Fun with the boys

[photofe804]

Hello, all! I have been following the DPS forums for a few months and finally summoned the gumption to post one of my own shots. This is actually me and my sons, I set up the shot and had my wife take it. I then did a little post processing for clarity and colors. I am very much an amateur with a pretty good point and shoot camera trying to learn all the manual settings in my camera, but have read a fair amount, shot a couple of weddings for relatives with very low budgets, and really enjoy learning how to put together nice shots. Any feedback would be much appreciated, but we can start with:

1) How is the composition?
2) How does the post processing look, including colors, brightness, etc? Again, I went for minimal processing, and wanted this to just be a clean, sharp shot.
3) Any tips on posing? My kids very much have a mind of their own, so I only had partial control over posing, but I thought it looked ok in the end. Any cardinal sins here?

Again, any other tips would be much appreciated, including lighting (this was taken with natural light), anything that might add to the shot (black and white, vignette, etc) and so on. Thanks a ton!

Canon PowerShot Sx100 IS
f/3.5
1/100 sec
ISO-200
Focal length 18mm

[ahickman]

Hey, I hope you are enjoying DPS.

I must warn you, I am a fellow n00b, but here are a few things I noticed about your shot:

1) Cute kids! They are fun to shoot and can be taught early to be the best models IMO. My daughter is a pro! I would have taken this shot a bit closer. It almost feels like you weren't sure if you wanted to take a picture of the trees, the lake, or the 3 of you. Maybe if you were sitting and your boys were standing/sitting around you, you could have fit the lake and deck in.

2) What bothers me the most is that the shore/land line cuts right through your head. It seems distracting, but again, at a different angle this wouldn't happen.

3) Now I am getting nit-picky, but depending on what kind of shot you were going for, your pose could be a little more natural. Maybe you could have been sitting and had the boys hugging you, or even a shot of you looking at each other and smiling or laughing. If you were going for a more formal shot as opposed to candid, then nevermind this one.

and lastly 4) It seems like maybe the background is over-exposed. I am currently investing in a polarizing filter (I'm new and broke, so I went to ebay, lol) but I think that might have helped.

Again, I am pretty new and haven't been on DPS in a while, so feel free to take my input with a grain of salt. Keep shooting and posting; no matter what, you will have plenty of pictures of your kids and how can you go wrong with that? Take care!

[elkidogz]

I agree that the background seems a bit busy, maybe a tighter shot to bring better dof would make this picture outstanding instead of good. I love the kids! what time of day was this taken?

[photofe804]

Thank you both for your comments!

@Ahickman - I do need to pay more attention to lines like that shoreline and their effect. I try to remember odd objects like tree branches and poles sticking out of the subject, but things like shorelines/skylines usually escape me. For the pose, I tried to be stooping down behind the kids, but my oldest son just wanted to do whatever I was doing, so he stooped down with me. You are right, the background is overexposed. I still use my point-and-shoot and I do not believe you can use any filters with it, but I'll try to tone it down in post.
@Elkidogz - I'll try a tighter crop as well. This was taken at about 5:45pm, but it was late in the summer and it was still very bright out.

Thanks again for the comments! I'll see if I can post an edited shot later today.

[photofe804]

Okay, here's my edit. I'm only a beginner at post editting, but I gave it a go on GIMP by cropping a little closer, blurring the background a tad, and darkening the background as well. I couldn't figure out how to crop much closer. Had my oldest son not stooped down I could do more of a head and shoulders shot, but with him down there it seems I have to capture our full bodies. For the DoF, I tried to blur the background gradually. I'm pretty sure it looks amateurish, so any input would be welcome. I then darkened the background to taste via a levels adjustment, but trying to avoid posterization. How does it look? Once again, all input in the shot itself as well as the edit would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!!

[ahickman]

Much better!

Isn't pp awesome? I am getting used to GIMP now, but I am amazed at how I can improve my shots. I was able to clone out some beer bottles and make some "ok" pictures "Family" shots. You seem like you are doing just fine, keep up the good work. WTG!

[Kate Howells]

I love the edit, you've done very well.
The most important thing in any photograph is the light. If at all possible, try and plan your shots at a time of day when the light is not too harsh. Or wait for a day with overcast weather.
It is obviously not practical with spur of the moment type shots, and sometimes you've just got to work with what you've got.

I know you are using a P&S - some of my advice may not apply to you right now, I'm going to say it anyway.
When taking an image like this, decide on what you want to achieve with your image, and choose your lens accordingly.
For portraits, try and use a longer lense. It will allow you to get closer to your subject, and also give you a much better depth of field.The arrangement of your subjects is important here, as the focus will directly on them.

If you would like to include the scenery, then the placement of your subjects within the frame becomes important. Look out for distracting object in the background eg eople growing things from behind their heads, or horizons that run through their heads. Also remember to check the 4 corners of the shot, often objects creep in without us realising. Remember that wide angle lenses (especially when zoomed all the way out) can cause some sort of distortion.

Your composition of the three of you is absolutely fine... they are kids after all, and for those that have photographed kids before, know they always have a mind of their own.
A lower angle from the photographer may have helped.

Always try and get as much right in camera as possible, especially composition. If you have to clone one or two minor things out, it is not a train smash, but if you have to re-compose by cropping, you end up losing resolution on your image.

Hope this makes sense! Keep shooting!

[photofe804]

Thank you for the feedback, Angelique and Kate! Shooting with the P&S is limiting, but I do enjoy learning as much as I can and applying it as much as the camera and my learning curve will allow. As far as the technique, I do need to pay more attention to the horizon and other strong lines. Now that everyone mentioned the line going through my head, it jumps at me every time I look at the picture! Anyway, thank you all for the tips and I'll keep working on it.

[ricklumpas]

I like it. The background may be a bit busy but your aperture was effective to make it blurred enough to isolate the subject. Good job on this.

The subjects emotions are visible in the photo.

I would have taken the shot at a lower angle (camera a bit below eyes of subject) though.

P&S cameras produce many great images. Enjoy shooting.

[photofe804]

Thank you for the feedback, ricklumpas. I have to keep reminding myself to grow beyond the snapshot taker/viewer, who only looks at one part of the picture (usually the people) and misses many other important areas (like a busy background). Thanks again!