Steps to the sky

It was 10 pm and I was on the steps of a lighthouse in Iceland. A magical moment.

Specific Feedback Requested

I realize the focus is not sharp, but is there any way that enhances the mystery of the shot?
My new goal is to take more time to get sharper focus when shooting. I have resisted using a tripod because I usually take spontaneous shots.

Technical Details

Is this a composite: No
D 70 Nikkon–ISO 1000 f/11 1/100. Just did some cropping and played with lighting.

I like the graphic nature of the image and the colors. I would probably crop a little off the sky. The image seems quite noisy. Maybe the ISO?fullsizeoutput_1ea7

Michael, Thank you for your feedback. My photo skills are a work in progress! Kat

Hi Kat, well any chance I get to climb up a lighthouse (mostly in Maine) is magic to me, but doing it in Iceland must have been incredible. So, I guess you liked the silhouette of the railing against the sky, and I find it interesting too. BTW, a recent Weekly Challenge was “Fences”, which this most certainly would have qualified for. :grinning: OK, there is more noise than I’d like to see in an image, probably due to the 1000 ISO and low light I think. You probably could have gotten away with (maybe) 400 ISO. Don’t know if your cam or lens has any kind of image stabilization, but I would hand hold down to 1/25s because your subject is still and you could brace yourself against something, keeping your elbows tucked in close. Taking 3-4 shots in quick succession will sometimes overcome camera movement. Compositionally, I would crop up a bit from the bottom to lose the steps which only distract from the main subject. Thanks for sharing!

Hi Jim,

Thanks for your feedback. I am working on eliminating noise in my photos. While shooting and when editing. Am now trying to minimize post edit cropping and instead fill the frame by moving ME—not so easy when there are very deep snowdrifts along the side of the road! Actually we never got inside or to the top of that lighthouse but watching the sun set at 10 pm and even later on a July night was pretty incredible. I am just starting to check my ISO more carefully—which I didn’t do when taking this photo—which was several yrs ago. I prefer to handhold my camera and too often shoot impulsively—without enough forethought. Getting older and wiser these days! I am enjoying this website and all the free advice!