First Portrait, my nephew

[tjacobs79]

Hey Guys this was my first attempt at a portrait please let me know what I can do better next time. Photo has not been edited.

Canon Rebel xsi
70-300mm/ Auto

[kencaleno]

I have sharpened the image,taken out pinlight in eyes and replaced same with studio style catchlights

[FallinWoman]

Hi, welcome, and great start!
I highly recommend getting some sort of editing software if you don't already have it. Photoshop Elements is less than $100, and Gimp is free. I use Elements 6 for Macs.
Here is what I notice. The flash fired on this picture, causing the pin lights in his eyes. If at all possible, use natural light. It just creates more beautiful catch lights in the eyes. This is hard to fix with editing software. The focus is a little soft and the skin looks a little green. These CAN be fixed in editing. I prefer the subject to not be so centered. Have you read about the rule of thirds? It is a good place to start as you learn about composition. Not that it is a hard and fast rule, but it is something to think about.
I had a play at your picture. I sharpened it, cropped it, and played with the color a bit. Not perfect, but you can get the idea!

[LoveDSLR]

Here's my quick edit using Photoshop Elements.

[tjacobs79]

Thank you for the great tips! I like the edited versions.

[vjhoward]

Great start. It looks like there was lots of good and big natural light. Use that as much as possible. When using a flash, I highly recommend getting a speedlight, getting it off camera and using a diffusor. This will really help with the pinlights in the eyes and help soften skin if you need it. Outdoors, a reflector (I like the Adorama Flashpoint 5 in 1 reflector) really helps. Check you white balance settings, this could help with the skin tones.

I am a learner also -- have been shooting for about 1 1/2 years, but really gotten into photography in the last year. Shoot every day you can and always try new stuff - digital makes it cheap.

Keep shooting!