Shooting my son

[Amanda0102]

Am desperate to learn and to do well with portraiture and have been feeling like it's hopeless.

Shot these the other day and got some surprisingly positive feedback from a friend - thought I'd see if anyone here had anything interesting to say?

Thanks in advance!

ETA - OOPS. Read the forum guidelines after the fact - so whittled away 3 of the shots and left this one:



EXIF:
Nikon D5000
35mm lens
ISO 640
1/200
f 5.6

[MrJones]

it looks nice but it's hard to comment when the photo is that small. please post a bigger version or at least link to a bigger version.
one thing I can tell you right away is that I would crop some of the space above his head (not all of it) to get it better composed.

[deck]

It is a good shot, the settings are correct and the exposure and composition is ok, just one thing, if you see a streak of light passing by the face, you'll most probably see it also in the photo, either take it out (by moving somewhere else) or make good use of it (by positioning the subject well so the light passes at a more desired angle by the face)
That's it, sweet and simple

[Amanda0102]

Link code:

http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e3..._DSC0038-1.jpg

My main issue is having trouble with light. No matter the situation, I struggle with exposure and then light issues in composition (the shadows/light on his face here, for example).

I would've loved to have repositioned him appropriately, but he's 4 - it took 20 minutes just to get him to look towards the camera .

[MrJones]

I know it's hard with kids, not too many of them like to model for a photo.
but like deck said, all you needed to do is move a little to the left. this way he was facing left and the light would have passed on his face in an interesting way.
another option is to pull the curtain so the light wouldn't be so harsh.
other than that it's pretty good

[Essy]

Cute child and I like his pose. The only thing that is bothering me is the brown thing in the background on the left side.

[edbayani]

the photo looks good except for the bright light on a small portion of the face. also as mr jones say, too much space on top.
if you can't reshoot why not crop off some space at the top, adjust a little with levels to brighten the shaded parts. then with a new layer you can brush some color on the areas with bright lights to soften the harsh lighting.
attached a sample.

[SusanH1970]

Awww, he's cute. I totally hear you about getting kids to cooperate. I actually have much better luck with clients' kids than my own, haha!

The streak of light that's already been mentioned is unfortunate. Learn to look at how the light is hitting your son's face before you even pick up the camera. Also look for how the light hits the eyes, catchlights are always a plus (which you do have, here, good for you.). This is the setup I use when shooting with window light - note the child is at about a 45 degree angle to the window. Facing the window will give flat light, a 90 degree angle would leave too much in shadow. window light diagram | Flickr - Photo Sharing!

It also looks like the focus fell on his hands. They're pretty sharp, whereas his face is quite soft. Remember to focus on the eyes - I usually focus on the inner corner of the eye that's closest to me. You can either play with the focus/recompose method, toggle your focus points (which I do when shooting at a wide aperture), or back-button focus (I'm fairly sure the D5000 has the capability, but not 100% certain). You can google those terms for more info if they interest you.

A little trick to help when working with obstinate children: Smarties! Keep a roll in your pocket and for each few shots he cooperates, he gets one. They're tiny so they're eaten quickly, won't give too much of a sugar high, and they're not messy. You'll get some natural smiles, too. You'd be surprised how many photographers that work with kids do this, LOL.

Here's one of my daughter, for reference (for what it's worth, lol). I used the setup I linked to before...She's nicely lit with a bit of subtle shadowing that adds depth without being harsh, and there's light in her eyes. She's actually not that grumpy, I'm just a sucker for serious faces. Untitled | Flickr - Photo Sharing!

Hope this helps. Your son is adorable, I'm looking forward to seeing more photos of him!

[Amanda0102]

Thanks for the tips!

The focus point is odd - I do aim for the eyes, always. But in looking in View NX, there is no focus point showing up at all - ??

[SusanH1970]

Either he moved slightly as you were shooting, or your lens could be front focusing.

Is my 35mm 1.8 lens front focusing?: Nikon SLR Lens Talk Forum: Digital Photography Review