Playing Guitar

[annemarieoh]

This picture was taken using the built-in flash on my camera. It was taken in a small room and I really didn't want strong dark shadows of my subject showing up in the image. As a result the image came out quite dark. Is it too dark? Does it have a good effect? I'm new to this website and this is my first post. Really want to improve my photography skills so any advice or constructive criticism would be most welcome.

Thanks.

Equipment used: Canon EOS 20D, Sigma 17-70mm lens, Shutter speed:1/60, Aperature: 11.0

[ericw]

I think it's too dark for what it is. If you were showing some of the environment, and a darker exposure added to the feel of the room or something (like at a concert, with some spot lights in the background) then it could work. On that same note I think this is framed too tight. I feel like you chopped off too much of his head, you only see a little bit of the guitar, you barely see his left hand (cut off the fingers at a knuckle) and you can't see his other hand, which is also important in guitar playing. Plus he's perfectly centered left and right.

[annemarieoh]

Is there anything that you think works in the image?

[castman]

I think you have a good photo. I think it is a little dark. I also think that ericw is trying to show you what you missed in your photo could have been better. I hope that helps. Welcome to DPS. There alot of get people here!

[wulf]

It is on the dark side. Looking at your settings, you had scope for a wider aperture, which would have helped.

You could also have zoomed out a bit on your lens so as not to frame the guitarist quite so tightly. I don't think you have chopped off too much of the head - if you showed a bit more you would probably need to zoom out enough to avoid truncating a tiny portion of it. It would be nice to see more of the fretting hand though. General rules for cropping and body parts are not through joints (you've caught one of his finger joints) and don't leave anything just touching the edge. A close crop, like you've done on the guy's head, helps create a more intimate feel to a portrait.

What colour was the room? That sounds a left-field question but, if there was a light coloured ceiling for instance, you could try bouncing the light from the camera flash upward, from where it would come back down with a soft, diffused illumination.

Wulf

[ericw]

Originally Posted by annemarieoh

Is there anything that you think works in the image?

Yeah, the image is nice and sharp, in focus properly. Nice subject, attractive model. I like where you chose to shoot him from (from above and to his left).

[annemarieoh]

Thanks for all your comments and advice. Really appreciate it. As of yet I only have a built-in flash. I have other shots of this taken from different angles that are lighter & have more of the subject & guitar showing but something about this image appealed to me and I just wanted to find out what other people thought. Thanks again for your imput. It helps alot.

[kencaleno]

I like it-would have been nice to see the other hand though.......

[ericw]

I didn't know his jacket was green... I think black and white would look good on this one.

[wulf]

I think Ken's edit pushes a bit too far and does pick up some of the harshness annemarieoh wanted to avoid but it illustrates very well how much can be pulled out of a picture with a bit of processing. I think he is spot on about the "other hand" though.

My tip, for the time when you are establishing your sense of composition, is to frame the images with plenty of slack round the edges. You can then experiment with different options back at your computer (although you may want to limit yourself to the same aspect ratio as your camera).

Wulf