Accidental portrait session

[kd5nay]

I have been carrying my camera along everywhere I go lately for a project i'm doing for church. Last Sunday, after church, I decided to take a few pics of my son while we were waiting for some friends. I thought this one turned out pretty well and would like some input. I am quite the novice when it comes to photography so I really don't even know what (specifically) to ask about. I have been using nothing but manual mode on camera in hopes of learning it better. Please just give any hints or critiques you have. Thanks!


Exif data
Camera Canon EOS 50D
Exposure 0.005 sec (1/200)
Aperture f/4.0
Focal Length 43 mm
ISO Speed 100
Exposure Bias 0 EV
Flash Off, Did not fire

[LeeR]

I think it turned out nice. This is exactly the kind of light you are going to want for most portraits. Try to remember where you found it and what if looked like; you'll want to use it again. Cropping a bit off the top would improve things a bit along with a contrast curve, but if you don't know how to do that leave it as is; it's just fine.

[kristenh]

i like it. very bold of you to do all manual like that

wonder how it would be to do a horizontal crop? could be nice...

[sheila3]

Well what an adorable subject. I like the picture. I agree that the top should be cropped a bit. I too am trying to use only manual so as to learn. DPS is a great place to get advice and critique so keep shooting and posting.

[kd5nay]

Thank you for the praises and suggestions. I will play with it a bit and see what different crops will do. And Kristen, it has definitely been a learning experience for me using manual. I have always been familiar with the theories of the functions of the camera but putting them all together in the "right" order to get the picture I want is a whole other story.

[carlyfan]

It might just be me, but I thought it looked slightly out of focus. It looks like the focus is on the brick wall he is sitting on rather than his face. Other than that, I love the photo! Cute kid, cute pose, cute expression, and great lighting and composition. Nice job!

[kd5nay]

Carlyfan, I see what you mean. Unfortunately, as is often the case with little folks, I was just snapping away. None of this was actually posed. I just told him to get up on the wall and he was in the process of climbing to the higher one behind him. That is kind of what i meant by the 'accidental" part of it. Take 50 shots and hopefully I'll get 1 good one. This time it paid off.

[LeeR]

Your theory is correct. Shooting is often a numbers game. I started in film days and felt that if I got one great shot out of a roll of 36 I was doing well but I wanted that ratio to get better. I hasn't even after more than thirty years. Not because I haven't got any better, but because I still experiment as much as ever. Oh, sometimes it's a bit better, but never over 10%.
As for your shot, someone mentioned soft focus but I don't think that's your problem; I think you just need to sharpen the image a bit. (All digital images require a bit of sharpening; it's just a function of the system.) While I had the image up in my system I went ahead and did a levels adjustment for the rather flat lighting and cropped it where I thought it would look good. You may like something different, but if this were my boy and my image I'd be happy with this.

[kd5nay]

LeeR, I love it! I was worried about the rule of thirds thing when i cropped it but yours still works for me.

[beattique]

I think you it really looks so great... You've got a perfect shot.. At first glance it would not looks like a shot of a novice in photography.. You have a passion in this field. Keep up a good work...