Shy girl - Please critique

[palmtree429]

I know this shot isn't the best - but that is why I posted it. I love taking candid shots of people/family members/friends. However, because I am so new to this, I never really know what settings to use and just end up with semi decent shots (or at least shots my family members think are great, but I know that they aren't as great as they could be!). I would really appreciate feedback and any suggestions on how to get the best candid photos.

Thanks so much for you feedback!




Exif
Camera Nikon D5000
Exposure 0.017 sec (1/60)
Aperture f/8.0
Focal Length 35 mm
Focal Length 35.6 mm
ISO Speed 200
Exposure Bias 0 EV
Flash On, Return detected

[PROFusioNZ]

I'll comment mainly on the composition because the exposure is good.

For a candid shot, I don't feel there's much "story" behind this image. There's no context. Maybe if you showed more of the scene, possibly show us what she is looking at. Is she opening gifts? Is she playing with a toy, pets? Is this a party, or a private moment?

[natek313]

For candids, you need to be able to "show something" since they are not posed shots. You want to show more to tell a little more of a story. I look at this photo wondering what exactly has her attention and what is making her smile. I think if you would have gone with a wider frame to give more context to the photo, then it would have made a world of difference.

Also, the white balance is off - it is way too cool. It definitely needs to be warmed up.

...and I just realized I rephrased what PROFusioNZ said. Haha.

[ShantDotMe]

I'll comment on one thing that had nothing (Almost) to do with photography, the orange date!

Sorry, I don't mean any offence, but it drives me nuts (maybe its just me) when I see a date on a digital photo.

I would presonally remove the date on the photo, don't worry the date is saved in the Exif data & you can even watermark it later on the photo with a more elegent font/color

Cheers

[palmtree429]

Thank you so much for the feedback everyone! I've been waiting all day to hear what people thought. I am definitely going to apply everyone's suggestions. As for the date stamp - I have no idea why it is showing up. Clearly, I must have told the camera to do this, but it just recently started showing up and I don't know how to turn it off.....I will have to go in and turn it off tomorrow....

Thank again!

[Laurenbiz]

What setting did you use here for your WB? Everything seems too cool and blue here.

[palmtree429]

Originally Posted by Laurenbiz

What setting did you use here for your WB? Everything seems too cool and blue here.

I had the white balance on sunny. This was taken at about 11am and the sun was pretty bright. Yes, the pic is definitely too cool and blue. I generally do not like to have the white balance on sunny.... but for some reason I kept it as is. To keep the pic warmer, should I have set it on cloudy? I find when I do that, the colors are definitely warmer...

Thanks for your critique!

[palmtree429]

Ok, so I tried to warm the picture up a bit. Is this any better - with respect to the white balance and color?