New DSLR User

[David Bottel]

Hello,
I have for a while wanted a DSLR and this year for my 70th birthday my wife bought me a Nikon D90 complete with a 18-105mm and a 70-300mm lens.
I am interested in landscape photography and would appriciate any comments on the following photo's.

Regards, David

[Donald]

David

Two things:

1. You obviously have a very, very nice wife and,
2. You clearly know what to do with the D90.

The second one is what I would call 'nice'. I suppose that's a bit critical in the sense that whilst it's a good image, it doesn't grab me in any way.

But, as for the first one. That, for me, has a very strong narrative. It's telling a story. A story of rural life. About the challenges and the joys of the landscape that people who have lived in that house have faced over generations. I think it's a beauty.

[Dave Humphries]

Hi David,

I am in agreement with Donald, #1 is very nice - a good size (for my screen anyway), great composition, exposure, sharpening.

#2 is too centrally divided in my view, so there's no obvious subject;
on the one hand - is it mountains, 'beach' and lake?
or on the other; rock, lake and forest?

Hope that helps, congrats on the D90 and lenses, by the way,

[David Bottel]

Thank you Donald and Dave for your comments, I see what you mean concerning the second photo.

Kind Regards, David

[PopsPhotos]

The basic problem with the second one is that it is two pictures. Do a crop, taking out the rock jutting out into the picture and you have a very nice, striking scenic view. Crop on the lower left corner to emphasize the rock and lake and you have a very nice, striking picture of it.

I was viewing and critiqueing one of my student's pictures Friday, and was very pleased. Then I took it up in size and showed her a crop taken from the upper left, about 20% of the original. That in itself was a marvelous picture. We are going to have to do some heavy work on it and print it on matt or canvass to get around the sharpness loss, but it is beautiful.

Pops

[Dave Humphries]

Does this work as a crop Pops?



Crop, slight LCE as without foreground, it needed it, the resize and sharpen (only because of downsize the original size sharpness was fine)

[Donald]

The basic problem with the second one is that it is two pictures.

Wonderful eye, Pops. I never saw that, but you are absolutely correct.

[PopsPhotos]

Dave, I do believe you've got it. I like that very much.

Now, let's see you get the other one. That one will be just a little tougher. I think it will be worth it, though.

Pops

[Dave Humphries]

Dave, I do believe you've got it. I like that very much.

Now, let's see you get the other one. That one will be just a little tougher. I think it will be worth it, though.

Pops

Thanks, how about this?



May be not what you had in mind - I find it leaves me wishing there was more to the right.

Or this, but I cropped off too much sky



Is the lightened foreground better?

Personally, I still prefer my first crop though,

[Rob Douglas]

I think pops had something like this in mind, if I understood him correctly.

[Shadowman]

Thanks, how about this?



May be not what you had in mind - I find it leaves me wishing there was more to the right.

Or this, but I cropped off too much sky



Is the lightened foreground better?

Personally, I still prefer my first crop though,

This is one of those images where you have so much competing for the viewers attention, the trees, the mountains, the reflections and the foreground image. To me, you want to deimphasize the trees because the leaves never have any real structure or focal point. Better to use DOF and blur these out and concentrate on either the mountains or the rocky pier.

[PopsPhotos]

I think pops had something like this in mind, if I understood him correctly.

This is more what I was leaning toward for the second one. The OOF of the near rock structure bothers me a bit, as does the de-emphasis of the wooden structure at the end. My next try would be to take off about the left 1/3 of the rock and keep that end post right at intersection 2. We might have to go 5 tall to 4 wide to get that and that might bring in some of the far shoreline, which I don't want in this one. Fiddle, fuss 'n' tweak, we'll MAKE this thing fit.

I wish I had time to work on this one. It is an interesting project. I hope we haven't chased Mr. Bottel off. :


Pops

[David Bottel]

Pops,
Thank you for taking the time to offer advice on how the second photo could be improved.

David

[Rob Douglas]

Are you thinking somewhere more along the lines of this pops?

[rpcrowe]

Congratulations on:

A very nice wife
A nice new camera
and
Apparently a very good photographic eye!

I am also 70-years old. Let's show them that there is still life in these old guys...

[David Bottel]

Thank you for your comments Richard, my main interest is landscape photography and my favorite place is the english Lake District, whats yours.

Kind Regards, Davd

[PopsPhotos]

Congratulations on:

{snip}
I am also 70-years old. Let's show them that there is still life in these old guys...

I rocked out of my 60s almost 2 years ago. We OFs still have what it takes, eh?

Pops

[PopsPhotos]

Are you thinking somewhere more along the lines of this pops?

Just to be an old crusty, Rob, I think I'd take about 1/8 of an inch off the top. There are a couple or three brights from the shoreline up there. that would also take a bit off one of the sides, which I think the right side can spare. I'd be tempted to use a 5 tall by 4 wide cut at it.

Other than that, you are very close to what I had visualized. Here is a real quick cut at what I had in mind, Nothing done but the crop.


Now, you guys get to tell me how my ideas worked out and if we scared off the original contributor.

I'll try to find time to get in tomorrow.

Pops