Movement Shot, what can I do better?

Hey guys, shot this while in Manhattan last week by the Heliport with an XSI and a Canon EF-S 17-85mm f/4-5.6 IS USM Lens.

Let me know! Thanks!

It's got potential if you're able to reshoot it.

Maybe try more movement so there's more blur? To my eyes the background just looks out of focus.

Or go with a tripod and get the helicopter really sharp and use an f stop that gets you a nice backgroud blur.

And either way I'd try cropping it a lot tighter, and try putting the helicopter in different areas of the frame. The helicopter right now as it is...small and dead center...there's nothing interesting about that IMO.

Oh and this shot at sunrise or sunset -- more interesting sky -- could be really cool.

I like the drama of the capture. However, the 'copter looks slightly too small in the frame, resembling more of a remote model.

Fair enough. I understand what you're saying about the blur in the background. After doing more research, it seems that the helicopter was moving too slowly and that the lens I have is not very good at stopping motion.

I'm looking at getting technique down before being artsy. I can't go back since NYC is a 7 hour drive away, but I will definitely see if I can do better with this lens and see how far I can take it. Practice practice practice.

Thanks!

corkneyfonz wrote in post #11585404
I like the drama of the capture. However, the 'copter looks slightly too small in the frame, resembling more of a remote model.

Yeah, I was pretty far away!

Thanks for the tip!

I guess I saw the photo and was excited because I thought I accomplished the stop motion thing for the first time hehe. I've only had my first dSLR for about two weeks now and I love learning new things about it. It's exciting!
Looking forward to trying this out again.