Break Down Your Own Photo -- why, what, how, etc.

[HokieZHP]

I really like that shot, Boss. Nicely done!


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[Marcus-SanDiego]

Thanks, Dane and Chris.

[Marcus-SanDiego]

San Diego Sunset by Marky Marcus, on Flickr

Camera: Nikon D700
Lens: Nikon 14-24mm
Editing software: Adobe Lightroom
Exposure: 1 second
Aperture: f/22
Focal Length: 24mm
ISO Speed: 160

I scouted out this area about ten days ago. I figured that the best shot would be taken at sunset, when there was plenty of cloud cover in the sky. My belief was that I would get sun reflecting off the clouds, which would look dramatic with a long exposure. Saturday was my day. It was raining on and off and I knew that the clouds were going to look ominous at sunset -- especially because there were some huge thunder clouds in the sky.

Anyhow, I got to my destination late. I was running out of light when I got to my spot, so I set up quickly and methodically. I had to set up my tripod, get my filter out, grab the remote, change batteries (fail on my part), level out my tripod, take a couple of shots to dial in my exposure, and find the right composition. I had five minutes to do all of this and grab my winning shot. Why five minutes? Because it started raining five minutes into my session. I knew rain was coming; didn't realize it was moving so quickly. In all, I got 10 shots. I liked this one the best.

Instead of just capturing the the landscape, I wanted to include the road on the mountain (seen on right). I think I did a good job of tying it into the freeways below but ultimately only my viewers can tell me if I succeeded there.

My favorite part of the shot, meanwhile, is the sun. It's looks disproportionately large. It was glowing like a fireball and its glow reached out through the valleys on the right side of the photo. The left side of the picture, though, looks totally different. It's raining down there and visibility is low. Still, you can see downtown San Diego on the left third of the picture (about one third of the way up).

Something about this shot just works for me. It's one of those shots that may not work for everyone but it's pleasing to me because I've never seen a shot of my city like this.

[danewilson77]

Again. Smarter in my photography now. Thanks Boss.

My favorite part of the pic...is the road......poles......stone wall. The sun is cool as well.

[Marcus-SanDiego]

Good to hear, DW. Good to hear.

[danewilson77]

Bump. Other Photogs feel free to contribute in here as well.

I loved reading these.