DC Metro

[ctank77]

Hi all - I'm new to the community and thought I'd get started by offering up a photo of mine for critique. I'm an amateur and I just purchased my first "serious" camera, a Nikon D40. Needless to say I have a lot to learn but I'm loving it so far.

[Greg McCary]

Great shot. It seems to be leaning right. Congrats on the D40 and I think you are going to do well with it. Thanks for posting and I hope to see more. This is a very good subject and you have a good eye for composition on this one.
Greg

[GB1]

Hello CTank and welcome to the PR boards. Your first post is OK, no major glitches or anything. It is properly exposured though it might be every so slightly tilted or rotated. I think what is missing though is a strong subject. The center part of the image is devoid of pretty much anything, but the bright center line vanishing into the distance commands a lot of attention by virtue of its contrast. Unfortunately it really doesn't make the photo super interesting, it's just there. I wish there was something happening somewhere else to spice it up, but on the bright side, the pattern of the ceiling is interesting. Too bad you couldn't get lower from this location somehow and tilt the camera more upwards, getting more of that in the shot.

Anyway, hope to see more of your posts. They say the D40 is a good camera to learn on. Try to stay off those 'modes' and stick with aperature and shutter priority, or manual, and you will learn real fast.

GB

[petefontaine15]

cool textures on the roof like GB said, maybe wait for a train to come in and decrease your shutter speed so that you could get some light trails coming up and down the railways. that might create more excitement at the bottom half of your photo since it appears that all the action is occuring on the ceiling.

[ctank77]

Hey everyone, thanks for the critique. I see what you're saying about the shot being skewed to the right. I think the version below has addressed this.

As far as there being a train in the station at time of the shot, I agree that it would help by giving the viewer strong subject. The only problem is that I needed to catch the train entering the station on the left and therefore had to get moving. I like the idea of taking the same pic with a slower shutter speed to produce light trails. I imagine I'd need a tripod for that, correct? This shot was taken sans tripod.

[jkriminger]

a very nice composition..Play around with it. Use a lot of slower speeds..see what you get. use some higher aperture numbers.

[MB1]

I'm thinking this is the start of a good photo but as others have said it is lacking a center of interest. Perhaps a longer exposure with the camera on a tripod to catch the lights of trains moving on both lines........

[Don Schaeffer]

Maybe a little too much color in the walls. I'd isolte the train lights, make a black and white (even try increasing contrast of the walls). Then saturate the color in the headlights.