Cambodia

[GoodNews]

Children's ministry in Kampong Thom, Cambodia. I'm very new to photography and I was shooting randomly. I was rushed for time at every village and didn't have any way to plan or stage. I would appreciate feedback on this photo. I wish I had taken the time to find a better background but everyone was moving and I had to leave. I think she was standing on the roadside as I was taking portraits of children and adults. I was using a 75-300mm lens because I didn't want to be intrusive.


IMG_1929 by VictoryWithJesus, on Flickr

Camera Canon EOS REBEL T3
Exposure 0.001 sec (1/1000)
Aperture f/4.5
Focal Length 120 mm
ISO Speed 3200

[BigFuzzy]

In the end this comes off exactly as you describe the conditions.. rushed and not planned. Which, to me, results in it being snap shotish. I understand how difficult it can be to shoot in these conditions, but you have to know that's what the conditions are and do you best to be ready for it so you can make more of it.

Also, think perspective. You're clearly standing there with the camera at eye level.. and if not, you didn't change your perspective much at all. Get higher get lower (probably best for this image).. otherwise this looks like exaclty what I would expect to see if I were standing in your shoes. Change the perspective so that my mind sees it differently and goes "huh?"..otherwise, it's a standard snap shot.

Plus the "non intrusive" nature of this doesn't allow for any connection with the subject.. imagine the impact if she were looking into the lens.

Not a bad shot, just nothing spectacular either. Keep posting!

[Doug Sundseth]

Nice capture.

If you're trying to show a child somewhat lost in an adult's world, I think your framing works pretty well. If you're just trying to show the child, I'd recommend framing to a closer portrait orientation (which will get rid of much of the background clutter) and possibly adding a slight post-crop vignette.

Either way, I think I'd pull the shadows down a bit to increase lower midtone contrast.

HTH