learning....over or under exposed

[rward78]

From Drop Box

Still learning so please forgive my ignorance on the matter

1...is this over or under exposed?
2...how do I correct
3...does it tell a story or "speak" to you?

Model: NIKON D90
ISO: n/a
Exposure: 1/400 sec
Aperture: 10.0
Focal Length: 68mm
Flash Used: No

[SusanH1970]

1. Yes, overexposed, but I tend to ETTR with kids, so the overexposure really doesn't bother me. However, it's very flat lighting, and that's more of an issue. There are a few hot spots that are blown on the lower left side.

2. Shoot in situations where your lighting isn't so flat and you have some shadowing.

3. No offense, but not really. A very pretty girl smiling for the camera - an adorable shot, but it just looks like she's just smiling for the camera. Not that that's a bad thing; parents (read: clients) love these photos and buy 'em up.

Hope you don't mind, since you didn't ask, but compositionally, a few tweaks couldn't hurt.

FWI for further posts, can you post your EXIF with your photo, per the critique forum rules?

[dlambert]

Originally Posted by SusanH1970

FWI for further posts, can you post your EXIF with your photo, per the critique forum rules?

The exif information is especially helpful if you want feedback on stuff like exposure. It'll help the people who look at the photo understand how you took it.

[Niresangwa]

Slightly OE'd, but as Susan said, nothing terrible, you didn't lose detail anywhere that mattered (crop out the left side with that huge ball of light however).

You have to understand how the different factors affect your exposure. Spend time understanding the interplay between the shutter speed, aperture and ISO and the results. How did you choose these settings, or were you in an automatic/semi-automatic mode?

I can't see the mode you used, or ISO in the Picasa EXIF information, but here is the Exif data we expect you to provide when submitting for critique:

SS 1/400th
f10
(insert ISO here)

The questions to ask yourself, and to research intially should be why you (or more likely the camera) chose those settings? If you want to let less light in, and avoid the borderline overexposure, what would you change, and how would that affect the other 2 components?

Following this process will allow you to better understand how this whole deal works.

As for does it tell a story? No.. just a nice shot of a pretty, smiley, kid.

[LeeR]

Images, especially those of our kids, where the subject is looking directly into the camera, tend to have a powerful psychological effect on us. I have a picture of my daughter looking directly into the lens with a huge overexposed section and I don't care. Neither do the numerous other family members I have given copies to. So far, no one has given me a hard time about the exposure problem. They just look at it and say, "Wow, that's so Sarah!"
Who cares what a few yahoos on DPS think? Just print it up and hang it on the wall, she's a beautiful girl and she will never be this young again. (Oh, and before you print it I think I would do a levels adjustment. You'll love the improvement.)

[SusanH1970]

Originally Posted by LeeR

Who cares what a few yahoos on DPS think?

Yahoos? LOL!

[rward78]

Thanks for all the feedback....I actually had the exif data ready to paste and forgot all about it. I am trying to make the connection between the over/under exposure and the apperture & shutter speed and ISO changes that may need to be made to make the picture better. I was shooting in automatic I believe, because this was taken during the first few months I had my camera and I hadn't dare to try the other modes yet.

[rward78]

@ SUSANH - What would you do compositionally speaking? - I like your style and while I don't want to copy it, I'd like to get somewhere in the same ballpark...

@ LeeR - LOL - I got the exact reaction from everyone who saw the picture and knows KK - they said it captured her mischeviousness....she was posing for me - she actually likes to play model and is usually a willing subject...that's why I have so many shots of her in my albums

The picture was taken underneath a very large shady tree later in the afternoon...would a fill flash or the pop-up on my camera have made a difference and given the lighting some depth (not so flat look?)

[graciousness]

Originally Posted by LeeR

Images, especially those of our kids, where the subject is looking directly into the camera, tend to have a powerful psychological effect on us. I have a picture of my daughter looking directly into the lens with a huge overexposed section and I don't care. Neither do the numerous other family members I have given copies to. So far, no one has given me a hard time about the exposure problem. They just look at it and say, "Wow, that's so Sarah!"
Who cares what a few yahoos on DPS think? Just print it up and hang it on the wall, she's a beautiful girl and she will never be this young again. (Oh, and before you print it I think I would do a levels adjustment. You'll love the improvement.)

I really appreciate this response. Thank you, LeeR. It's a nice reminder that not everything has to condone to strict photography techniques and that photography, in all earnestness, should only matter most to the person who took the photo and the people who are involved in it.

It's the kind of response that every parents need here who are new to photography and the kind of encouragement we need to keep taking photos of the things we love most.

Cheers!

[SusanH1970]

Originally Posted by graciousness

I really appreciate this response. Thank you, LeeR. It's a nice reminder that not everything has to condone to strict photography techniques and that photography, in all earnestness, should only matter most to the person who took the photo and the people who are involved in it.

It's the kind of response that every parents need here who are new to photography and the kind of encouragement we need to keep taking photos of the things we love most.

Cheers!

Agreed - however, the OP did ask specific questions, which I answered, giving my honest opinion. The point of posting for critique is to learn.

I've got gazillions of photos of my kids that are technical disasters, but I love them because they're of my kids.