beautiful girl...beautiful picture?

[sheila3]

Canon eos xs
manual mode
f/5.6
exposure 1/160
ISO 1600
flash

Well I'm still practicing with this manual mode deal. Had my daughter pose for a few shots. Really liked how this picture shows her big curious eyes. Do wish eyes were even sharper though. Any suggestions? Also was just messin around and seeing what ISO 1600 wld do. Always thought higher iso's made pictures grainy. Is that so with this one? Anyways as always any and all advice, suggestions, critiques welcome. Thanx for looking!

[BigFuzzy]

First, kudos for trying to learn manual settings.

It's difficult for me to see if her eyes are as sharp as they can be. It does seem to me that her mouth may be the sharpest part of the image. Plus, iso1600 will definitely affect your sharpness (in those areas like eyes)and they noise is visible mostly in her shirt.

You exposed the image well and I'm glad it's not composed centrally (or did you crop it?) She also looks relaxed and not forcing it (which is credit to you the photog).

Though there's not a lot really wrong with the image for me, there's also no 'wow' factor either. To me it's a pretty standard portrait that's a bit more than a snapshot (mostly because of the nice lighting you took advantage of). Maybe if there'd been some eye contact it would have added more 'umph' to the image, maybe it's because the whole thing feels a bit flat.. not sure. As I said, I don't dislike it, but don't really like it either. It'll mean something to do you because it's your daughter, but to me, it's .. 'meh'.

[sheila3]

Originally Posted by BigFuzzy

First, kudos for trying to learn manual settings.

It's difficult for me to see if her eyes are as sharp as they can be. It does seem to me that her mouth may be the sharpest part of the image. Plus, iso1600 will definitely affect your sharpness (in those areas like eyes)and they noise is visible mostly in her shirt.

You exposed the image well and I'm glad it's not composed centrally (or did you crop it?) She also looks relaxed and not forcing it (which is credit to you the photog).

Though there's not a lot really wrong with the image for me, there's also no 'wow' factor either. To me it's a pretty standard portrait that's a bit more than a snapshot (mostly because of the nice lighting you took advantage of). Maybe if there'd been some eye contact it would have added more 'umph' to the image, maybe it's because the whole thing feels a bit flat.. not sure. As I said, I don't dislike it, but don't really like it either. It'll mean something to do you because it's your daughter, but to me, it's .. 'meh'.

Thanx for the feedback SuperFuzzy! Yes I see the grain in the shirt now. Ahhh so much to learn. Working on getting eyes sharp in portraits. Havent quite mastered it yet. I either miss completely or only one eye is sharp. Any tips?

And now that I stepped back from the picture as her Mom I agree that it is kinda flat. Originally i think i was just excited that one taken out of auto turned out so well. And of course i'm a sucker for her big green eyes.

Thanx so much for looking and the feedback!

[DuckieLauren]

What a cutie!
The thing that kinda bothers me about this picture is the three bricks in the bottom right hand corner. It may just be me, but that's where I am constantly finding my eyes drawn.

[sheila3]

Originally Posted by DuckieLauren

What a cutie!
The thing that kinda bothers me about this picture is the three bricks in the bottom right hand corner. It may just be me, but that's where I am constantly finding my eyes drawn.

The darker bricks would draw your eyes to them. Good observation DuckieLauren. I love this critique section. I have tons to learn and just by posting a picture I learn so much.
Thanx for looking!

[BigFuzzy]

Originally Posted by sheila3

Thanx for the feedback SuperFuzzy! Yes I see the grain in the shirt now. Ahhh so much to learn. Working on getting eyes sharp in portraits. Havent quite mastered it yet. I either miss completely or only one eye is sharp. Any tips?

And now that I stepped back from the picture as her Mom I agree that it is kinda flat. Originally i think i was just excited that one taken out of auto turned out so well. And of course i'm a sucker for her big green eyes.

Thanx so much for looking and the feedback!

Thanks for taking my critique in the constructive way it was mean.
As for sharpness, I'll repost what I just wrote to someone else to avoid re-typing hehe.

Originally Posted by BigFuzzy

Look, in the end, focus is something that you should be able to nail ALL the time to start with.. but it can also not matter so much. "Huh?" you ask? I say this because mostly your focus isn't THAT far off, and if an image is stunning enough, that can ofter be overlooked. One of my favorite photogs is a guy on flickr called Lou O'Bedlam. He does stunning portrait work, especially only using natural light and often that light is coming from behind! It used to drive me nuts that in most of his images the eyes didn't seem to be in focus, and that he was using the central focal point.. but now I see it doesn't really matter... at least not looking at them on a computer monitor. His work stunningly simple (see my blog post about how I think "simplicity" is important) I might change my mind if he did large prints of the images.. but my point is this.. yeah, try to get it right, but it also may not matter in the end. And it's not so far off that I think the client would notice it right away (unless printed large, and even then maybe not!).

So, my suggestions are this. Maybe you move too much once you "focus-lock recompose" so in that case, learn to use the different focal points which are away from the center so you're moving your camera less. Also, maybe for you and your mechanics, you need faster shutter speed. So try getting 1/100th or higher all the time. And don't smash the shutter, press is gently yet firmly. And make sure your camera holding technique is solid. One of the things that helped me (I had focus issues in the beginning) is to make sure my elbows are tucked to my side.. don't "Chicken wing" them out to the sides.. keep them nice and tucked to your side and pull the shutter while near the end of an exhale..

Also, lastly, it MAY be technical. Are your focusing issues with only one lens.. or with all? If it's only with one lens it may be a default.. if more than one lens, it's you!

[kristenh]

i'm sure i don't know as much as the others who have posted, but i'm thinking you might also be able to be your sharpest by using an aperture of 8 or 11 on a shot like this- she's up against a wall so you don't have to think as much about DOF- and from what i understand, those apertures tend to be the clarity sweet spots for most lenses. correct me if i'm wrong....

i like the shot a lot anyway- sometimes it's about just capturing a look you love about your kid

[Cheryl V.]

This is my first post to the forums so I'm kind of new at this but I wonder how it would look if she was just a tad bit further from the wall. Having her so close puts the background in a lot more focus than I think you would want.

[sheila3]

Originally Posted by BigFuzzy

Thanks for taking my critique in the constructive way it was mean.
As for sharpness, I'll repost what I just wrote to someone else to avoid re-typing hehe.

Wow thanx again BigFuzzy. So many good tips and info. I only have one lens for now. Wouldn't be suprised if it was me. I like my coffee. Anyways you have been very helpful. I very much appreciate it. I will put that advice into practice and try again.

[sheila3]

Originally Posted by kristenh

i'm sure i don't know as much as the others who have posted, but i'm thinking you might also be able to be your sharpest by using an aperture of 8 or 11 on a shot like this- she's up against a wall so you don't have to think as much about DOF- and from what i understand, those apertures tend to be the clarity sweet spots for most lenses. correct me if i'm wrong....

i like the shot a lot anyway- sometimes it's about just capturing a look you love about your kid

I just recently read about cameras having sweet spots. I will have to try that out.
Thanx kristenh.