Belem Castle (Portugal)

Well on my recent trip to Portugal, I was able to snap this shot. This was my first time using the Tamron 19-35, and I'm sort of disappointed with it, or my ability with it. C&C appreciated.

25mm f/4 1/8 iso1600 (handheld)

Looks like that castle has seen a lot of history. Just wondering, why did you shoot with 1600 ISO?

First off, I am new to photography, so my settings are probably always wrong.

Secondly, I was probably in a rush, and didn't configure all the settings. It rained pretty much all the time over the past 2 weeks, so I was constantly hurrying to put my gear back in the bag. I also didn't bring my tripod or monopod with me, and everything was hand held.

Well part of the reason you might be dissapointed is the overall flatness of the image. And at that time of day, there's really nothing you can do about it. It's a great subject, so it's definitely worth it to try again if you're unhappy with the results (and you're back in Portugal). I'm happy to give you advice on how I would shoot it, but I won't just post it in case you don't want it.

Of course I want it. By all means. Please make me better.

Sure. Ok, so I'd go around sunrise or sunset to get the best lighting. Position yourself so your back's to the sun so you'll be able to capture the detail of the brick work. Use your tripod. Use the 19-35mm at 19mm. Shoot portrait orientation. Don't let the tower fill the entire frame and use the rule of thirds.

Camera Settings:

- Av Mode
- f/8
- ISO 100 or 200
- 35mm Evaluative Metering (because the tower will be off center)

Start off with an exposure bias of 0 and see where that takes you. Adjust it as neccissary to get the tower correctly exposed. Hope this helps.

Thank you for your help. I will definitely use your advise. Also, maybe my PP isn't up to par. I'm still new as I said, and I'm still learning how to use Gimp.