Opinions wanted(another boring sunset pic)

[thepyrofish]

This is a picture I found that I took just after I got my digital camera. It was taken with a Canon A75, when I still used the Auto setting for everything. Still, I like it. Let me know what you think.



*EDIT: Itt's actually a sunrise pic, I just realized which way the car was facing at the time.

[zzpza]

well i've only ever seen a sunRISE a few times in my life as i'm not a morning person!

the pic is in focus and well exposed, but there are a few things that detract from it. being inside a car isn't really helping this pic. the water running down the windscreen (us:windshield?) is very disctracting, as are the power lines, and the vehicle parked exactly where the focus of your picture is. i like the snow though.

hth,
j.

[thepyrofish]

I always kinda liked the water drop, but as for the rest, it was just kinda taken on the spur of the moment on my way to work. while moving, so I didn't have much time to plan the shot. But I'm glad it wasn't a complete fuckup.

[zzpza]

it all depends what you want from a picture, and photography as a whole. if you like it, then nothing anyone else says should detract from your appreciation of it. my comments would have made the photo more to MY likeing, but not necessarily to yours.

when i started out, i only ever took pictures for my own enjoyment, so they were specific to me and didn't really appeal to other people. then much later when i wanted to start selling photos and getting commissions, i had to adjust my style to be more like what i thought people wanted. that's why i'm usually reticent to offer compositional / style advice beyond technique. it's a fine line between guiding and 'controlling' an artist, changing them to be how you want them to be. and i don't want to do that. when i do comment, i try to give advice that i think will give a broader appeal rather than narrow it down.

it's perfectly possible to have several different styles that you can switch between whether you're taking a photo for your enjoyment or for a wider market. you just have to be aware that's what you are doing.

hope that's helped and not clouded the issue too much!

jules.

[Skyline_BNR34]

Good pic and yoou should have been out of the car....

[thepyrofish]

I wasn;t complaining about your advice, I guess I just felt I had to "defend" if you will, why I like it. But I understand what you mean.
And how easy is it to actually sell a photo? Do you just have pictures taht you've taken and someone buys them, or is it better to take pics of an event, or something specific and target to a certain person(s) to sell to?

[zzpza]

hey thepyrofish, no problem. i'd just been discussing a similar issue with someone else on a different board so though it might be a good idea to state my position.

if you're in the right place at the right time with the right photo, very easy. however that rarely happens, more's the pitty. mostly it's through commission work for me.

getting work into stock libraries can be very difficult as they usually have quite a narrow area of speciality, want a minimum number of photos, usually >100 on that area and most of them only accept slide film and not digital. they have the potential to be a good source of exposure for your work, but you really have to work at it.

j.

[Tookie]

Originally Posted by thepyrofish

This is a picture I found that I took just after I got my digital camera. It was taken with a Canon A75, when I still used the Auto setting for everything. Still, I like it. Let me know what you think.



*EDIT: Itt's actually a sunrise pic, I just realized which way the car was facing at the time.

An eloquent study of juxtaposition and angles. Not shabby for a diginewb! Usable as a desktop image imo.

Theres lots of new and unique stuff ready to be had with that cam. Advice? Read the manual. Make mistakes. Imagine if you were the Auto program for that shot. What did you tell the cam to do?
The further away you stay from that auto function, the more amazing the pics will become.
Nice color in that pic too! And btw, that winshield dribble looks like liquid sunrise!

Tookie

[thepyrofish]

I wasn't trying to justapose nothin when I took it, but thank you very much, and I'm glad you like it. Also, it's been my desktop since I made the thread. I play with the manual modes, but only when I won't be upset that I didnt get a good shot, like at a play or something. I am kinda having trouble understanding some settings still, But the manual has been skimmed through, and reading all of it is on my list, honestly.