Need a bit of help

[metoo]

I took this pic of my DD back in march. I really liked it, because it just shows her so well. I have tried a few different edits with it and I'm not 100% happy. I would like to frame this so I would love any suggestions. I would also love any critique in general of the photo for future reference too. Oh and this is my version of a clean edit. I'm using PSE 9 and I'm not super good at it. lol


March 2011 052 clean by My1hd, on Flickr

Camera Canon EOS Digital Rebel XS
Exposure 0.006 sec (1/160)
Aperture f/4.0
Focal Length 50 mm
ISO Speed 200
Exposure Bias 0 EV
Flash Off, Did not fire

[First Light]

I'd like to see how it looks in a portrait crop. The cut-off head throws me a little. Overall, I think it is a good shot, I just think the composition is slightly off, and perhaps a different crop might help.

[EmyB]

Lovely photo I think!

I think the cropped top of head is okay, but I find it cuts too close to her chin - is this the full photo or is there more? You could always consider a subtle vingette but I like the brightness of the photo as it is too.

I reckon it's frame worthy the way it is!

[metoo]

It is an un cropped photo Here is another crop


March 2011 052 clean sharp crop by My1hd, on Flickr

I'm not sure how to do a portrait crop This one makes it seem even tighter so I'm thinking this isn't what you meant? lol

[docxnoel]

This was a good shot, her eyes is well focused which is necessary in portrait, but honestly even you have edited into your clean version, it will not stand out by following reason, this is just my opinion :-
The cropped is to tight, there is no spacd to breathe in
Lack of expression
It is fine with the hair a little bit messing to convey action but you should provide some space

Next time you shoot, even it candid, try to think the reason why you want to shoot that subject, what expression that caught your attention, be experimental :-)

So if you want to frame this, try to think again or repeat again the shot with the same model and be keen observer in every moment.

[metoo]

Originally Posted by docxnoel

This was a good shot, her eyes is well focused which is necessary in portrait, but honestly even you have edited into your clean version, it will not stand out by following reason, this is just my opinion :-
The cropped is to tight, there is no spacd to breathe in
Lack of expression
It is fine with the hair a little bit messing to convey action but you should provide some space

Next time you shoot, even it candid, try to think the reason why you want to shoot that subject, what expression that caught your attention, be experimental :-)

So if you want to frame this, try to think again or repeat again the shot with the same model and be keen observer in every moment.

I'm not planning to reshoot this it was from last march she is a year older now. It will get framed and be put on my wall. I do appreciate the feedback for next time though. The expression is actually what I liked about this photo. It suits her well. That is not something I would want to change. I do need to keep in mind the fact that I can always crop it down while I'm shooting! I often get to close, just like I often under expose. I'm going to need to work on that. I wonder if I should have got down a bit lower too...... When you say I should provide space are you talking about the crop or something with the hair?

[graciousness]

The restriction using 50mm lenses is that more often than not, we end up with very tight framing due to space issues. If we are in a small or tight space, we end up chopping part of heads, esp when using landscape orientation mode.

I don't mind the chopped head, either, but it's the close edge to the chin which makes the photo feel too tight. For next time, just try to back away as close as you can so that you have more room for space, or use portrait orientation.

It's not a perfect photo due to the very tight crop, however, it is what it is and the sharpness and her face is just lovely. The only thing that I would do is clone out the bars on the top right part of the photo for a cleaner background. And then that's it. I prefer the negative space to the left camera side rather than the square crop, personally. I love the smile in her eyes

Cheers and hope this helps,

Grace

[metoo]

Originally Posted by graciousness

The restriction using 50mm lenses is that more often than not, we end up with very tight framing due to space issues. If we are in a small or tight space, we end up chopping part of heads, esp when using landscape orientation mode.

I don't mind the chopped head, either, but it's the close edge to the chin which makes the photo feel too tight. For next time, just try to back away as close as you can so that you have more room for space, or use portrait orientation.

It's not a perfect photo due to the very tight crop, however, it is what it is and the sharpness and her face is just lovely. The only thing that I would do is clone out the bars on the top right part of the photo for a cleaner background. And then that's it. I prefer the negative space to the left camera side rather than the square crop, personally. I love the smile in her eyes

Cheers and hope this helps,

Grace

Thank you, this whole post helps a lot! This particular photo was user error. I was outside, so I could have stepped back. Often that not an option, other then portrait orientation (which doesn't always fix this. is there any guide to composition when your options are limited? I noticed looking back that I have some awkward crops. A lot of it was due to space issues with the 50 mm lens. A new lens is not an option right now, so I'm looking for the "right" way to do a tight crop..... I'm sorry if this makes no sense. I was up all night with 2 sick kids and i haven't had my coffee yet. lol

[edbayani]

yes i think it would look nicer with a portrait crop something like this