Fun Farm Shots

[ElectroChris]

Hey DPS!! I've been reading here the last few weeks. This is a great site!!

I took out my shiny new D5100 and shot these pics this weekend. I think this is my favorite of the lot of them.

I welcome any composition critiques, and any other thoughts you have.




D5100 VR55-200 focal length 62mm f4.2 1/160 iso 100 no flash

[graciousness]

Hello and welcome to the forum!

Great shot, really, and hard to pin point flaws to it. Improvement? Yes, we can always improve on a photo. So having to think hard on what could have been done:

- I don't know where you focused, but it seems a little soft around the eyes. In portraiture, the eyes are the key area that needs to be the sharpest and I believe that you may have just missed this slightly. Just slightly. Having looked at your other photos on flickr, this is how I have come to the conclusion that you may be not focusing around the eye area. The other photos also show softness in focus around the eyes.

- Composition is fine here, but I can't help think that perhaps it could be improved. That chair is out of the element, I find, although I do think that at the same time, she's got a cute pose against that pretty background. Perhaps if a different chair had been used (something a bit more raw and organic) it would have been better, but that cushion just doesn't blend in with the rest of the photo. Because of this, the pose on this chair feels forced and contradictory of the natural background.

Great use of depth of field, by the way. The background is nicely blurred and she is standing out well.

Colour is great.

- Whilst the lighting seems to be in balance, I think she would have looked better with a little fill flash to the right side. Or a reflector. Her left side of the face (right side of the image as we look at it) is just slightly shaded and it's not really a big deal, but could have benefitted with some extra light with a reflector or off camera fill flash.

- The pose. I think she's cute as a button, but would have been better if she was looking up so to have avoided the double chin. When shooting women, you want to avoid her head being down where it's creating double chin. Easily preventable if you tell her to look up so that it elongates the neck line.

So I think that's it. I seriously had to think hard about this

Only thing I can also suggest is for you to play around more with composition. Most of your photos, if not all, have your subjects centered. Have a read with the rules of third as that will help you think about different compositions when composing your shots.

Great job again with this photo and looking forward to seeing more of your work here.

Cheers,

Grace

[sk66]

I think the use of the chair is great.
My biggest complaint is the tree growing out of her head.

[graciousness]

Hehe, I actually really like that chair as a piece of furniture. I think the problem for me is that the cushion is the brightest part of the image and my eyes keep going to it. I think if it was darker, it would have worked better.

[sk66]

Yeah, I agree it's not perfect. But you were being "picky"....I figured I'd just stick with the basics.

"Watch for things growing out of their heads".

[RLucas]

IMO, it could be brighter. It looks a little underexposed. Nothing much else to say. It's a solid shot. Just pay attention to your backgrounds. In this instance, the tree isn't obtrusive to me. If the background were a little more in focus it could become a problem.

[prince]

Did you try landscape or moving back a little to allow some space on either side? I find the composition a tad bit tight.

[graciousness]

Originally Posted by sk66

Yeah, I agree it's not perfect. But you were being "picky"....I figured I'd just stick with the basics.

"Watch for things growing out of their heads".

Ah but you see, the tree actually doesn't bother me. But the cushion does. I am being picky because this is the purpose of why I critique - to delve deep within my head and study a photo for my own learning. I've stuck to the basic, too, but am afraid that i didn't quite explain why the cushion bother me initially.

Our eyes are drawn to the brightest area in the image and for me, it's the cushion.

So there you go

I also do agree that the crop feels tight. But I let it go and merge that with the idea to play with the composition.

Anyhoo, cheers! I need coffee!!!

[sk66]

I'm the only one the tree bothers? Really?

IMHO, turn the chair 15* to the rt, get a little lower to put the trees/horses in the big open area left of frame and the pic would be 60% better.

[ElectroChris]

Thanks, folks!!!! I love the input. I've had this camera a week, and I am getting accustomed to the focus with it. my PnS does a good job - this one takes a little more finesse. I think I had it on auto area auto focus, and I suspect I would have been better served using single point focus, and directing it a little better. Is that what you do?

I know the rules of comp from a B/W class back in '87, and learned the BIG RULE well (thirds), but I have decided to not let it rule me too much. Might need to practice following it some more so I can be better at breaking it.....

My partner suggested we could put dark fabric on that cushion and make it less obvious.

I should have avoided the tree better. The horse was a happy mistake - I accidentally let him out, and he worked for me.

THanks again!!!!! I love this site!!