be longer. Finally, if you can, I would try and shoot at a higher aperature, like F8 or F16 if you have it. This will create more sharpness throughout the whole scene and bring things into focus better.

Hope that helps,

James

wolfejm wrote:

I recently returned from a trip to Key West where I captured these three photos that I really like. These may be some of my best shots yet (I'm only less than 6 months seriously into this hobby). I like to believe I'm getting better, but would love to know what some of you folks think

Thanks & Cheers!

I like the energy in this image, and the pirate flag that sneaks into the image.


I like the contrast of the strong fence against the softer open sea. The fence contributes quite a bit of drama to the scene.


This image is the emotional opposite of the above image for me. It feels very relaxed, and draws me out on the water. I also really love the sky in this one, because it adds a slight bit ot tension to the otherwise calm scene.

wolfejm

James,

jamesl wrote:

Hope that helps

Sorry for the slow response. I've been a lone-parent for the past week, and that doesn't leave much time for hobbies.

One of the things I realized when I looked at these again is that the image is actually severely underexposed. I remember dialing it down in the camera because it was so bright, but I think I went too far. The net is that it's a little over processed from RAW to bring out the colors and make it bright enough. I'm also thinking it's time to invest in a good circular polarizer for these kinds of shots.

I appreciate your comments. I'll definitely pay more attention to closing down the aperature to control overall sharpness. Thanks!

HarlanBear

A polarizer would certainly give you more control of the skies. I almost never shoot scenics without one. And I see your point about over processed. That will change with the filter, and you can still do much in Photoshop, or whatever. Try curves on the blue channel, for instance; mask if necessary. But darn nice shots, just the same.

The one thing you have here which no equipment can help is an eye for composition. That is good, the rest will come with experience and experimentation.

Happy shooting, off to a good start!