[Reconman-1033]

I'm asking for constructive criticism of this photo. Anything from composition to exposure.
Thanks

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[Reconman-1033]

Obviously I had some dust on the focusing screen. That's been corrected.

[Lynn]

Humm. I'm trying to think about it (no easy task for this coffee-deprived individual!). I like the colors and shadows available in this scene. What I'm trying to do, though, is to imagine the shot from different perspectives. Currently, you've got the church as the centerpiece of the photograph, but there's so much more available in the scene.

I'm wondering, then, about placing the church off to the side a bit, somewhat along the lines of the "rule of thirds."

Rule of thirds - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

You've made a pretty good start, I think. Play with it and see what kind of results you can come up with!

[Reconman-1033]

Lynn:
Thanks.
I'll have to go back to Tajique and try a different angle. There is a bright yellow fire hydrant to the left of this scene and I sort of wanted to exclude it. But a little later in the year I might be able to move to the north side of the church (to the right of this photo) and try again when the sun is back around the the west a little more. Maybe then I can capture the church to the left and exclude some of the undesired land marks.
Thanks again for your input.
By the way, are you all thawing out un north?

[Nachodog]

I'm not an expert, so take my suggestions with a grain of salt. I think in terms of exposure, I'm not entirely sure why you went with a high ISO and a fast shutter speed. I think 1/750s is overkill for a landscape shot (when you're sacrificing ISO and noise). Other than that, in terms of composition, I would have moved the church towards the bottom right corner and gotten a bit more sky. Maybe a wider shot to get a better sense of the background.

[Reconman-1033]

Alex:

Thanks. I can't give you good reason why I had the ISO so high. Great point. I'll work on your and Lynn's point on the centering. That's a habit I guess I have developed out of photographing crime scenes, and I just need to think more about what is more pleasing to the eye.
Thanks again,
J.T.

[Peter Zack]

Along with the other comments, maybe try low to the ground with more sky and get in closer to one of the old head stones. I bet you could find one that is interesting with the church looming large in the background.

[Peter Zack]

BTW the dust on the photo is not what's on your screen. It's on the sensor and you will have to clean that to get rid of it in your shots.

[Reconman-1033]

Peter:
Thanks. I'll try that technique as well. I assume what I'll need to do is move in closer and shoot at a wider angle.
I'm getting the impression that on shots like this one more sky and less ground is more appealing.
Also, (revealing more of my ignorance) how were you able to tell the dust was debris on the sensor, and how do I extract that? I have removed and cleaned the focusing screen, but I'm not sure how to clean the sensor?
Thanks,
J.T.

[Peter Zack]

The dust on the focus screen is only there and not in the light path to the recording sensor inside the mirror box. So to clean the sensor, you have a couple different choices. With the K10D, it has a sensor cleaning shake feature that can help keep the sensor clean. But when it's worse than that can handle, I use a rocket blower. You can find them on Ebay or if you have a camera shop in your area. The manual tells you how to go into cleaning mode and blow dust off the sensor.

Last if the blower won;t do the job, then you can get a wet cleaning kit or send the camera to an authorized repair shop to have it cleaned. But that's a last resort. I've been using a blower for several years and always been able to keep things clean.

[str8talk83]

Along with the other comments, maybe try low to the ground with more sky and get in closer to one of the old head stones. I bet you could find one that is interesting with the church looming large in the background.

+1. Adding foreground elements is generally pleasing in a landscape shot.

[Reconman-1033]

Thanks again.

I just came back from reading some other threads on that. If I get back to the location of this church in the next couple of days I'll re-shoot, working on the techniques you all have provided. I'll probably start a new thread with a new photo and hope to build on that.
Thanks again,
J.T.