Composition and exposure help

[tokyomark]

Hi All,

I'm new here but have been lurking for a while.

I'd like to ask how I could have improved the composition, exposure and lighting on this shot. Please let me have it. I really want to get better and would like honest opinions. Tough love, as they say. lol



I think I’ve included everything, but apologies if there’s something I’ve overlooked.

Thanks very much,

Mark

Exif:
Manual
Tv 1/25
Av 2. 0
ISO 100
Focal length 50. 0
WB Flourescent

ballet pose | Flickr - Photo Sharing!

[windrider86]

I'm willing to bet you'll get more responses if you post your photo here for us!

[tokyomark]

Thanks windrider! I put the link at the bottom, but I should've known better. That will teach me to be lazy.

Anyway, appreciate your letting me know.

Mark

[giannisna]

The photo looks really nice! Here are some things i would do.
Firstly i 'd crop the photo a bit maybe to the level of her shoulders. The depth of field is really nice cause her hair and years are out of focus but i think the pic is too dark. I see that the exposure is quite long (1/25sec) so it must have been quite dark. In that case i would bump the iso to 400 or maybe even more to get a brighter picture. As you mentioned a fill light would be a great idea!
Cheers

[tokyomark]

Thanks for all your feedback, Giannis. All very helpful.

How's this?



I cropped it to how (I think) you suggested, and I tried to brighten it a bit. But honestly, I don't know what I'm doing.

Also, I'm just trying to understand your line of thinking with:

Originally Posted by giannisna

Firstly i 'd crop the photo a bit maybe to the level of her shoulders.

Is there something about the arm that doesn't work with the picture? Distracting, maybe? Plz let me know what made you feel it should be cropped at the level you said.

If anyone else has suggestions or comments, I'm all ears.

Thanks much

Mark

[giannisna]

Hey Mark,
Your original photo was very nice as i mentioned in my previous post. The rest is just my personal opinion. The truth is that looking at your original picture i felt that the cut arm is a bit distracting thats why i suggested cropping it in order to emphasize on her face. Also i like your brightening in the second pic, it looks vibrant and very natural.
Still remember, its just my opinion,
Cheers

[prince]

To get it right in the camera, you can try bumping up the ISO and see if you can stay @ 1/100 or above.. anything under 1/100 you will start seeing motion blur. After cropping you can see that her face is a bit blur, that is mainly due to your 1/25 speed.

If you were shooting from far off may be use a powerful flash.

I would have zoomed out a bit more to get that ballet pose with her hands in the frame and then crop it tight if needed.

It is more of a personal choice what kind of photograph you want to capture.

I can tell you have done a good job assuming you took this photograph in low light conditions. Low light action create a unique set of challenges.

[tokyomark]

@Giannis, got it! Thanks for your thoughts on the cropping and thanks for your complements.

@prince, Thanks for all your comments. Food for thought to work with in the future.
To be honest, I don't use the flash very much because I don't really know how to.
The lighting was low and so perhaps this would have been a good chance to try it out, but my little girl is way past having any patience for my photography. I'm lucky to snap off a few shots before she runs away to play. I guess I need to work on my bribery skills too. lol
Anyway, using the flash is something I need to look into.

Also, I like your idea of getting the whole pose and then trimming from there. I'll keep this in mind, but the area I shot in this time is tight. If I back up then I start getting all kinds of things in the frame also, curtains, doors etc.
Thanks again for your thoughts.

@Tito87, Thanks for giving it a shot. I don't mind your trying and maybe I'm missing the point, but it honestly looks a little unnatural to me. I guess only I would know because you don't see her every day.
I do like the richer colors overall, but the whites make her eyes pop out a little too much. That just shows me that I have to dive into PP myself. Thanks, though. I appreciate your trying.

Mark

[zona5101]

light position is too high. It makes a nice hair/accent light but leaves the eyes dark and doesn't provide a catch light. Use another light to get some light lower or use a reflector in tight to bounce some of the ceiling light into the face and eyes. Original looks a tad bit under exposed.

[tokyomark]

@Bruce, Thanks for your comments.
I see what you mean about the eyes being dark, (and I could do without that shadow under her nose.) Typically indoors I can only work with the available ceiling lights (in tight quarters,) so I guess it's time for me to invest in some other light source or reflectors.
I know reflectors are pretty inexpensive, but do you have any recommendations for reasonably priced lights that would work well?

I know you get what you pay for, and I'd rather not buy something mediocre that I'll regret in a couple years. But if there are any little gems that are a good investment, plz let me know.
Or would I be better off just getting reflectors for now?

Any advice would be really appreciated.

Thanks!

Mark