what should I do for better portraits?

[Abbielynne]

Do I need to upgrade my equipment? Should I focus my studies on lighting?

WHAT CAN I DO TO MAKE THE PHOTO POP?

Canon EOS Rebel XS
Canon EF 18-55mm 3.5-5.6 IS
ISO 400
f/7.1
1/100 sec
35mm
exposure metering mode: Pattern

[mpf777]

Overall I would say it looks pretty nice. Each person has a nice smile and good eye contact. It also looks like a nice spot for doing portraits. For me some things I might try to adjust in the future are
- the sky is a bit blown out. You can try to stop down a bit to darken the sky and background a bit and then use a flash or reflector to put fill light on the people. If you know the sky is going to be an issue you can also try to minimize how much shows in the frame.
- Personally with where the bottom of the frame cuts I would prefer to see their feet in the shot also.

Mike

[Abbielynne]

Thank you Mike. Very helpful!

[acedrew]

Keep the trees out of the heads! otherwise, I agree with mpf777

Andrew Rodgers
Perfected Perspectives -- Photography by Andrew Rodgers | Andrew Rodgers (acedrew) on Twitter | Login | Facebook

[Lois khalafalla]

I like the shot. One thing that caught me eye is...is the mom. She looks like she is falling. Her legs should be more behind the boy. Not leaning so much. Great photo other than that.

[PhotoPhix]

Originally Posted by Abbielynne

Do I need to upgrade my equipment? Should I focus my studies on lighting?

WHAT CAN I DO TO MAKE THE PHOTO POP?

Canon EOS Rebel XS
Canon EF 18-55mm 3.5-5.6 IS
ISO 400
f/7.1
1/100 sec
35mm
exposure metering mode: Pattern

I will agree with the fill flash or a reflector to minimize the subject shadows. I will also agree to watch out for objects in the background that appear to be part of the subject. Although in some cases it might be difficult to get everything perfect with the background,it would help you if you used a shallower depth of field.

Armando


Crop
Mask layer
Lens blur
Sharpening layer 23%
Exposure adjustment layer
Drop shadow frame

[kencaleno]

I got rid of the cyan fringing in the trees,and added alittle sharpen