Self portrait

[Vance]

I am trying to dabble in black and whit, not sure if im doing any good or not. Please your most honest opinion!

Shutter Speed: 1/159 second
Aperture: F/2.6
Focal Length: 6 mm
ISO Speed: 200

[LeeR]

I am guessing you used the on-camera flash and that is why the light on the bridge of your nose is a bit hot (overexposed.) You must have also been using the lens with the aperture wide open which is why your eyes are perfectly in focus but your mouth is not. But, hey, you're a good looking kid and you can get away with a lot of things I couldn't. By the time you get to be my age you are doing all you can to let your 'character' shine thru becuase your youthful good looks are gone.
So how do you make this better? First, most people look better with light that is coming from the front and a bit to the side. Look for opportunities to use window light if you can. Second, don't be afraid to let your surroundings say something about you. If you like skateboarding, what if you did your self portrait in a halfpipe? or an airport, a racecar, a movie theater?
You're off to a great start but you will want to do more as your life changes over the years.

[isfppoet]

Originally Posted by LeeR

You must have also been using the lens with the aperture wide open which is why your eyes are perfectly in focus but your mouth is not.

I agree with LeeR as far as getting more of your face focused, unless you're intentionally trying to focus only on one facial feature. The reason you want this especially in a black-and-white photo is because little details suddenly pop out. Textures and shadows are suddenly much more significant in black and white.

Little wrinkles, chapped lips, freckles, etc., will show up better if you use a narrow(er) aperture, and that's what you want. Even if some details aren't always flattering, sometimes they really add to the photograph's uniqueness, and that of the subject.

Just curious, what kind of camera are you using? Sometimes people can give you tips based on that as well. If it's a point-and-shoot, you may not be able to directly control some settings, but there's some pretty savvy people around that can probably tell you how to with a simpler camera.

[Vance]

Yea its a canon poweshot A something, its a point and shoot I cant control that much I cant do anything with the aperture but thanks ill try it out again soon!

:]

[JenniferMariePhotography]

Good composition, but I think the focus is a little iffy, and you should up the contrast a little to bring out the details.

[isfppoet]

Originally Posted by Vance

Yea its a canon poweshot A something, its a point and shoot I cant control that much I cant do anything with the aperture but thanks ill try it out again soon!

:]

Yeah I hear ya on that. I had a Kodak Easyshare CX6230, clunky little point-and-shoot with nada on features until a couple weeks ago. Took decent pictures actually, and not a bad camera at all, just really outdated; I've had it for about 7 years now, lol.

The Canon Powershot SX120 I use now is excellent. I was so tempted to go with a DSLR, and I still almost wish I had, but for $200, this is a ton of bang for your buck; best type of point-and-shoot I've ever seen.

It's got manual everything, but lots of automatic/scene type modes for when you just wanna take a picture without hassle. The quality isn't amazing, but pretty solid and you can even do up to 30 second exposures, no bulb mode though, that I've found at least.

So if you ever wanna step up a couple of notches, try something like that. You get a lot for your money, and right now the biggest thing holding back my photography is me.

I'd also like to add that it's still really easy to use. Get one for your tech-terrified grandmother.