Happy days on the lake

[jmyus]

I took this photo of my son over the summer in MN. I have just acquired PSE 5.0 and am learning a few of the basics. Any thoughts on how i can improve this picture are welcome!



exif data:Camera Nikon D60
Exposure 0.008 sec (1/125)
Aperture f/5.6
Focal Length 34 mm
ISO Speed 200
Exposure Bias 0 EV
Flash No Flash

[marline]

very good picture.I love the way you son stands out in the picture.I've been trying to do this myself but can't seem to manage it as yet

[nikonkid]

Great, really cute shot! As for improvements, you could experiment with going vertical, maybe try the rule of thirds a little ect. But then again that really wouldn't be necessary, it's an awesome photo!

[sabrina860]

Originally Posted by marline

very good picture.I love the way you son stands out in the picture.I've been trying to do this myself but can't seem to manage it as yet

Adjust your aperture to get a shallower depth of field so the subject is in focus and the background is blurred. When i say adjust.... open up your aperture to a lower number. say to 3.5, 5.6 or if you have a faster lens... say 2 or 1.8.

OP... nice shot, great focus. Next time tho try not to put him dead center. Maybe you can crop out the left to improve the composition.

[jmyus]

thanks marline! i blurred the background in PS. If you google it, you will find tutorials on youtube! very helpful!

[jmyus]

thanks sabrina and nikon kid! i took this shot before i started learning how i was really supposed to take pictures! still learning, but i would do it a bit different if i had the opportunity to recreate the shot. i will try cropping.

[MrJones]

something feels weird. your son has a halo around his head.
was the background blurred in PP?
what exactly did you do in PSE?

[nikonkid]

Originally Posted by MrJones

something feels weird. your son has a halo around his head.
what exactly did you do in PSE?

Looks like the remnants of said photoshop blurring

[jmyus]

i see that now that you point it out. i did blur it in PSE. dont ask me specifics though...im very new to this and followed a tutorial i found online! not sure i could come up with the steps exactly. i know i went under filter and chose blur...

[MrJones]

Originally Posted by jmyus

i see that now that you point it out. i did blur it in PSE. dont ask me specifics though...im very new to this and followed a tutorial i found online! not sure i could come up with the steps exactly. i know i went under filter and chose blur...

I'm guessing you are working with layers.
all you need to do is delete the blur from his hat like you did from his face and you're set.
could you post the original photo too? it would be nice to see the changes you've made.