My First Ever Portraits, How can i improve

[drbryan]

so this is my first ever attempt at portrait shots, they were taken yesterday and i did alittle bit of post production as you can tell, i need to know what i can do to improve.
these were my two favourite ones, i noticed in most of my shots there kinda grainy looking
oh ya and the lighting i used was a work light from home depot, and the rest natural

it was cloudy and snowing out at around 4:30pm, they were taken with a 50mm lens



Shutter Speed 1/30
Aperture Value 1.8
ISO Speed 3200


Shutter Speed 1/5
Aperture Value 2.8
ISO Speed 400


Thanks

[ChrisAdval]

I highly recommend reading the Critique Forum Rules please only submit one photo at a time.

The background is interesting, but confusing at the same time with cold and warm lighting. On the 2nd photo not sure if its her feet or knees on the foreground, if you're including that as the foreground I'd recommend including more for the viewer won't question on what it is...

[Lolkat]

I like the feel that you're going for with the snow and all, but also keep in mind that using a shutter speed of 1/5 while hand holding (which I'm assuming you were doing) is impossible to do if you want a sharp image. The second one is very soft, so I would bump up the ISO and the shutter speed and try to steady your elbows on something to avoid camera shake. (or of course use a tripod )

[Doug Sundseth]

It's not impossible to get a sharp photo at 1/5 second hand-held. It helps a great deal to use a short lens with vibration reduction (or whatever buzzword your brand uses), and very good technique is essential.

If you're going to try it, though, I'd recommend shooting in burst mode, since you can't count on any particular image being sharp. Like any other technique, practice is essential.

[Lolkat]

Originally Posted by Doug Sundseth

It's not impossible to get a sharp photo at 1/5 second hand-held. It helps a great deal to use a short lens with vibration reduction (or whatever buzzword your brand uses), and very good technique is essential.

If you're going to try it, though, I'd recommend shooting in burst mode, since you can't count on any particular image being sharp. Like any other technique, practice is essential.

Yes, you're right. I guess what I meant to say is it is impossible for ME to get a sharp image while hand holding the camera at 1/5 sec, as I usually use longer focal lengths