Twilight

by Milo
(Philippines)

Hi! This is my second picture that I am posting for critique.

I am new to photography and I'm loving it very much, especially when I capture nice photos (in my opinion. heh, heh).

I'm using a Canon PowerShot SD790 IS. Right now I'm content with it but I have hopes to have a DSLR because it produces better quality photos.

I took this photo in Surigao del Sur, Philippines on our way home while I was at the back of the car. It was 6:30 PM. We passed a lake and the reflection of the sky amazed me, so I took my camera out and this is it.

I hope you could give me tips when taking photos at night time. Compact cameras like mine have limited functions and features which could lead to low quality photos.

Thanks....

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I've moved this photo from the photography tutor section to the showcase section here because I think it's a really good photo.

I don’t think there's a photographer around who hasn't at some point tried to take a terrific sunset shot. And often come away frustrated!

It's actually quite difficult to take a good sunset photo. There are a few elements that make good sunset photography and I've listed a few below:

• Cloud – sunsets photos where the sky is clear and blends from deep blue to red and then yellow are a bit boring. Clouds add extra interest!


• Water - reflected sunsets look good. Again, the water itself adds an extra element of photographic interest.


• Lots of sky – it's easy to just take a sunset photo where the horizon is slap-bang in the middle of the photo. Better sunset photography happens when the sky takes up most of the photo – it is the star of the shot!

Milo has asked for some night photography tips. Fortunately there's a whole section here on night photography. Have a look around there and I'm sure you'll find some ideas.

Milo also mentions digital SLR cameras. It's true that there are some photo opportunities that compact cameras really struggle with. One of these is night photography.

Part of the reason (but by no means the only reason) is the sensors on compact cameras – they're very small and struggle in low light.

One of the advantages of digital SLR cameras is that they have much larger, and much more sensitive, image sensors. Here's more about the advantages of digital SLRs.

All in all then, great photo, and thanks Milo for the submission.

Darrell.

My son (that's him below) loves F1. He's started his own YouTube channel and would love it if you could take a look at one or two of his videos.
Or, if it hurts your ears as much as it does mine, pass the link on to someone who'll really appreciate it.

(probably someone a lot younger than I am!)

Get help using your camera with the complete Digital SLR Guide