Memorial drive -Boston

[shekarcp]

These are photos taken near MIT.. Getting used to SLR camera and using tripod. Planning to go there again so suggestions and comments please.







Cheers
~CP

[rick55]

Welcome!

I love #2. The shrouded boats with the skyline in the background is a great composition. Did you do multiple shots and merge? There seems to be a bit of halo around the buildings.

My only suggestion is that you might want to rotate 1 & 2 clockwise a bit, bring the horizon level.

Cheers,
Rick

[shekarcp]

Thanks Rick ... No did not do any PS on those photos..Yes that tilt is due to my inexperience in using the tripod..

~CP

[carregwen]

Hi there

I like #1, but I think the focus point has hit the water - it looks sharper than the actual buildings. When you take a shot like this try to be aware of which focus point is registering in the viewfinder, or better still, set a specific point to suit the shot. Of course, it could have been camera shake. What were the camera settings (shutter speed, ISO etc)?

[shekarcp]

Here are the settings:

For 1:

Image Type: jpeg (The JPEG image format)
Width: 4288 pixels
Height: 2848 pixels
Camera Brand: NIKON CORPORATION
Camera Model: NIKON D90
Date Taken: 2010:03:05 19:39:32
Exposure Time: 8 sec.
ISO Speed Rating: 200
Flash Fired: Flash did not fire.
Metering Mode: Pattern
Exposure Program: Manual
Focal Length: 30.0 mm
Software: Ver.1.00

For 2:

Image Type: jpeg (The JPEG image format)
Width: 4288 pixels
Height: 2848 pixels
Camera Brand: NIKON CORPORATION
Camera Model: NIKON D90
Date Taken: 2010:03:05 20:03:05
Exposure Time: 20 sec.
Flash Fired: Flash did not fire.
Metering Mode: Pattern
Exposure Program: Manual
Focal Length: 26.0 mm
Software: Ver.1.00

[carregwen]

Here are the settings:

For 1:

Image Type: jpeg (The JPEG image format)
Width: 4288 pixels
Height: 2848 pixels
Camera Brand: NIKON CORPORATION
Camera Model: NIKON D90
Date Taken: 2010:03:05 19:39:32
Exposure Time: 8 sec.
ISO Speed Rating: 200
Flash Fired: Flash did not fire.
Metering Mode: Pattern
Exposure Program: Manual
Focal Length: 30.0 mm
Software: Ver.1.00

Thanks for that. Eight seconds is quite a long time. If it was windy, then even with a tripod you will easily get some unwanted movement. I see it was shot at 19:39, which seems quite late. Shots such as this often look better when there is still some natural light in the sky (but of course you want the building lights on) Try it a little earlier in the evening, and focus on the buildings themselves and it should look good.

[mastamak]

I like #1. I recognise the location from "Boston Legal". I can almost see Denny and Alan Shore striding across the scene. I agree that the buildings look a bit out of focus and also the horizon line would benefit from a tilt to the right to make it more horizontal.

Grant

[Geoff F]

If you haven't done any processing so far, I would consider some very careful selective sharpening of the buildings, not the water which, as Carregwen said, is quite sharp already.

[Dave Humphries]

~ There seems to be a bit of halo around the buildings.

Hi CP,

Welcome to the CiC forums from me.

I wouldn't mind betting the D90's Active D-Lighting feature was on (or Auto) and caused those halos.

I have the same issue with my D5000 (same sensor), it's fine for "busy" scenes, but give it a bright bit on a uniform dark background and it tends to do this.

If you're new to DSLR, I would recommend selecting single point focusing and using the control pad to choose which of the 11 is the active point, then place that where you want focus. Unlike Area/centre weighted metering, which has a high success rate, wide area focusing almost inevitably leads to the camera producing unpredictable results

Cheers,