Getting annoyed w/ my pictures, please help!

[malko16]

Here is a picture I took of my daughter today while she was in a Dora the Explorer trance... I don't even think she knew I was taking pictures of her. This will be yet another photo I took and it looks completely grainy again. Is it my camera? Because I took advice from previous post and thought it would be better this time around and its not. What is the deal? I used natural light, no flash, lower ISO... not sure what the deal is.

[malko16]

Sorry, here is the EXIF
Canon Rebel XSi
1/50
ISO 400
f/4.0
27mm

[private]

I think the graininess is b/c its underexposed. I assume this is a tight crop from the original capture. Can you have opened up your lens a bit more?

[malko16]

Its actually not cropped at all... I was that close to her face. I'm getting so annoyed with my pictures continually looking grainy and I change my settings often to see what the problem is and I just can't seem to get them right. So frustrating, especially when people are starting to ask me to photograph their children.

[private]

What are you using as your light source?

[Bernzfotos]

Hi malko,

Well if was me I would be lowering that ISO to 100 if you can, if not then 200.

When I am not sure I usually take the same shot with different ISO and aperture settings and compare the images.

All the best. Cheers, Bernz

[malko16]

I was using the sun as my light source. It was the side of her face. I had played with the aperture and ISO while I was taking these and then my photos turned out really dark and underexposed. My house doesn't have great lighting even w/ the sun so I find myself having to compensate with the ISO. Is that the main reason my pics in my house are so grainy?

[DanaD]

I dont think the grainess is really too bad. the photos is adorable and I had to look for it to see it. you could soften or blur the grainy parts to reduce them some.

[zona5101]

did you do any post processing like increase the exposure?

[malko16]

Yes I did increase the exposure in post processing. I guess the areas that are concering me are her far eye and her chin seem to look super grainy. Maybe I'm looking a little too hard at them.