i try and try...on vacation in barbados

[melt]

here is a picture i took on vacation to Barbados...i have many more..tell me whats wrong in the picture or what i can do to improve.
I am new to photography

[carregwen]

On the technical side - ISO800 1/5000 f4.5 seems wrong. You don't have enough DOF. I would have gone for f/11 on ISO200 (it looks like a bright day)

Composition - There is no one element that grabs attention. Everyone is looking away which begs the question of the viewer "what am I missing?" You needed one person looking at the camera.

Tricky business, isn't it?

[Bill44]

Further to what has been said above, what you have is a "Snapshot'. Its greatest value will be in several years time when you haul it out and say "Hey, remember that party in Barbados?" All the feelings of the moment will be felt again.

Don't feel bad, I have boxes full of snapshots that to me are priceless.

Experience will improve the technical aspects and your understanding of composition. I've been shooting for a lot of years and have never been any good at the "Art" style of photography. but I can take a pretty good photograph.

[Colin Southern]

Perhaps the first step needs to be an understanding of just what it is that your hoping to achieve with the photo. Is it a personal "snap" to remind you of being there? Or something you'd hope to sell to others? Or something for publication? Or something else?

I suspect that a lot of photographers are a bit like me in that they spend too much time being "trophy hunters" - always looking for that next stunning sunset etc, and in the meantime they forget to just go have fun and to record day to day events like this.

[Daniel Salazar]

@ Melt, it doesn't matter if you choose the artistic side of photography or not. It doesn't matter if you just take Snapshots or Award Winners, what it matters is that you enjoy what you're doing and that you improve.

What I could recommend you, is to learn to use your camera. To learn how to set it, to use M mode, etc. At the beginning will be difficult and you might come to the forum asking whatever you might consider important and everybody here will help you solving this questions.

I'm still learning, my wife using Auto mode takes better pictures than me using Manual mode, however I'm still learning and I'm really pleased when I can take a good composition using M mode and looks better than the one she took (don't tell her that ).

[melt]

thanks for the advice....i use the Manual mode all the time and play round with the setting..

thanks again and keep them coming

[melt]

here's a next one