Finishing 1st Photog Class

[Rbqdavis]

I'm just finishing my first photography class at a local community college. This is my first post to DPS. I'm really working to get a proper exposure and focus. Please feel free to give me any advice to improve these shots. There has been no post-processing on this photo.


EXIF Data

Nikon D3000
50mm f/1.8 lens
ISO 200
f/4
1/80

[Rentham]

Other than addressing specific issues, I'm not sure why people post images with no post work done on them. This image looks unexposed, and the camera tilt borders on the absurd. The background is a little busy and isn't adding any value to the image so I would have considered shooting at like f/2 to blow that out into a nice smooth palette of colors.

[Rbqdavis]

Thank you for your feedback. However, I did mention that this is just my FIRST class. The teacher didn't want us using any photo editing software at this point, but wanted to learn how to use the settings on the camera to get the desired photograph. I appreciate constructive criticism, but do think your comment was rather harsh for someone who is admittedly a beginner. I know I will be much more hesitant to post any further photos because of this rude comment.

I did take what you suggested and tried to improve the picture. Currently the only photo editing software I have is iPhoto. I am certainly open to suggestions for better software. I've been considering Photoshop, Photoshop Elements, Aperture, and Pixelmator for my Mac.

[JFSanders]

So you have completed one class or been to class one time? As with anything you will have to put your feelings away and concentrate upon the goal. The goal being to become a proper photographer.

About the teacher, I think you may have been given a bit of bad or incomplete advice. The teacher is correct to have you get the image right in camera. What that means is to make sure the exposure is correct and the composition fits your vision of the final image and the image itself communicates the intent of the maker to the viewer.

What it does not mean is to publish a image straight out of camera knowing that it isn't fully developed and finished. Unless you are shooting journalism images or are making "art" images then fully developing and finishing the image is imperative.

Now this does not mean that you should not post in the critique section. People misunderstand the reason for the critique section and think it is for getting warm air blown up their skirt. This is not so. One posts in the critique section so that they can get help seeing what is in need of improvement in their skills and craft.

While it certainly sounds harsh, the criticism that Rentham gave you is pretty spot on. Put on your rhino hide and get back in the saddle. It will do you good in the end and help you get to your goal faster and with better skills.

I checked your image and although the composition is a bit on the artsy side, I don't find it annoying. The white balance is off and pushed the image to the cool side, making her skin tones blue. The focus is off a bit. Make sure when making portraits of people that their eyes are tack sharp. There are fly away hairs on the right side of her head. I like the colors of the background but it is a bit busy and like Rentham said, it would be better to reduce them to a riot of blurred color.

So, get your WB right in camera. Make sure your makeup and hair is right before shooting the image. And think about the whole image including the background.

And get Lightroom 3. You won't be disappointed.

Jim

[Rentham]

Originally Posted by Rbqdavis

I know I will be much more hesitant to post any further photos because of this rude comment.

Sorry you feel this way. I'm not exactly sure what aspect of the critique you found to be rude. Was it the camera tilt thing? Sorry, I find arbitrary camera tilt to be ridiculous. Here's the good news, though... it's your photo and you can do whatever you like without giving a damn about what I say.

However, like Jim said, the point of posting images here is to get a critical examination of your work. I gave you two actionable suggestions that I felt would have improved the image.

[terri33inne]

Welcome to the forums! Posting in this section is a great place to learn on how to improve. I agree with using a larger aperture to blur the background, or move your subject further away from the background.
Here's my take, and I am far from an expert...

I like how you have her posed... are there any others in this set? I'm just wondering about having her more off to the right of the frame? She's in focus which is good.

In your post processing the saturation is just a tad too high for my taste... the orange flowers look a bit too neon.

I just purchased PSE, and am learning it. Prior to that I used Picnik which is free but they also have a premium upgrade which I would recommend it's inexpensive, and I find it's much more user-friendly, and great for photo editing.

Keep learning, and keep posting!

[terri33inne]

I just did a quick edit in Picnik... it took maybe 3 minutes... I hope you don't mind... if you want me to take it down I will.

I straightened it (this did crop the top of her head a bit)I adjusted the levels to brighten it (under advanced tab)... then dialed down the blue channel to warm it up a bit, did a slight exposure & contrast adjustment, airbrushed her skin a bit, did a slight eye lightening, and blurred the background using the 'wrinkle remover' tool under touch-ups.

[Rbqdavis]

Originally Posted by JFSanders

I checked your image and although the composition is a bit on the artsy side, I don't find it annoying. The white balance is off and pushed the image to the cool side, making her skin tones blue. The focus is off a bit. Make sure when making portraits of people that their eyes are tack sharp. There are fly away hairs on the right side of her head. I like the colors of the background but it is a bit busy and like Rentham said, it would be better to reduce them to a riot of blurred color.

So, get your WB right in camera. Make sure your makeup and hair is right before shooting the image. And think about the whole image including the background.

And get Lightroom 3. You won't be disappointed.

Jim

Thanks for the suggestions. Yesterday was my last class but it was canceled due to teacher illness. It was supposed to be over white balance. I will definitely do some extra research on white balance.

I've really been struggling with obtaining focus and I don't know what I'm doing wrong. On this photo I used auto-focus; I've really been trying to get the eyes. I even used a tripod on this shoot to try to improve overall focus. On all of my previous outings to practice I have been using manual focus and the vast majority of the pics were out of focus. I've checked the diopter. I do have shaky hands, but my lens does have vibration reduction and I'm trying to use a fast enough shutter speed.

Thanks for showing me how to improve how the overall photo looks. I really have very little experience processing photos and am just getting my feet wet. I will definitely be considering Lightroom.

[Rbqdavis]

Originally Posted by terri33inne

Welcome to the forums! Posting in this section is a great place to learn on how to improve. I agree with using a larger aperture to blur the background, or move your subject further away from the background.
Here's my take, and I am far from an expert...

I like how you have her posed... are there any others in this set? I'm just wondering about having her more off to the right of the frame? She's in focus which is good.

In your post processing the saturation is just a tad too high for my taste... the orange flowers look a bit too neon.

I just purchased PSE, and am learning it. Prior to that I used Picnik which is free but they also have a premium upgrade which I would recommend it's inexpensive, and I find it's much more user-friendly, and great for photo editing.

Keep learning, and keep posting!

Throughout this first class I have really been trying to get the background blur from having a larger aperture, but for some reason I have not been able to really get that result. Honestly, this is one of the best ones that I have done with background blur. I do have some room to open up the aperture some more and can definitely keep working on that. I feel like there must be something that I'm missing in this aspect.

I rather liked the flowers behind her to give some interest to the photo. When my teacher critiqued my photo from the last class, his main comment was how he didn't like the background because it was just grass. Personally, I liked it because the focus was solely on my subject.

Thanks for the advice on Picnik. I'll definitely be giving it a shot. You really did help improve the photo.

[terri33inne]

Be careful going too large with you aperture as the smaller the # the smaller amount of your photo will be in focus... most lenses have a 'sweet' spot where they'll give you the best result.

Also... putting distance between your subject & the background will blur the background more too, however that's not always practical or possible. There is always something new to learn.