Benton Harbor Lighthouse

Hi...
My first shot of a lighthouse...

Are they that bad? c/c help wanted...

thanks...

hi case - no they aren't "that bad" at all. here are my thoughts - which, of course, are worth nothing so keep that in mind.

In #1, i like the lighthouses and them being put on the diagonal . I think where the image loses something is in the sky. its just a blown-out mass of nothing. obviously, this isnt something you can always help. perhaps bracketing your shots and doing some layer work in PS to darken up the sky would have helped. Of course, it would have helped if there was something of interest in the sky to being with (ie: clouds, sunset, sunrise, birds, etc). I think its a shot that has a lot of potential under some different lighting. Also - that harsh light from the background looks like it also caused an underexposure of the lighthouses.

#2 is pretty neat. although I would like it better if the boat were a bit closer and filled up more of the frame. there is too much empty water for me. Perhaps cropping might help depending on the original resolution, or perhaps a longer lens was needed. but the reflections and the silhouette of the boat look good and your concept was right now.

so overall - good work, just keep shooting!

chestercopperpot wrote in post #3455883
In #1, i like the lighthouses and them being put on the diagonal . I think where the image loses something is in the sky. its just a blown-out mass of nothing. obviously, this isnt something you can always help. perhaps bracketing your shots and doing some layer work in PS to darken up the sky would have helped. Of course, it would have helped if there was something of interest in the sky to being with (ie: clouds, sunset, sunrise, birds, etc). I think its a shot that has a lot of potential under some different lighting. Also - that harsh light from the background looks like it also caused an underexposure of the lighthouses.

Thank you for the comments and suggestions.
You are definitely right about the sky in picture 1...it was very hazy. I guess the gulls flying around were just camera - shy. There were tons of them flying around behind me, they just wouldn't cooperate for the pictures. This was my first attempt -and probably only for a long time - we just don't have lighthouses in Kansas. We were passing by on our way to Detroit and only had a couple of hours . I'll keep trying...

I have to agree whole heartedly with chestercopperpot.

Nicely framed, effective, but I think the time of day is to bright.
Would love to see this at early morning or late evening.

just keep it up. one thing i keep trying to remember is you dont always need the "postcard" scenes to make a good landscape. just look for anything around you that is interesting to you (for any reason whatsoever) and the trick is to focus on the details. it always seems to me the more simple I make my pictures the better they are. Dont be afraid to go out and just take pictures for the sake of taking pictures. You'll be surprised how often you come back with something good when you don't mean to and how you'll be disappointed when you purposely TRY to get something good. But once again, just my two cents.