Amber and Michael 2

[EOBeav]

Hi again everybody, this is the same couple as my last post, but this is obviously a much closer shot. I just wanted your general thoughts about composition, coloring, and anything else you think is pertinent to the discussion.



You can also see the larger version on my photoblog.

EXIF:
Camera: Canon EOS Digital Rebel XSi
Exposure: 0.008 sec (1/125)
Aperture: f/5.0
Focal Length: 50 mm
ISO Speed: 400
Exposure Bias: 0 EV
Flash: Off, Did not fire
Lens: Canon 50mm f/1.4

[natek313]

This definitely has some potential. I really like the post work you did on this. Nice job on that. There are two major things I noticed:

1 - The crop. I like the idea you have going with the crop. It's intimate, which is nice for this kind of photo. However, a fair portion of his face is outside of the frame. I'm not sure if you did that in post-processing. If you did, I would change it to include his entire face.

2 - The depth of field. She's in focus; he's not. You're using a 50mm prime lens, which means you have to stand pretty close to them to get such a tight framing around them. That means, even with the f/5.0 aperture, your depth of field is going to be significantly narrower. You could use a telephoto lens which would enable you to stand farther away from them but still get the same framing but with a bigger depth of field.

Hope this helps! Nice job.

[EOBeav]

Thanks for your insight, Nate. I had actually used my L 70-200 for the farther away shots, and my 50 prime for the closer shots. Maybe a little ironic, but that's just how it worked out that day.

Compositionally, I was focusing right on her eyes, and I knew that he would be slightly OOF, even with the aperture at 5.0. The crop here was straight out of the camera. I guess what I was going for on this particular composition was the definite focus on her, with him being slightly out of frame and not necessarily the star of the shot. It was an artistic risk, so that's why I wanted to post it here to see if it worked or not. I'm still up in the air about it, myself.

I did all of my PP in UFRaw and GIMP. Thanks again for your helpful comment.

[natek313]

Ah, gotcha. I see where you're coming from now.

Personally, it doesn't work for me. Good thing I'm not the be-all and end-all. Haha. However, I think there could be some other possibilities (i.e., poses) that would really focus the viewer on her while still following the "basic rules" of photography.

Just my thought. Take it as you wish.

[AmberTillman]

I think the probem is he isn't out of focus enough. So it looks more like a mistake than on purpose. Widen your apereture so he is more blurry and I would step back just a bit to let a little more of the couple in. It seems a little awkward to be so close to them and not be able to see them both in focus.

I have a random question. Why does she have on a winter coat and he only have on a button up? Seems a little wierd.

Love post processing too! Beautiful color.

[irishmuth]

Originally Posted by AmberTillman

I think the probem is he isn't out of focus enough. So it looks more like a mistake than on purpose.

This was my take on it as well. If he was more OOF I think the point would have been driven home that it's a shot of her as the subject.

[daddyoproductions]

It's a great shot of her...but yeah, if you're going for focal point on her, then I'd have him looking at her instead of into the cam. Otherwise, it's like, well, how come he's getting dissed?
~C