first post

[mkeleghan]

hi all
thanks for a great site
here is my first post
a photo of my nephew at play
comments

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[mkeleghan]

[BigFuzzy]

Hi and welcome.. can you check out the forum posting rules and add the info you're kindly asked to include with you post so we can better help you? thanks

[mkeleghan]

sorry big fuzzy
like i said it was my first post
now i feel like ive taken a beating
here is the exif data

Canon EOS Kiss X4
Exposure 0.017 sec (1/60)
Aperture f/13.0
Focal Length 170 mm
ISO Speed 100
Exposure Bias 0 EV
Exposure Program Aperture-priority AE

i just want to here some comments from like minded people!!

[roostabunny]

Originally Posted by mkeleghan

sorry big fuzzy
like i said it was my first post
now i feel like ive taken a beating
here is the exif data

Canon EOS Kiss X4
Exposure 0.017 sec (1/60)
Aperture f/13.0
Focal Length 170 mm
ISO Speed 100
Exposure Bias 0 EV
Exposure Program Aperture-priority AE

i just want to here some comments from like minded people!!

No, no beating. Just standard procedure to ask for the exif data if it's not there, and then link to the forum guidelines. It's a nice, friendly place here, seriously. And you embedded your picture, which wins you points.

As for the picture, it's sharp, really cool scene, pose, and story. I'm curious about the square crop and the sepia. The cowlick/hair puff thing is adorable, but it's so close to the top of the frame that it's a little distracting.

Personally, I'd love to see the color version. Unless that wall in the background is a really ugly color, I think I'd like the color one even better.

Edit: Forgot to mention, really good lighting. Good shading on the face and awesome detail captured in the clothes.

[mkeleghan]

thanks roostabunny for you comments
here is the origional colour photo
the recycle bins is the backround were very distracting hence the crop and colour change
was the crop OTT in your opinion

[roostabunny]

Originally Posted by mkeleghan

thanks roostabunny for you comments
here is the origional colour photo
the recycle bins is the backround were very distracting hence the crop and colour change
was the crop OTT in your opinion

Yeah, tough background, and although I don't care much for sepia tone (personal preference) this is the kind of situation where I would consider black and white as a way to minimize the distraction. But even with the color gone, the highlight on the dustpan and the white paint on the middle bin create plenty of unwanted visual interest that pulls the eye to the edge of the picture. So your processing makes sense to me now, but it's essentially a rescue mission to save a wonderful moment from a (literally) trashy background.

Some questions to think about for next time:
- Can you change your POV and still get a shot that you like? For example could you have stood up and framed to fill the background with grass and cement instead of the bins? Was there a better background to one side or the other?

- Could you have hidden or moved the bins to get the shot you wanted? (I doubt it, hard to get a kid this age to have the same type of moment twice, but worth thinking about. One of my favorite photo teachers used to carry pruning shears in case natural "reality" needed to be altered.)

- Would shallower Depth of Field have helped? I'm not sure what lens you used, but opening up a couple of stops might have thrown the bins enough out of focus that they'd be less distracting.

Edit - One last thing, when I frame a shot I make a habit of visually checking the edges of the frame and the edges of my subject for potential distractions. It's easy to get so fixated on a subject that I forget the whole scene is going to be flattened into the print.

[SandeeWig]

Agree with all feedback given thus far, just wanted to thrown in another little tip...

Watch the edges of your frame to be sure not to chop off limbs. His left foot falls out of frame at the bottom.

Welcome.

[mkeleghan]

many thanks for the comments
onwards and upwards