First time poster-thoughts of my photo?

[lisamillerphotos]

This is my photoshoot of my 2 year old son with my new Nikon flash, speed light. I had it set to portrait mode bc with my new camera I have not yet ventured into P or M mode.

After reading some indoor photography tips, I may go home and attempt some today.

Thoughts?

[thebear]

I like this. The dof is very nice and the subjects eyes really make it a nice picture. Was there much post processing done?

[lisamillerphotos]

No, actually just the sepia tone. Other than that, none. Thanks for the reply.

[filemanager]

Nice composition!

[clockdoc]

Hi Lisa and welcome to the group. Happy to see another D80 'shooter' out there. Please tell me a little more about your lighting on this on. What flash are you using and how was it oriented? Its effect seems minimal even though there is a hint of a catchlight in his eyes. Cute shot but it appears somewhat dark on my monitor. What lens did you use? Again, welcome to the group.

[FocalFrenzy]

Hi Lisa,
this is a really nice shot. I like that you switched to Sepia. Some shots look much better monotoned. As far as a critique is concerned, all I would change is possibly tighter focus on the eyes, and the addition of catchlights to the eyes. Clockdoc (posted above), has an excellent tutorial on catchlights and what they add or detract from a shot. Just ask if you want the link. Before joining this forum (November of last year), I paid no attention to catchlights. I didn't know what they were, I didn't know that without them, my shots wouldn't "POP", I didn't even know that it is possible to "Import" catchlights from another image in order to enhance your shots. This is a wonderful forum, with much to learn and many new friends to share in your love of photography. Wecome and we look forward to seeing your work.

[lisamillerphotos]

Ok, I will link to catchlights....you are correct, I have no idea what that means.

The lens is the 18-55? And the lens is on top in the 300 series, I think. Sorry, I do not know all the technial stuff yet especially if my camera is not in front of me.

How did you know I have a D80? I can see I have a lot to learn! Thanks for taking the time to post a reply and a "learning experience"!

[loondiver]

I like this picture!

In addition to the catchlights idea, I'm wondering if the next time you shoot like this, you could use something in front of the subject to reflect additional light on the face. (A white, foam-core sheet works well for this.)

I don't have much experience doing this, but it's something I've read about and want to try.

Have fun with your new light

Dave

[lisamillerphotos]

I have done some reading on the catchlights and attempted to Photoshop some eyes (wow, the steps involved were confusing for the beginner and I did not see a huge difference with dark eyes). And I also read Clockdocs' post on catchlights.

The part I took away from it was 1) it adds dimension and depth to the eye, 2)use a reflector in the subject's lap, 3) 10 and 2 are the best positions for the catchlight, and 4) likley the only one's who are looking for catchlights are photographers....I think that summed it up.

I will take this all into consideration when looking through the lense at my 2 year old! While he is sitting still, I will also ask him to hold reflector in his lap (this is sarcasm, have you ever met a 2 year old?)

Photography has a lot of wonderful aspects to keep you learning.

[Bobcat63]

Nice shot, same position as you. I will try to understand the other comments as a new boy.... good luck with your new camera