1st attempt

[TheFatItalian]

I am very new to photography so please give me any advice, especially for pp. Any help is welcome!


http://img14.imageshack.us/img14/8886/hydrantandpillars.jpg (http://img14.imageshack.us/i/hydrantandpillars.jpg/)
Canon Powershot SX10 IS
1/80 Sec.
F/8
ISO-80

[GorgeShooter]

The image is underexposed IMO (maybe because the sun is at your back)
The main foreground element (the fire hydrant) is chopped off
A bit too much sky for my taste (if there were interesting clouds it would help)
The main elements in the image (the foreground elements) are out of focus (more DoF (higher f-number) would help)
Fill light would help bring out details in the shadows
What story are you trying to tell with this image?

[Robert_Lay]

The sun is forward of your plane and off to the left, thus backlighting most of your subject - so, lighting gets a D-.

Color balance looks good.

Composition takes a hit because the left frame just barely cuts off the cap of the hydrant, thus creating a point of tension.... at the wrong place.

Not bad for a newbie! Welcome to the POTN:)

[joedlh]

Robert and Gorge gave you some technical comments that apply in most general cases. However, you need to tell us what your goal was for the image. Underexposure is sometimes a creative technique and not necessarily a flaw. Back lighting or side lighting can be problems. However, if capitalized upon and planned for, they can lead to dramatic images. The composition of this image is ambiguous, leading me to wonder what was your subject. Every successful image tells a story. This one's story is unclear.

A good habit to get into as a photographer is to study your subject and answer this question before you compose the shot and release the shutter: "What do I want to say with this image?" Sometimes, you are successful. Many times not. You learn as a photographer to show only the ones that appear to work.

[TheFatItalian]

Thanks for the great advice, I agree with everything that you guys have said. Looking back I wanted to capture the side lighting on the rightmost yellow pillar to bring out the texture, but the orange hydrant takes all the attention and it is out of focus. Although I know now to leave that out, if I had wanted to have that in focus how could I? GorgeShooter said to use a smaller aperture but my camera only goes up to f8 for some reason. Thanks again for the honest advice, I will work on something different for next time:)

[Robert_Lay]

It is correct that your camera can be set to f/8 as its smallest aperture. However, that is more than enough for almost anything, so long as you optimize your distance to the subject. It all comes under the science of Depth of Field (DOF).

Here is an on-line calculator for DOF and for "hyperfocal distance" - concepts which are a must for getting the most out of your camera in relation to sharp images.
http://www.dofmaster.com

[GorgeShooter]

Although I know now to leave that out, if I had wanted to have that in focus how could I?

DoF depends on 3 things:

Aperture: Large apertures (low f-number) = less DoF. Small apertures (high f-number) = more DoF.
Focal length: Long FL = less DoF. Short FL = more DoF
Camera-to-subject distance: Close = less DoF. Far = more DoF