Need help with lighting

[Eegs]

Hey all, I had been on this forum for a while before without my own camera. I now have a Canon Digital Rebel xti but not much knowledge as to how to use it very well. I was playing around with it tonight and took this photo on auto mode. I'd like to get out of auto, but I'm not sure what the best settings would have been for this. Any help is appreciated!

<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/iamanoffering/2235407637/" title="on_moms_shoulder by iamanoffering, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2335/2235407637_6d65f4bdd6.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="on_moms_shoulder" /></a>

exif:
1/60
f/5.6
ISO: 400
Flash: Fired
55mm

[clockdoc]

Cute shot. Was the lighting available light from above? May want to extend the cropping to include the whole hand. Cropping of heads is more forgiving than cropping off appendages. What are you anxious to move out of "auto?" Do you use the initial setting of the auto mode to try you hand in the manual mode? If I knew where you are coming (experience level in photography as a whole, not just digital)from in terms of understanding the relationship of ISO, shutter speed and aperture, I may be able to help you more in your quest to go manual.

[Eegs]

Lighting was above and to the left in that shot. Yeah, I wish I hadn't cut off her hand.

I'm fairly inexperienced at photography but really into it. I have a degree in graphic design so I know about rule of thirds/good composition. I just have a hard time understanding what aperture to use, etc. I really, really like natural light shots without the flash and I'd love to be able to take them better. I'd like to learn how to use the flash better without it washing out the picture as well. Thanks for your thoughts!

[peeperita]

one of the first things i did after receiving my rebel last spring was to run through canon's online tutorial series....

http://www.usa.canon.com/dlc/controller?act=GetArticleAct&articleID=278&fromTips=1

sitting there with my camera for several sessions gave me a wealth of information about depth of field, exposure, and flash.....after each chapter of the tutorial, i went out and shot images using what i learned.....it kept me busy for days on end.....

i hope this helps

peeper

[clockdoc]

Hi Eegs,
Peeper offered some great advice. I use a Nikon but enjoyed reviewing the extensive Canon tutorials. Since you already have a trained eye for composition, you have part of the battle won! The rest is a matter of study, learning the capabilities of your camera/lenses and taking LOTS and LOTS of photographs. I'll be happy to help where I can. All we need are your questions.

[geotography]

Eegs,

You have excellent suggestions from peeperita and clockdoc. Here is a nifty little site that speaks to fundamentals on aperature and shutter:

http://www.dshed.net/digitised/neighbourhood/resources/technical.html

I apologize if this does not appear as a hyperlink. In such case, cut and paste it. Besides your camera manual, using supplemental Magic Lantern Guide books on your specific camera, dig into this trio of interrelated topics: shutter, aperature and ISO like it was an undergraduate college course that you must to pass to move on.

Sweet picture.

[yokolok]

i assume you must have been close...but i don't see any indication of the flash (built in flash?) in the shot...the exif says it fired though...

you could boost up your iso but you will be introducing noice into the picture...a bigger aperture opening also...just so you could maintain a shutter speed of at least the reciprocal of your focal length (in this case 1/55 or 1/60)...by the way, you would also have to watch your white balance...

a suggestion on composition...aside from the hand (is it a bit blurred?), you might want to step back a bit and include more of mom's shoulder and part of her head? just so you don't have to explain that baby is resting on mom's shoulder...:)

[Eegs]

Hey all, thanks so much for your suggestions and links! I'll definitely look into all this.

[NewDra24]

that's actually quite good, you managed to get a nice even diffused look using a spectral light :)

what you can try first is standing back a bit. that way, more of your intended subject will be tack sharp and the correct parts are blurred. problems with framing can be addressed with a simple cropping, that way you can play around with more image. try shooting on an overcast day or near a window for best diffused light; it's much more flattering!

[hsroxas]

I'm fairly inexperienced at photography but really into it. I have a degree in graphic design so I know about rule of thirds/good composition. I just have a hard time understanding what aperture to use, etc. I really, really like natural light shots without the flash and I'd love to be able to take them better. I'd like to learn how to use the flash better without it washing out the picture as well. Thanks for your thoughts!

In addition into earlier suggestions, another way of understanding what aperture/shutter speed combinations to use for different effects is using the mode dial of your camera. Using the basic zone, such as portrait or landscape,
would show the shutter/aperture combination used by the camera which it thinks is the best combination to get a good exposure. One of them will lean towards big lens openings to create background blur while the other will favor smaller lens openings for greater depth of field. You may also use the program mode and use the dial to see how shutter/aperture combinations change while providing the same exposure.

Hope this helps.