Trying to nail DOF

[rodney_hoare]

Hi Guys,

I took this photo of my son Jack. I seem to have got the DOF right this time. What do you think? How can I improve on photos like these?

EXIF
Canon 40D
Lens: 70-200 F2.8L IS II USM
Exposure: 1/250 @ F3.5
ISO 100
Focal Length: 123mm
Subject Distance 7.06m
Metering: Spot

Larger image HERE

Thanks in advance.

[RLucas]

Hi Rodney. This is a very nice photo. You nailed the focus pretty well on your son. I am not too sure what you mean by getting dof right? There really is no right or wrong. It depends on what you were trying to accomplish.

[Woodymite]

Hi Rodney,
I think this is an ok photograph. What can you do to improve photos like this? Let me tell you what I think would help, others may not agree but here goes. I think the exposure is wrong, it seems to be too bright, probably because you have selected Spot metering, the skin colours are washed out and the background is too bright. Check your metering. Always check what is in the background, that yellow pole is a pain. no amount of blurring is gonna make it unnoticeable if thats a word. I would have liked to see a tighter crop focussing more on the childs little upper body, we don't have to see all of the trike to appreciate the image, we know the child is riding a bike or trike simply because of the handlebars. Finally I think a picture of young Jack with a big smile on his face showing the fun he is having on his bike and not looking directly into the lens. I'm a fan of natural, unplanned, informal setup type photos, keep it simple. Hope I was of some help. Woodymite.

[ajm057]

Hi Rodney. I agree with RLucas, this is a very nice photo, but it is about 0.5ev over exposed and I would crop like the attached to give the shot a little more dynamic balance.