# Day two, Japanese Garden at night



## sanchezka (Jan 7, 2010)

Not much time out shooting with my new D90. But once again I found a photo I really liked...Hope you do to.


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## Pugs (Jan 7, 2010)

I do like!  Quite a bit actually!  Are you wanting C&C or are you just sharing?


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## sanchezka (Jan 7, 2010)

I'm sorry I don't understand "C&C". I'm trying to get pointers and thoughts on technic etc.


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## Pugs (Jan 7, 2010)

C&C is "Comments and Critique".  Some folks like posting their pics but don't really want feedback.  Other folks want that feedback.  In order to avoid hurting someone's feelings by giving an unwanted critique on a photo, most people will only give pointers and feedback when the poster says that they are looking for C&C.

Since you ARE looking for feedback, I have two nit-picks with photo... actually, three.  

That bright spot just above the lantern is VERY distracting.  The closest foot of the lantern is cut off.  And the perspective is pretty average.  

All three of these issues could be addressed by addressing the perspective.  You got low, but if you had gotten the camera lower, that hot-spot would be hidden behind the lantern, you'd have gotten the foot into the frame, and the perspective would be more interesting.  

Other than that, I really like this.  You've got the exposure correct and the 30 second shutter speed is creating the soft mirror effect in the water.  I like the colors.  I like the line of the edge of the pond leading to your primary subject, the lantern.  

Very nicely done.


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## sanchezka (Jan 7, 2010)

I was actually wanting to get lower but if you look at the shadowing you can see the fence pattern in the picture. The fence around the pond kept me from getting lower. But thanks because I really didn't notice that light at the top of the picture....but now I'll never "not" see it.


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## soods (Jan 7, 2010)

pugs, i was wondering how you figured out that the pic was snapped with a 30 sec exposure...

is there some piece of information you got from the pic? i hope i didnt ask a blatantly obvious question...


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## altitude604 (Jan 8, 2010)

very nice shot!


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## sanchezka (Jan 8, 2010)

Soods,

If you save the picture..then open the properties and look under advanced, it will show you the camera used shutter speed f/ stop etc.


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## Hybrid Designz (Jan 8, 2010)

Very nice shot!! Love everything, but i could see this being an even better shot a little lower than it is..


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## Pugs (Jan 8, 2010)

soods said:


> pugs, i was wondering how you figured out that the pic was snapped with a 30 sec exposure...
> 
> is there some piece of information you got from the pic? i hope i didnt ask a blatantly obvious question...





sanchezka said:


> Soods,
> 
> If you save the picture..then open the properties and look under advanced, it will show you the camera used shutter speed f/ stop etc.



Correct, or you can use a program like IExif by Opanda and then you can right click on an image and bring up the Exif data without having to save it locally first.  There's probably other similar software out there, but IExif is what I've been using and have been very happy with.


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## bigtwinky (Jan 8, 2010)

I had the same initial thought, that I would of liked to see a lower angle in the shot, less top/down look.

Maybe also a little shallower depth of field to blur that background.  I find the background is very busy and it makes it hard to seperate the subject from background.   A key thing to look for in photos is creating a sense of 3D on a 2D medium.  To do so, you get foreground interest and then have to nicely seperate it from the background...the fact that the lantern light thingy kind of blends into the background removes that 3D feel

Small nit pick is the foot of the garden light thing is cut off at the bottom of the frame.  Not a big thing, but its small details like this that can hurt us when not paying attention.


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## Moodyville-ain (Jan 8, 2010)

I like it a lot too. I actually like the perspective the way it is. The part about the bright light above the lantern can be solved with using the "burn tool" in photoshop, which gradually darkens an area, with a brush size of your choosing. It makes things tedious but I suggest blowing up the image very large and making your brush very small, so that you can darken only the very bright pixels, without making the surrounding pixels look weird.


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## Moodyville-ain (Jan 8, 2010)

Actually after I said that I took the liberty of editing it, because it says it's ok. After I started editing it with burn tool, I decided it wasn't the right tool after all. So I cloned some of the surrounding brush over the blown highlights






I don't have the greatest skills at P.P. but I find it much less distracting. Someone with better skills can do a better job then me though.


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## soods (Jan 8, 2010)

sanchezka and pugs, thanks so much. very useful tool.


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