First Photo for Critique
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You need to copy and paste the link into the insert image symbol that sits above where you write your post, its the little yellow square that looks like it has a little landscape pic on it, that way the pic will show on the site
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No worries. Looks like a happy kid, there are a couple of basic rules that should keep you right. If your subject is angled so he/she is looking toward the left of frame you should frame them so they are on the right and vice versa, if they are facing camera then frame them in the middle. Also make sure the eyeline is around two thirds of the way up the frame and dont leave too much headroom....maybe about and an inch.Obviously this depends on distance from subject etc, for a shot like yours two thirds would do fine, the wider you go its the headroom that matters more.
As I say these are very basic rules and im sure peaople will tell you rules are made to be broken but you got to learn them first
. If you stick to that formula you'll do ok
As I say these are very basic rules and im sure peaople will tell you rules are made to be broken but you got to learn them first
. If you stick to that formula you'll do ok
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Silvermuir said:No worries. Looks like a happy kid, there are a couple of basic rules that should keep you right. If your subject is angled so he/she is looking toward the left of frame you should frame them so they are on the right and vice versa, if they are facing camera then frame them in the middle. Also make sure the eyeline is around two thirds of the way up the frame and dont leave too much headroom....maybe about and an inch.Obviously this depends on distance from subject etc, for a shot like yours two thirds would do fine, the wider you go its the headroom that matters more.
As I say these are very basic rules and im sure peaople will tell you rules are made to be broken but you got to learn them first
Thank you fir that, that is exactly the kinda thing I want to know. I was to engrossed about settings on the camera I didn't think twice about that!
Thank you!
happygolucky
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No worries. Looks like a happy kid, there are a couple of basic rules that should keep you right. If your subject is angled so he/she is looking toward the left of frame you should frame them so they are on the right and vice versa, if they are facing camera then frame them in the middle. Also make sure the eyeline is around two thirds of the way up the frame and dont leave too much headroom....maybe about and an inch.Obviously this depends on distance from subject etc, for a shot like yours two thirds would do fine, the wider you go its the headroom that matters more.
As I say these are very basic rules and im sure peaople will tell you rules are made to be broken but you got to learn them first
Plus it look's a tad soft to me, could be my monitor though :shrug:would like to see his eyes sharper
Pointblank said:
would like to see his eyes sharper
Making eyes sharper? Would that ensuring my viewfinder focus point is at the eyes? I think I try to make sure when shooting I focus on the eyes of the subject
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What kind of camera are you shooting with? on a lot of dslr's you get flash exposure compensation, you can basically dial up or down the intensity of the flash. I too only have the onboard flash at the moment and thats what i do.
I highly recommend watching this series of tutorials...
http://www.adorama.com/alc/category/AdoramaTV
on the left you will see a list of links under the title digital photography 1 on 1, they cover a huge range of topics.
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I agree with Silvermuir you need to get the basic composition correct first off. Flash would really have helped here. I understand you only have the built in on the 450D at the mo but there are some cheap little add ons that will help with that, flea bay has diffusers and bounce attachemts that just clip on. The image as someone has said looks quite soft could be focusing issues. Are you using single point? on the plus side there is some nice DOF and he looks really naturall. Little bit more contrast would help image pop a bit too.
happygolucky
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Correct, use a single focus point and it depends what DOF you are shooting at as to what you focus on, with a wider F stop to blur the background always hit the eyes
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Over? It's underexposed. It is soft, either because the shutter speed was too low or a wide aperture was used and non-continuous AF used. I don't see any exif data so I can't be sure. It could just use some sharpening but I suspect it is slightly OOF. Would recommend using continuous drive auto focus and place the focus point over the eyes. Use F4ish for a portrait like this. It's tempting to use f1.8 but that close up will cause extremely shallow dof which doesn't always work well.
Lighting, try to shoot with the natural daylight behind you, eg shoot with a window over one shoulder or the other.
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Critique is often quite confusing as so many people have different opinions, her's my take on it...
