Almost dark in Tennessee River Gorge
I lightened, saturated, increased contrast, and sharpened your pic, Jer. in
www.picasa.com, in about 30 seconds.....It's free, and super easy to use.
You have some nice pics!!
Some quick tips:
Use the rule of thirds......for example, put the horizon or water line at 2/3 or 1/3 height...
Frame main subject loosely following that same rule...but often even off to one side as well as at 1/3 or 2/3 width or height.....
With wide angle photos, put something close in the frame, perhaps partially around the main scene or framing it...often the close object will be out of focus which further helps create depth.
To create less or more depth of field, control the lens opening size, called f/ stops. This is best done by using the camera in aperture priroity mode, or full manual. A small numbered f stop is the largest lens iris opening and gives the least depth of field.
Controlling exposure. If your camera has a spot metering mode, choose it, then set the exposure by aiming on the most important part of the scene. Recompose the image while holding the shutter half way down (which locks the exposure and focus on most cameras) Alternatively, the "evaluative" metering mode generally gives a well exposed image.
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