New Setup C&C Please

[thelittlewhimsy]

Hi Everyone,

I've reached 2 milestones as of late, and I'm hoping for some C&C. I made the move to lightroom last weekend, and these photos were processed in lightroom. I have to say that although my workflow is definitely faster...I miss the familiarity of doing all my edits in ACR then photoshop, as slow as that was. As a result... I'm feeling kind of lost... Do the photos look ok? Any weird colors? I probably just need to keep practicing, and stop using the presets! Also, I'm shooting entirely in manual mode... I'm slow (which is not a good thing when photographing kids) but learning ALOT!

Can I get C&C on: 1. whether the shots are ok technically, 2. whether the processing looks ok, or if it's too much and 3. Am I still taking snapshots or do these seem composed? All feedback appreciated! thanks!

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[cgipson1]

Quickie.. as I at work...

#1 looks like you missed focus on the eyes.. it is a little soft. Would have been better in portrait format (vertical). No catchlights in eyes... no sparkle

#2 Great shot.. very nice story! A tad bright on the boy.. you could drop that a bit and it would be fine (I am at work on non-calibrated monitors.. so I could be wrong.. but normally these are show darker than calibrated) clone out the Junk next to boys head

#3 again.. nice story, nice shot. Should have centered the two subjects better, boy is on edge. Exposure looks good. Framing might would be better if you backed off a bit.. got the whole guitar. Background is acceptable.. but tighter DOF would have blurred it more!

#4 cute.. but boys hand and wrist OOF... mans hand is sharp.. better if both were sharp. Frame it to get more wrist / arm on man.. move hands toward center, as the dead space is meaningless

#5 too shallow a dof.. boys arm OOF... looks strange. No catchlights in eyes... no sparkle

[shootermcgavin]

I like 3 a lot, great shot! Nothing beats a boy and his dad.

[thelittlewhimsy]

Quickie.. as I at work...

#1 looks like you missed focus on the eyes.. it is a little soft. Would have been better in portrait format (vertical). No catchlights in eyes... no sparkle

#2 Great shot.. very nice story! A tad bright on the boy.. you could drop that a bit and it would be fine (I am at work on non-calibrated monitors.. so I could be wrong.. but normally these are show darker than calibrated) clone out the Junk next to boys head

#3 again.. nice story, nice shot. Should have centered the two subjects better, boy is on edge. Exposure looks good. Framing might would be better if you backed off a bit.. got the whole guitar. Background is acceptable.. but tighter DOF would have blurred it more!

#4 cute.. but boys hand and wrist OOF... mans hand is sharp.. better if both were sharp. Frame it to get more wrist / arm on man.. move hands toward center, as the dead space is meaningless

#5 too shallow a dof.. boys arm OOF... looks strange. No catchlights in eyes... no sparkle

Thanks for the feedback! Its easy to not notice everything you've pointed out until you have pointed it out! Looks like I need to work on grabbing some catchlights too, although I feel lucky I can even get his eyes with how fast he moves

[DiskoJoe]

Your worrying too much. Photos look fine. This is pretty decent work.

The second picture of them reading is golden.

[Joey_Ricard]

Your worrying too much. Photos look fine. This is pretty decent work.

The second picture of them reading is golden.

Agreed - and you have a really good eye for moments captured. Good tech skills are one thing, but without the eye it just a picture.

[cgipson1]

Thanks for the feedback! Its easy to not notice everything you've pointed out until you have pointed it out! Looks like I need to work on grabbing some catchlights too, although I feel lucky I can even get his eyes with how fast he moves

As mentioned... these are good shots, far better than many we see here! I was just pointing out little things that would make them even better! (and even that is sometimes an opinion! So take it as you will!)

[thelittlewhimsy]

Thanks everyone for the encouraging words, as your honest feedback means lots to me. I've been photographing since 97.....and amazingly... I don't think I found my eye for shots until about 3 weeks ago, when I picked up the camera again after a few years break from it. I saw my son, and just had to shoot. I think I've fallen in love all over again, so your words tell me I'm doing some things right.

[DiskoJoe]

Thanks everyone for the encouraging words, as your honest feedback means lots to me. I've been photographing since 97.....and amazingly... I don't think I found my eye for shots until about 3 weeks ago, when I picked up the camera again after a few years break from it. I saw my son, and just had to shoot. I think I've fallen in love all over again, so your words tell me I'm doing some things right.

Sometimes it just clicks. Keep capturing the touching family scenes like this. I guarantee they will always be your most cherished works.