first post for critique

[pixel_this7]

Hey, I'm brand new, and new to a lot of things in photography. Been taking pictures for a long time, but wanting it to become more! Any advice welcome I just really want to learn and improve. I did a little shot of my husband yesterday and here's a result. There are a few more on my flickr account I did too.



Thanks!

[wulf]

Generally, I think it looks good.

However, there are some aspects you may want to think about. A couple that come to mind are:

(a) Sharpness - looking at the larger size on Flickr, I see that the picture isn't really crisp, without having that slightly hazy blurriness that is often used to flatter models. I think it might help to play with different settings so see if you could adjust that in a re-take.

(b) There's a lot of space above his head. How about cropping lower? You could even slice off the top of his hair and he wouldn't end up looking so short. Or have you just left space to paint in a halo?

Wulf

[Digidave]

His right eye needs to lit up more. It looks like he has a black eye. I'm not a professional, but I do know that lighting is the hardest & most likely the most important part of shooting portraits. Keep practicing. You do have some better shots on your Flickr site. Nate4 is closer to what you want.

[jiminyClickit]

pixel_this7, Welcome

For a natural, relaxed portrait, a closer crop of "Japanese Stroll Garden" has the pose and expression of contemplation that's sometimes effective.