Historic Dockyard - Portsmouth - Low Light and Night Photography

[joe.morgan]

Went out to the Portsmouth Historic Dockyard last week with my new 450D. With no tripod and the aim to experiment I was lucky to have a good sunset to work with.

1.
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3157/3048279891_6ed8d5e33d.jpg?v=0

2.
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3014/3049121742_e151f4faac.jpg?v=0

3.
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3293/3049124024_22883cc811.jpg?v=0

4.
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3182/3049125498_64df7d7bd3.jpg?v=0

5.
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3171/3049126584_ac065beaa4.jpg?v=0

6.
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3198/3048287585_3e35083a0e.jpg?v=0

7.
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3011/3049127784_4d40e7b76e.jpg?v=0

All advice welcome. Rest of album on my flickr account below :D

[troutfisher]

I like them, especially 7 with the Warrior and the Spinnaker Tower.One of the clouds looks like smoke out of her funnel

[joe.morgan]

I like them, especially 7 with the Warrior and the Spinnaker Tower.One of the clouds looks like smoke out of her funnel

I was hoping to take some picture upon the Victory was I wasn't allowed :(

[NathanS]

Watch the horizons! Some of them are crooked.

[Walczak Photo]

I think the first shot would have been really very lovely except that it's tilted and you cut the nose off the front of the ship (sorry...don't know the proper nautical term there). If you had of had the space in front of the ship that you do behind and if the shot had of been straight....could have made a wonderful print to say the least.

#2 This shot just really doesn't do anything for me.

#3 Is interesting from the whole study of lines point of view. Normally I think the concept is over-done, but I like it here, probably because of the subject matter...something a little different as it were. I think it would have been better however if the mast had of been coming in straight from the middle of the top of the image...here you have things slanted a bit and to me it takes away from the symmetry.

#4 Same as number 2...no real interest there. It just doesn't "float my boat" (bad pun intended).

#5 Very interesting shot here and well executed...and I really like the sepia here as well.

#6 Again this could have been a very lovely shot, but you were simply too close. Ya chopped off the nose of the boat again as well as the top of the masts. Also, you have something down there on the right side of the image by the ramps that probably shouldn't be in the image. I think with better framing this one would have been a real keeper. Also, some people may not be crazy about the purple sky, but personally I like it.

#7 Ditto...could have been a great shot with better framing.

The biggest piece of advice I would offer is to pay more attention to your framing and compositions. I don't wish to sound rude here, but your shots remind me of someone who suffer's from "parallax errors" with their view finder on a point & shoot (or at least blames it on that! LOL!). Since you were shooting with a 450D however, that was clearly not the case...the only thing that can be blamed here is "user error". Very simply, don't be so quick to pull the trigger...spend a little more time looking at the subject thru the lens and compose your shots with more thought given to the entire scene and not just what is in the center of the view finder.

Just my $.02 worth,
Jim

[joe.morgan]

thank you for the advice. Very much appreciated :)