Beginner My first (possibly last) photo for critique

mussEd

mussEd

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Name
Ewan
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I promise not to take offence if this is ripped to shreds, however if you slag my darling daughter I will find you...One of the first pictures on my new camera, looking to get more decent pictures of my kids before they're too old to even want to to talk to me, let alone take their pictures. So TP, am I wide of the mark with is? image.jpg
 
Not a bad effort at all ....... A bit too tight a crop for my liking and the b&w is a bit harsh for me but it's a good effort to start with certainly not terrible in my eyes...... What new camera are u using?
 
owenb said:
Not a bad effort at all ....... A bit too tight a crop for my liking and the b&w is a bit harsh for me but it's a good effort to start with certainly not terrible in my eyes...... What new camera are u using?
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Thanks, it is wee bit harsh but was trying for dramatic...Camera is Canon 700d - this shot was taken with kit 18-55mm lens...
 
mussEd said:
I will find you...
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•
I am not easily scared… but kids have at times a terrifying effect on me…
That's why I always have a bag of cookies at hand! ;-)

Right, the critique!
This sweetie was shot with a too wide angle lens and possibly within the
minimum shooting distance to the camera… and that could explain the
focus on the top of her head and not on her eyes for one, and two, the
slightly distorted perspective of her face.

Do I get the chance to see more of her?
 
You are certainly not wide of the mark.

I like how she fills the frame.

Focus is off on her eyes, which is a shame.

Lovely big eyes, though.

Keep at it.

Cheers.
 
photogwannabe said:
I like the crop and pose. Perhaps lighten it a touch and ease up a bit on the contrast (if you're using post processing software.) The focus seems just a touch off. Do you remember where the focus point was?
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Kodiak Qc said:
This sweetie was shot with a too wide angle lens and possibly within the
minimum shooting distance to the camera… and that could explain the
focus on the top of her head and not on her eyes for one, and two, the
slightly distorted perspective of her face.
Click to expand...

Well I was going for her eyes but she likes to move around, and I may have been in too close!
 
Things like cropping and editing a photo can vary quite a lot between people, some like one thing and others will hate it.

I quite like the "in your face" cropping and even the B&W conversion, makes think of older photos you'd see when flicking through your grandparents photo album.

Technically, the one issue for me is that you've missed the focus on her face (eyes are the area to focus on). There is no exif info attached to the image so I can't see what settings were used, however i am guessing a shallow DOF due to the her being so close the camera, and it was probably spot on when you focused but then kids, as they like to do, move. So she's moved slightly towards the camera and you've lost your focal point. It's something you have to be aware of with kids, they are rarely still. It takes practice, but you'll get there :)
 
I love everthing about it.
Her intensity, and engagement
the placement and tonality. Even the total lack of sharpness gives it immediacy.
Most of us would have achieved none of that with our attempts at artistic and superior technical abilities.

It makes a compelling image even though technically lacking.
 
Terrywoodenpic said:
I love everthing about it.
Her intensity, and engagement
the placement and tonality. Even the total lack of sharpness gives it immediacy.
Most of us would have achieved none of that with our attempts at artistic and superior technical abilities.

It makes a compelling image even though technically lacking.
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Wow. Thanks for your very kind words!
 
If it was my shot it would have gone in the trash. My eyes hurt trying to focus on it, it could have been great but unfortunately it isn't as the focus has been missed by too much.
 
I think the shot is fine for the family photo album, pesonally I would have been a bit further back and less of a crop, as said before focus is a bit off, perhaps a slightly smaller aperture too.
 
She is a real cutie, nothing much else to add as it has already been said except to say keep it up and keep posting.:)

As a aside it's nice to see most here temper their advise and the tone of it depending on the experience of the OP but still offer good advise.
 
Yeah I like it, in your face, grungy, a good antidote to trite portraits. Give it some grain.
 
I agree with Terry and jojo90 and I really quite like this - is a little bit of an unusual crop but I think that if you hadn't captured the quirks of the image (slightly off focus & deep contrast) then it just wouldn't have the same interest. If it were me, I would probably every so slightly blur just the top part of the hat so the slight back focus was less obvious & it looked like a deliberate, arty decision. I'd also add in a bit of grain to make it more gritty. Aside from those minor suggestions, I wouldn't change any of it - is a really nice shot & a very cute kid, nicely done mate (y)

Sharpness is overrated btw, I think a lot of the time, as photographers (and people who know exactly how much we have spent on a lens/camera combo to get every single pixel of sharpness we possibly can) we can sometimes overlook the "soul" of a photo - I am having a major rework of my portfolio at the moment & am trying to find just that again - some of my favourite ever shots were taken on a partway radioactive Russian rangefinder Fed film camera - grainy as all hell & mostly out of focus but there's just something about the way the shots feel - is great fun to shoot too :)
 
Just revisiting this and thanks again fo the kind words and the criticism - although I must apologise for hurting folks' eyes! Trying to build up the courage to post another image...
 
Its a great shot but you do seem to be a tad to close. Nail that and you have a fantastic photo. Definitely give it another go. Cropping and all that are less relevant than getting the eyes dead sharp.

Plus you have an endearing subject to practice on...

We await your next session results...
 
mussEd said:
Just revisiting this and thanks again fo the kind words and the criticism - although I must apologise for hurting folks' eyes! Trying to build up the courage to post another image...
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Oh bless ya..do it you've nothing to fear just plenty of help... As @Morbid said he's had no end of helpful advice that quite a few of us have also gained from....Maybe even search his images and have a read. :D
 
Hi

I cannot provide any more feedback but do like the composition, it would have been a very good capture if the eyes were sharp.
 
I'm prone to agree with Terry. A great one for the album. I like the tonality and the tight framing. It works! There's no need to be anal about the focus. The sense of the person that the picture gives far outweighs such concerns - indeed if it were sharper, it might convey the sense of an animate human being less than it does now.
 
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Sharpness and focus are two different things in my opinion. I like natural images that aren't overly sharpened as often seen and I agree that it hides the sense of a human. Focus to me is another matter, I'm happy with the focus being out in many places, just don't like it in the eyes when that is the main feature and focal point at the same time.

Ultimately they are all just opinions and all valid, the main one that counts is the one of the OP.
 
This is one of the most compelling portraits I've seen on TP. So what if it's a little out of focus? It's a picture that bears repeated viewing. IMO I suppose...
 
It's a beautiful photo, but it's out of focus. Keep it but try again and post more... (y)
 
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