Darling Daughter

[lsever]

I shot this image of my daughter yesterday in our backyard using a Sony a230. I am still skeptical about changing settings so I used the preselected portrait setting. Im trying to get up the nerve to try new settings. Are there any other Sony users out there that can give me some tips? Thanks in advance and Happy Easter!!

[Chip]

Well, I'm not a Sony shooter, but I assume that most camera's automatic modes are the same. (And, yes, I know what happens when I assume. ) Anyway, here goes:

Pretty girl!

Dappled light like this is often tough, just because it's so uneven. But here, where most of her face is the same level of brightness, it seems to work pretty well.

The biggest thing for me with this photo is the focus. It appears that the camera selected the tip of her nose as the focus point, and also selected a large (low f#) aperture. All of which means that while the tip of her nose is in sharp focus, not much else is in sharp focus. If the focus point were on her eyes, this photo would be even more interesting than it is now.

How about getting the camera out of auto focus mode, and into whatever mode the camera has where you pick the focus points? It's a bit hard to master at first, but it does become 2nd nature after a bit of practice. Then, you're in charge of the focus point, not the camera, and a lot of the uncertainties are gone.

My 2 cents.

[lsever]

Thank you for the insight. Your advice is greatly appreciated!!

[Chip]

You're welcome.

Don't be shy about practicing. For example, maybe try setting up a series of Coke/Pepsi cans in a row a bit apart from each other, then practice making the camera focus first on the near can, then on the next one, etc. And when you do, notice how each photo differs from the others. After a while, you'll be able to predict these differences before pressing the shutter.

Doing all sorts of "silly" things like that will help you learn how to better make the camera do what you want it to do.

Then, when you're in a situation where the photo matters - like with your daughter - you'll have a much better chance of getting the focus just right.

Have fun!