gentle c&c please

[janetm1000]

hey. this is my fist real citique post here, so be gentle. i have a fragile ego. lol.

anyhow i am new to this (seriously i only got my camera about 2-3 weeks ago) and still havent even finished going through the instructions yet.

laugh all you want, but i only got my first intro into exposure YESTERDAY! lol. but i dont mind you giving some advice.

keep in mind i am new, so dont go to technical please! also keep in mind these are all not yet manually edited/processed. i will go there eventually, but due to my job in design, i am familiar with photoshop, and i wanna first learn to maximise the quality of my shots directly out of my camera first before i go into "improvements". i just think, it will keep me from thinking things like "who cares, i'll edit later". i know this is necessary in the long run, but my shots arent running away, and i wanna get familar with my camera first.
okok. so here they come. be prepared, my dogs are my victims mostly

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8.

9. this one i'd actually wanna see if someone can edit it nicely. just to see how much can be improved... (if this is inapprorpiate here, someone lemme know...)

ok, so lemme know what you think. ideas on editing from this point are appreciated as well, but mostly i am looking for input on what to do better with the camera! thanks!

 

[WPhyer]

Well, I'm taking some risk here... your profile says it's NOT OK to edit your photos, but seeing how you asked for it in your post...

Mind you, I'm a hack, don't have any formal or informal photography training whatsoever, and everyone sees things differently, but here goes:

-William

 

[manaheim]

You want gentle, so rather than poking at individual elements, let me make a few suggestions...

- Be aware of the color of light in your settings. Indoor settings tend to be incandescants which cause yellow light. Set your white balance on your camera accordingly or take pictures in RAW so you can balance the color later.
- Look up "the rule of thirds" for compositions.
- Avoid using direct head-on flash whenever possible as it tends to lead to harsh shadows and highlights that can make things look a bit off. Purchase a flash that can be directed off a ceiling or wall and/or use a diffuser.
- Don't get too close to subjects with your lens (unless doing a macro shot of something with a macro lens) as it may tend to make things look bulbous or weird.
- Try to use an appropriate aperature to minimize or maximize depth of field as appropriate. (larger aperature=smaller F stop number=smaller depth of field=less in focus).

 

[janetm1000]

wphyer: that's pretty neat!

manaheim: thanks for the tips! yeah, i read about the rules of thirds (and a few other rules of composition) the the other day. but these where taken before that. when i went over them i did realize the subtle difference that would have made. i might try cropping some of them nicely...
yeah, i hate that built-in flash. really ruins the shots. will think about investing in something with a little more flexibility...
and the thing with the aperature: i am SO still experimenting with it. dont quite have the hang of it yet, lol. i took about 250 pictures yesterday (nothing great-just experimenting with settings) and still feel a bit "lost". comes with time, i guess?
anyways, thanks again!
anyone else care to venture some c&c?

 

[Robin]

In addition to what manaheim said, my suggestion would be to focus on the eyes, rather than the nose. You seem to have accomplished this on number 8 and a few of the others have a big enough DOF so the whole face is in focus. But on #1, #3 and possibly a little on #5 as well, the eyes are out of focus. #3 in particular is an adorable shot with lovely lighting, I just wish the eyes were in focus. But as they are, I would say #8 is your best shot, the composition is very good and I like that it doesn't look too-posed.

Are you using autofocus? In cases where you have a small DOF and want to make sure the eyes are in focus, it's best to use manual focus.

 

[Dmitri]

I like the second one, actually. Looks like a very sad clown doing a mugshot

 

[janetm1000]

thanks a lot!
yeah, i realized about the focus on the nose as well (the first 4 are all shot on the very first day of having my camera...) and am paying more attention to that now. in #3 it was intentional. i have one where i focused on the eyes, but i thought it just didnt turn out as nice...

#8 was actually one of those "accidental shots". but i liked how it turned out.

lol, on the "clown mugshot". she IS my little clown, and it's kinda why i liked it as well... i think i'm just really biased...

PS: yes i am using autofocus.