DSLR Photography Forum

I took these on the way home from work today. I was driving along the freeway and saw the sunset unfold over the river, so I pulled off the South Tce exit? (just north of Canning Hwy exit) and quickly ran up onto the overpass with camera and tripod.

The sunset photos were OK (the sky was great but the photos were lacking a good subject matter), but I turned my attention to the peak-hour traffic and got some much more interesting results.

Any thoughts on these photos? Do you think the angle works in the 2nd freeway shot? The horizon was a little crooked and I thought I'd exaggerate it rather than straighten it. Not 100% sure it works in that shot though.

And what about the b/w version with red taillights? Is it a cliche? I'm not sure, but I suspect I've ripped that idea off from somewhere else without quite remembering where or when. I think the crooked horizon works much better in this shot however, as it suits the flowing red lines better.

And the birds? I know they are a bit small, but that cloud above them was just too gorgeous to crop. This image is almost exactly as it came out of the camera - just a bit of noise reduction and a slight crop (the tops of a couple of trees were just poking into the bottom of the frame).

Thanks in advance for suggestions.
Cheers
Adrian

ps: I tried shooting some athletics track events when leaving work today and got really pretty bad results. I need this camera to become 2nd nature to me so I can operate it intuitively and concentrate on what I'm shooting. I would've easily gotten better results if I'd have pulled out my old Olympus and started taking shots with that. oh well... practice practice practice. I might be shooting a bit of waterpolo tomorrow night, but I suspect it will be too dark to get any decent shots then too.

Mate, they're some great shots - maybe for #1 a touch less sky next time, more like in the last one? Apart from that though, very nice, well done


Brad

Nice shots. I don't go much on the bird shots, but thats jmo. The traffic shots are cool I enjoy 3 & 4 much more because of the interesting crop.
As for the selective red lights in the b&w shot, I say go for it if you like it. Some argue the technique is cliche but personally if it's done well then it will look good. It certainly works in this photo. Well done/

Hey Kombi, those shots are lovely!

I love night exposures, so #1 and #3 are my favourite. The colours are so vibrant!

The tilt on #3 adds a nice twist. (ha ha).

I really like the first image. Brilliant colour and the way it goes from light to dark, left to right is great.
The 2nd photo is well, a sunset. I've seen so many. That doesn't mean it's not a good shot but rather done before.
Photo 3 is nice but after seeing the 1st image gives me the impression that it is lacking something and is not complete. I'm not sure if the tilt works for me. Same as the third. The tilt does the photo no Justice in my opinion. I don't think b&W and colour is cliché at all. The colour adds some punch to the black and white. I really like this.

Photo #3 is great!! I think the tilt makes the photo more focused on the windy road and the light beams left by the cars. But it detracts from the horizon and maybe the sky as well. I think the tilt was just a compromise between road and sky. Great photo nonetheless!!

Adrian have you got any specs on these photos? Lens and shutter speed? I've come back and looked at them a few times today, and I still like them, so they pass the test

Brad

Hey thanks guys

No offence taken about the birds photo being "just another sunset" Pete (and it sounds like you were thinking the same thing Lowepro) - I completely know what you're talking about. The clouds are nice, but its been done a million times before so doesn't really have the impact it should.

The comments on the traffic shots were very interesting though, particularly the comments on the last two shots. I'm glad it wasn't just me who had mixed feelings about the 3rd shot (the coloured tilted one) - I think the tilt does fantastic things to the road and cars, but really doesn't work with that horizon and sky. If there were mountain ranges or even buildings in the background instead of a flat horizon I think it would have worked better.
It's interesting that the tilt seems to work better in the b/w shot though. I guess because the colour is taken out of the sky, the viewer is no longer looking for a nice sunset photo (although I think the sky works just as well in this photo), and the colour in the taillights firmly draws attention to the road.
Even without the coloured taillights, I think I preferred the monochrome version of this shot.
But thanks for the feedback.

oh yeah, and Brad.. the shot info is:

1st shot: 18mm (18-55 kit lens), f/11, 25sec, ISO 100, Aperture Priority
2nd shot: 200mm (70-200 f/4L), f/4, 1/200sec, ISO 800, Aperture Priority
3rd shot: 18mm (18-55 kit lens), f/11, 10sec, ISO 100, Aperture Priority

Cheers
Adrian

Great shots, making me homesick.