Big Ol' Bill

First of all, i'd like to say please rip this apart...ANYTHING you see wrong with it,
please let me know. I'm very new to photography, i've had my camera for only a
month. This is a photo i took on my first outing with the camera, this weekend.
It was taken in Portland, Dorset, UK. Using a Canon 600D, with an 18-135mm
lens at the 18mm end. aperture was f11, I used a 10stop B+W ND filter so the
shutter speed was around 40seconds. ISO 100.
I took this on a bright sunny afternoon, hardly a cloud in the sky, which i was
actually hoping for, to give the sky a bit more interest!? The lack of clouds was
the reason for the Black and White conversion, it looked more interesting like
this i thought?!
Oh and it was shot in RAW

There has been a big loss in quality with the compression on photoshop.
Probably because i had no idea what i was doing!?!...so any tips on this wouldn't
go a miss too :)

Thanks in advance for your critique.

Dan

Posted by Daniel Tovey on Tue, 03/20/12 18:10
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Comments by Daniel Tovey on Tue, 03/20/12 18:40

This one was taken the day before.......this day was GREY!!!!


Comments by Jacky on Wed, 03/21/12 09:47

The first image is very nice. I like the smooth look of the water. You
might selectively brighten up the sea and dark rocks just a bit -- just
my personal preference. Small nit: your horizon is not straight.
Curious: what is that dark object sticking up left-center? The 2nd
image is nice too, but not as interesting as the first, imo.


Comments by Daniel Tovey on Wed, 03/21/12 10:27

Thanks for the comments Jacky.
I know what you mean about the darkness. I'm waiting to get lightroom 4 as i only have the programme that came with the camera, which has very limited, if any, options for editing specific parts of the photo!! When i get lighroom though, i will be sure to give that a go!
Oh yes, ha, i'll straighten that up too!
The dark object is an Obelisk.......A 7 metre tall white stone obelisk was built in 1844 at the Southern tip of Portland Bill as a warning of a low shelf of rock extending 30 metres South into the sea, which still stands near the current lighthouse.

Thanks again for the comments.


Comments by Jan Bjorklund on Wed, 03/21/12 11:56

There is the sense of flow created by the headland which works to lead the eyes of the viewer from the lighthouse to the obelisk with the quality of the light highlighting the lighthouse (and the other structures) enhancing the contrast between the muted nature of the sky and that of the buildings. The clarity of detailing and the sense of texturing adds to the visual appeal of the opening picture.

A touch of levels in the second image brightens the picture for me. I like the sense of texturing created in the immediate foreground of the second image between that of the rock formation and the softness given to the water by the long exposure.


Comments by Sal Santostefano on Thu, 03/22/12 07:58

The opening picture is flawless IMO. Excellent work done there. Your second shot is also a great photo. I echo Jan on the levels. Nice work!


Comments by Alias on Thu, 03/22/12 09:03

"please rip this apart"

Hi Dan !
Would it be OK if I'm "critical, constructive, and friendly" instead ? ;-)

Since you want "hard criticism" I'll start with the obvious.

The clockwise tilt:

Landscape is a mature, formal, artform and care in this aspect of composition is generally expected.
In landscapes with a clear horizon, (ocean), even a little tilt is a problem.
There really is no excuse when you are on a tripod.

Fortunately this is easy to "correct" post exposure,
but even easier before shutter release.
Do you have a gridded screen ?

I'm a little confused,
you mention "photoshop" then say that you have only the program which came with the camera.

It is clear that you are quite serious.
This is an EXCELLENT effort for one so new to the art.

But, just as the darkroom was an integral and essential part of most "creative photography",
I think the skill level this reveals at such an early stage
means that you will need good a good "digital darkroom" to realize your potential.

Hope this is helpful.


Comments by Alias on Thu, 03/22/12 09:14

This is very quick and is only a crude illustration of one option:


.


Comments by Daniel Tovey on Thu, 03/22/12 10:59

Guys, I really appreciate these comments!! Thank you.

Haha, yes, "critical, constructive and friendly" is also welcome :)

The wonky horizon is something i completely overlooked. I've since worked out how to edit it post exposure, i also looked in the camera manual and yes, i can use a grid display. I will be sure to use this in future!
I had a trial of photoshop, i've since brought elements. I also have a trial of lightroom, which i am going to buy...i've brought a book on using lightroom...i want to get a book on general photo editing too....any ideas on good ones to look at??

the edit you've done on my second photo looks great!! Thanks so much for taking the time to do that. I can definitely see the sort look i should have gone for!


Comments by Harry Liston on Thu, 03/22/12 20:18

This is nit picking, but on the OP the camera should not have been pointed up, even a little. Shooting on the level is important with buildings in order to make all the vertical lines parallel. But it's a heck of a good shot, anyways...


Comments by Paul Bracey on Fri, 03/23/12 03:51

Both shots have that time lapse soft sea foam, but it's the OP, with it's direct sunlight and harsh shadows that leaves me wondering how that effect was achieved on the water (although an extremely small aperture and high density filters may likely force a shutter speed that would achieve that effect)


Comments by Paul Bracey on Fri, 03/23/12 03:54

D'oh! I just read your notes... *blush* In any case, nice work.