Water in the sky

[poker]

We were at The Grove/Farmers Market in Los Angeles last night. The fountain was doing its thing with the music. I sat down and took as many shots as possible of the water flying in the air.

Canon EOS DIGITAL REBEL
Tv(Shutter Speed) 1/8Sec.
Av(Aperture Value) F1.8
Evaluative metering
Exposure Compensation +2/3
ISO Speed 400
Lens 50mm

I didn't have a tripod and the water was so random of course. I recomposed and used unshapen mask in PS.

Next time I'll bring a tripod.

Opinions?

[dmm96452]

Very cool. It looks like a large fireworks display or like a rocket taking off at night.

[Anbesol]

Im sorry but im a bit too lost in the ambiguity.. what angle did you shoot this at?

[Ronnoco]

Well, back to the drawing board. Not all ideas work out to be good photos.;)

Ronnoco

[poker]

Im sorry but im a bit too lost in the ambiguity.. what angle did you shoot this at?

I was looking up. The peak of the water before it went down was about 25 ft up. I was pointing it up between 45 to under 90 degrees. I took more than a dozen shots.

[poker]

Well, back to the drawing board. Not all ideas work out to be good photos.;)

Ronnoco

That bad? Please elaborate.

[Ronnoco]

That bad? Please elaborate.

Sure. A viewer looking at a photo tends to say to themselves:What is it?...as in what is in the photo,....Why was it taken?...and what is the message or point of view of the photographer? Next is whether there is enough strength in the centre of interest to keep the viewer's eye on the photo for longer than a couple of seconds.

In the case with this picture.... Well it might be fireworks...but with no colour there is no interest. Even fountains are better in colour and it is not even clear that we are looking at water. There is nothing in the photo of interest that would indicate why the photo was taken or what the message is. There is no detail in the background and the top highlights are washed out. There are no tones for detail and no stark obvious symbolism either.

Join a photography club in your local area or get some books and learn more about composition. A strong centre of interest is a necessary starting point for any photo.

Ronnoco

[swmdrayfan]

I have to agree with the comments that it seems a little ambiguous. At first I thought I was looking at a fireworks display as the top was kind of blown out. I'd like to see what else you got from that shoot. I see your comment about not having the tripod handy. I've never attempted one of these, so I really have no technical advice. I'd like to see how the next attempts come out though.
John

[poker]

I reviewed over 20 other shots I took of the water and there was one that wasn't "blown out" but I couldn't crop it in a way that would make sense.

It was really frustrating to catch anything but I knew there was a shot here somewhere. I'll try again next time I go and will bring a tripod. I'll probably bring the other camera which has better FPS.

I know there is a shot in all that randomness. It's just another challenge.