My little one

[clb76]

I just switched to shooting full manual. I am very unsure of my photography skills although it is my passion. I am unsure about it all. How is this composition? Exposure? Skin tone? No need to sugar coat anything, please be honest. I do realize I cut off her hand and that is a big no-no but other than that?


kelseyblanket9 by clblasiol, on Flickr

Thanks so much!

[Rhiannon Robins]

cute baby! ... But the eyes seem very dark.

[clb76]

Originally Posted by Rhiannon Robins

cute baby! ... But the eyes seem very dark.

Her eyes are extremely dark blue. Should I try to lighten them up in pp?

[Rhiannon Robins]

Yeah, I think it would make the photo a bit better.

[clb76]

I lightened it up a bit, admittedly in Picnik which is not the best but I'm not at my regular work station.


Kelsey by clblasiol, on Flickr

[bigbrowns01]

So - I probably shouldn't even comment because I just signed up and am fairly new at photography....but I absolutely loved your photo. I liked her eyes dark, just fine. Wonder why lightening them would make any difference? I think she's adorable, and loved everything about the picture. I haven't played a lot with Manual on my camera. I'm a little nervous to do that.... I usually use AV. Soooo much to learn - but your photo is adorable. Just thought I'd share my unprofessional opinion, though I realize you're wanting more help than that....sorry!

[SandeeWig]

Super cute little girl! Aside from the arm chop, the biggest issues with this image are the color balance (she's very magenta) and that there is not enough light in her eyes.

I'm sure there's an easy way to fix the color balance in Picnik, but I'm not sure how to do it off the top of my head. I had a play w/ it in PS, attempting to correct the color balance, as well as lighten her eyes up a bit. Your edit for her eyes makes them look a bit alien, I'm afraid. In PS, I selected just her eyes and did a screen layer...not sure if you can do that in Picnik.

I'll take this down if you like, just thought I'd show you how I corrected it.

5868592582_ff2c92f579_b copy by Sandee Wig, on Flickr

Hope that helps!

[clb76]

Sandeewig, thank you, your edit does look much better! I didn't notice the magenta tone to her skin until I saw your edit.

[Lisa H]

She is adorable! I would like to see this backed up more so her arms weren't cropped off (is this an in camera crop?). Agree with the previous CC that the eyes are too dark and her skin is very magenta. A reflector may have helped get more light into her eyes here.

[Wolfsburg]

I honestly think the original photo is the best, you have some blown highlights and colors..but that works for this particular photo. If your worried about the eyes, Id try cloning the eyes from the photo that SandeeWig edited and putting it into your original. Just my $0.02

btw I really like your your DOF