More Natural Light Practice

[StuffNThings]

Hi! I'm still trying to get a handle on using my living room window for main lighting. Here is the latest shot. I added a reflector (white poster board) this time to try to lighten the shadows on camera right. Could you please CC this? I would love to know your thoughts on composition, lighting, color, or anything else that jumps out at you! Thank you!



EXIF Data:
Camera: Nikon D70
ISO: 200
Exposure: 0.008 sec (1/125)
Aperture: f/1.8
Focal Length: 50 mm
Exposure Bias: 0 EV
Flash: No Flash

[lputman]

Hmmm, are you cropping these? The noise is very strong.

[StuffNThings]

I only cropped a TINY bit on the right side. Could it be in processing? I do run Unsharp Mask - do you think it could over-sharpening?

[lputman]

It could be. Can you put up the original, un-processed one on your flickr?

[StuffNThings]

Yep, you're right. It was a lot more OOF than I remembered. I've attached the original. It's so frustrating! If I get one thing right, I can't get the other!

[lputman]

I suggest that you practice on the focusing aspect first, if you really want to nail focus at 1.8, using an inanimate object.

[castman]

Just take your time and lot of photo's you will get soon.

[StuffNThings]

Okay, it's a new day, and I'm ready to try again. So, I think I know what to do to take care of the noise. I'm going to close my aperture a bit so that it isn't so hard to focus and also make sure my ISO is set on 200 instead of 400. How about the lighting, color and pose? Any thoughts? Thank you so much for taking the time!

[Benji]

Originally Posted by StuffNThings

Okay, it's a new day, and I'm ready to try again. So, I think I know what to do to take care of the noise. I'm going to close my aperture a bit so that it isn't so hard to focus and also make sure my ISO is set on 200 instead of 400. How about the lighting, color and pose? Any thoughts? Thank you so much for taking the time!

I see no noise in the original shot, but I do see VERY limited DOF and overall general softness due to using an f/1.8 lens wide open. About the only lenses that are sharp wide open are the lenses that cost $10,000.00. Get the boy closer to the window if possible (which will give you more light) and shoot at f/5.6. Use a tripod if the shutter speed is below 1/60 and make sure the focus point is on the eyes. Lastly the reflector was not positioned properly as it is creating a light source of its own rather than wrapping the light around the subject. See below as to how to position it so it wraps the light around.

Benji

[StuffNThings]

Benji, you're awesome! That helps so much, especially the diagram. Very practical and useful advice. Thank you! I'll be practicing!