Please critique kid picture

[kristenh]

Okay, i'm going to try and tap your brains some more. i am trying very hard to figure out what you guys do differently than me that makes your pictures look so cool. so here's one of mine, i have cropped it and warmed it up, but haven't done anything more than that:



i don't even have specific questions

here's the data:
nikon D5000
f 1.8
shutter speed 1/500
iso 200
flash no
focal length 35 mm

[MrJones]

the kid face feels a bit underexposed, try exposing it more, even at the expense of overexposing the ball.
other than that, great photo
oh, and you might want to take that small point of dirt(?) from his head in PP

[dave.turley]

Hi,
I think that shooting at F1.8 you have a very shallow depth of field that is somewhere on the ball. I have a 50mm F/1.8 and it's best suited for portraits close up, focussed on th eyes. I have the same camera as you and have just started, (I think) to get a more professional look, and starting also, to have an idea what I want to produce, and finding a way to get it. Experiment with the abilities of that lens, and move in on your subject. It sort of works for me. Others will no doubt add some more technical detail, including lighting etc.
Dave
Flickr: Dave Turley's Photostream

[kristenh]

thank you both for your advice and Mr. Jones for your compliment

Dave, i think you are right about the depth of field. my reasoning at the time was that it was pretty shady and i didn't want to use flash- in fact, flash wouldn't have reached him as, as you say, he was probably 10-12 feet away from me- so i used a wide open aperture. he was moving fast, too, so i needed a fast shutter speed, another reason for the 1.8. well, i'll keep trying and thank you for taking the time to respond. i very much like some of your photos- esp the cute little gal with the curls!

[Photologyst]

Nice photo, but. . .

To me, the child looks a bit green, Kristen. Needs some warming up.

I agree with the other comments as well.