The shot is definitely out of focus, as Chris said above, when shooting children I put my camera on AI Servo mode (found in your AF menu on the rear of the camera). This allows you to semi press the shutter button and the camera will continuously focus on the AF point you have selected - perfect for kids that are prone to moving unpredictably.
For me the exposure is fine, if anything a little under exposed but in my opinion definitely not over exposed :shrug:
I think the composition could have been stronger, Google the 'rule of thirds', it's a great starting point for composition. As somebody has already said before, as he is looking slightly to the right of the frame, he would have been better placed on the left side of the image.
As far as flash is concerned it all depends on what you were trying to achieve, I personally don't mind the shadow as it is no overbearing and for me adds a little depth.
Hope this helps
Iain
The shot is definitely out of focus, as Chris said above, when shooting children I put my camera on AI Servo mode (found in your AF menu on the rear of the camera). This allows you to semi press the shutter button and the camera will continuously focus on the AF point you have selected - perfect for kids that are prone to moving unpredictably.
For me the exposure is fine, if anything a little under exposed but in my opinion definitely not over exposed :shrug:
I think the composition could have been stronger, Google the 'rule of thirds', it's a great starting point for composition. As somebody has already said before, as he is looking slightly to the right of the frame, he would have been better placed on the left side of the image.
As far as flash is concerned it all depends on what you were trying to achieve, I personally don't mind the shadow as it is no overbearing and for me adds a little depth.
Hope this helps
Iain
Thanks everyone, picked up so many points, lots for me to play with.
Personally I didn't think it was underexposed, In future will put up edit, and data so everyone has an idea.
Already put some of the suggestions in action and really can see the difference. I am using Manuel AF point, going to try setting in Al Servo now, I can really see how it will help when taking pics of children.
Thanks again!!
Personally I didn't think it was underexposed, In future will put up edit, and data so everyone has an idea.
Already put some of the suggestions in action and really can see the difference. I am using Manuel AF point, going to try setting in Al Servo now, I can really see how it will help when taking pics of children.
Thanks again!!
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the depth of field is good..fuzzy background and good exposure
central figures dont really use up the frame well...unless they fill it
could be sharper..and i would think the original is..when you downsize you have to resharpen or post on a hosting site where you put the full size image
or
is this from a compact or dslr
cheers
geof
central figures dont really use up the frame well...unless they fill it
could be sharper..and i would think the original is..when you downsize you have to resharpen or post on a hosting site where you put the full size image
or
is this from a compact or dslr
cheers
geof
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If you are using AF you need to focus not on the middle of the eye but on the bottom or top edge of the eye and use the centre point only for focus - make sure that when you press the button only the focus point in the centre lights up.
The reason is that the focusing elements on your camera are vertical only with the exception of the centre one which is cross focusing.
It is easier for it to get proper focus on a sharply defined line rather than something which is not sharply defined, and if you activate more than one focus point the camera may focus on something other than the eye.
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I'm having trouble with focusing eyes at the moment with my 50 1.8....I want to use AI Servo but I also use the centre focus point...I thought that to use servo you need to keep the focus point on the subject you want it to track the focus of, therefore I'd have to use the right or left hand AF point to keep composition good?
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Whatever mode you use you still need to keep the AF point on your subject.
AI Servo (Artificial Intelligence) mode attempts to predictively track where the focus will be the moment the shutter is pressed.
You can use whatever points you want but only the centre point is cross focusing, which means it can achieve accurate focus on either vertical or horizontal areas which have something they can focus on - e.g a small line etc - all the other AF points are lined up vertically which means they need a horizontal line for greatest accuracy.
If you attempt to focus on a relatively featureless area like a cheek etc the focusing ability is much reduced (just try focusing on a blank featureless wall for instance).
But whatever AF mode you choose you need to be able to keep the AF point chosen on the subject you want.
If you're tracking a bird in the sky with a large zoom for instance this may be relatively easy because the bird can fill a large portion of the viewscreen.
But try tracking the eye of a child running about is almost impossible and you may have to settle, as I often do, for that still moment when you can focus properly.
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Thanks for the help Peter