First time shooting with camera (C&C welcome)

[Pcubed]

Hi all,

This is my first post on TPF and also my first time posting pictures. I recently bought my camera and these pictures are from my first time using it outside. Any C&C is welcome. Thanks for looking. =)

1.

2.

3.

4.

[TPF Sponsor]

[Pcubed]

I'm guessing that since there's no responses, my photos must be acceptable? Thanks for the compliments!
But seriously, what changes should be made to these pictures? I know that I might need to crop the top off a little bit. How are the exposures? I took them on a cloudy day, so I had to bump up the brightness a little in DPP? For picture 4, was it a good idea to shoot the toddler with his green shirt on a green background? Was there enough of a color difference to make the subject noticeable? Thanks again for any advice you may offer.

[TiCoyote]

First of all, the kids are adorable.
#1 focus on the subject and background are great. Good light and color. The water fountain is distracting.
#2 and 4 Very nice detail and pose, but the background is distracting

[tripwater]

I can't offer pointers here because I am a newbie as well but I have to compliment the moment captured in #1. I tend to look for moments and life in a picture first then analyze it later. Which I assume will change the more I get into this and learn

Thanks for sharing.

[tripwater]

now as I scrolled down in #1 in the browser, I liked the look of the bottom stopping right at the fountain bottom and just his head popping up above. Composition wise, not sure that is acceptable but personally I like it cropped at the bottom of the fountain.

[Pcubed]

First of all, the kids are adorable.
#1 focus on the subject and background are great. Good light and color. The water fountain is distracting.
#2 and 4 Very nice detail and pose, but the background is distracting

Thanks for your critique, TiCoyote. I was trying to use the fountain as a divider of sorts? Kind of to add to the picture. I guess it did the opposite, haha.
Thanks for confirming the distracting background for #4. Or is #2's background distracting as well?

[Pcubed]

now as I scrolled down in #1 in the browser, I liked the look of the bottom stopping right at the fountain bottom and just his head popping up above. Composition wise, not sure that is acceptable but personally I like it cropped at the bottom of the fountain.

Thanks for your insight, tripwater. Maybe I'll play around with cropping at different points in the photo and see which stands out more.

[Dagwood56]

First things first - welcome to TPF. Lots of info to be found here.

1. I love the little guys expression in this shot, but the water fountain cutting him in half isn't good. If it were not for the fountain itself, it could have been a cute shot because it would have shown him just reaching above the bar, but as is the round part of the fountain cuts into his face and becomes a distraction. Also the bar tips to the right a bit and makes the image lean.

2. I would suggest cropping it tighter, cutting off the top of a persons head is acceptable in some cases, in this case just a tad into his hair. I think think this would help because of the tree leaves and blown out sky. Cropping up from the bottom will help by getting rid of the red shirt and collar of the person holding him and the viewers eye will me more quickly drawn to his face.

3. Again I would suggest a tighter crop. Some off the top to get rid of the white glare and in a bit from the right so the viewers eye is drawn more the the man and childs faces and the tender moment.

4. Crop this one down from the top to about midway of the trees in back so the boy isn't competeing for attention with so much blown sky in back.

Its usually a good idea to have your backgrounds be a contrasting color to the persons clothing, but the green shirt against the grass isn't too bad here. Also watch that your backgrounds aren't too busy, so that your main subject, and in this case an adorable one, stays the main point of interest. Over all, not bad for a first attempt.

[syphlix]

number two is a nice capture... u can see the sky in his eyes... i do think the focus is maybe a hair off though... is it focused on his eyes or on his nose?

[Pcubed]

First things first - welcome to TPF. Lots of info to be found here.

1. I love the little guys expression in this shot, but the water fountain cutting him in half isn't good. If it were not for the fountain itself, it could have been a cute shot because it would have shown him just reaching above the bar, but as is the round part of the fountain cuts into his face and becomes a distraction. Also the bar tips to the right a bit and makes the image lean.

2. I would suggest cropping it tighter, cutting off the top of a persons head is acceptable in some cases, in this case just a tad into his hair. I think think this would help because of the tree leaves and blown out sky. Cropping up from the bottom will help by getting rid of the red shirt and collar of the person holding him and the viewers eye will me more quickly drawn to his face.

3. Again I would suggest a tighter crop. Some off the top to get rid of the white glare and in a bit from the right so the viewers eye is drawn more the the man and childs faces and the tender moment.

4. Crop this one down from the top to about midway of the trees in back so the boy isn't competeing for attention with so much blown sky in back.

Its usually a good idea to have your backgrounds be a contrasting color to the persons clothing, but the green shirt against the grass isn't too bad here. Also watch that your backgrounds aren't too busy, so that your main subject, and in this case an adorable one, stays the main point of interest. Over all, not bad for a first attempt.

Thanks for all the helpful advice! I'll work on those croppings and paying more attention to choosing better backgrounds.

[Pcubed]

number two is a nice capture... u can see the sky in his eyes... i do think the focus is maybe a hair off though... is it focused on his eyes or on his nose?

Hmm, I don't remember what the focus was on. I'm sure I was trying to focus on the eyes. I feel it's a little soft too. Thanks for your comments. I really appreciate it.

[Samanax]

Nice set of images. The thing that stands out to me is #1 and #4 need to be straightened.

Digital Photography Tips For Beginners


Digital Photography Composition Tips

Taking Better Pictures: Composition

Photo Composition - Your Photo As A Story

Good Photo Composition Is Essential

Learn Photo Composition

How To Make A Killer Photo Using 8 Simple Composition Rules

The Golden Section In Photo Composition

How To Improve Your Photography - 5 Easy Tricks


Exposure Triangle

The Exposure Triangle – In Beginner Speak “The End of Auto Mode"

Understand Digital Photography exposure – The Exposure Triangle

Understanding Exposure with the Exposure Triangle

Lens Aperture Explained – Exposure Triangle Pt.1

Shutter Speed – Exposure Triangle Pt.2

ISO – Exposure Triangle Pt.3


Understanding Depth Of Field In Photography

Understanding Depth Of Field

Examples For Understanding Depth Of Field

[tripwater]

dang. Bookmarking this post for sure. Thanks for the references Samanax!

[Pcubed]

Thanks for the links, Samanax. I'll be sure to give them a visit when I get the time. Learning all this new stuff is exciting. Can't wait to apply it when I'm out with my camera!

[phocus78]

great shots