Department of Agriculture Building

I'm still a beginner. This is my second roll with an SLR. I've been

told to work with different media (film, filters, etc.) Right now I'm

trying to concentrate on learning about composition, though. Please

feel free to offer ideas, thoughts, what you'd do different, etc.

Thanks!!

I am guessing you took this with a relatively wide angle lens, so it slanted the vertical lines. If you used a longer focal length, your lines would be straighter. Notice the flag pole in yours and here:

 

By the way, you have a picture in your DC folder of the Washington Monument that's almost like mine, here:

 

http://www.photo.net/photodb/photo?photo_id=627204

Composition is good, I would have tried to cut the road out a bit on the bottom right. Regarding the above comment, thanks, That will help me too.

With buildings as with most other subjects light is everything. You have quite a flat daylight here. Think of the building as a person's face. How would you light it to get the effect you want?

As you wish. Keep in mind that even simplest shot may tell a story. You may underline story if you use wisely your camera. In this situation I would prefer frontal shot (formal) which underline monumental and formal looks of the building and reserve angle shots for different situations. Now I have impression that this is just a snap shot. When you compose perfectly symmetrical picture nobody will tell that this is an accidental shot. I am not setting any rules.