Honduras-new to people photography

[Talonted90]

I spent a few weeks this summer in Cusuco National Park in Honduras as part of a conservation group. I purchased my camera, a Nikon D80 about three weeks before my trip. Before all I had ever used was a cheap point and shoot. I had planned to do predominantly landscape and wildlife photos but there were a few opportunities to do some candid shots. Please critique.
1) Many of the local children try to make a few extra dollars for their households by bringing fresh fruit, usually bananas and custard apples to sell.

2) A group of kids hanging out

3)The daughter of one of the cooks.

4) A son of one of the cooks. I spent a few minutes talking to him. He is only four years old so he helps with some of the household duties before he gets to go to school.

5) A young girl and likely her sibling.

6) Dennis, one of our guides playing with the machete

7) Wish I didn't cut out his head on this one.

 

[ypperin]

Too many shots at once IMO however some nice ones.

#1 - Great shots but a little too much fill light making it look a littled washed out.

#2 I think you should crop to focus on the kids in the tree thus making it less distracting

#3 - LOVE this shot but her skin looks really pink - possibly over saturated?

#4 - great shot again, just crop out the dead space to the left and maybe consider rule of thirds?

#5 - the only crit I have is that they are centered.

#6 - with the shutter was fast enough to catch the machete

#7 - Nice shot again, but the dead space on the right bugs me somewhat

 

[Talonted90]

True I definitely put up too many pictures at once. here is the edited version of the one with the little girl.

 

[ypperin]

Nice, much better looks much more natural with less saturation

 

[LaFoto]

This must have been a good experience, good practise for your Spanish (?) - wish I ever had the chance to go to South America for practise! -, and a good opportunity to practise your photography!!!

The one I like best, compositionally and also with regards to interaction with the camera - and in consequence us, the viewers - is the one of Dennis and his machete. It must have been pretty dark out in the rainforest, so the camera (you?) had to go for a fairly long shutter speed. Adds action to the shot and makes the machete a lot less dangerous looking for us, the viewers (as we can't see it at all ). Also I love the colour of the background (and everyone who's known me from TPF before also knows why I just HAD to say this).

The first one is also quite nice, you went up close to your subjects - but later added too much light on their faces and all (don't know how you did it) - and now the photo lacks in contrasts and looks sort of "milky". Maybe you can return to it and maybe up the shadows in leves some or so?

The second is too wide an angle to really be a photo of the children, it is more one about the surroundings they live in the the life in their village and all ... I agree: a vertical photo of only the kids in the tree would have been the better choice.

Vertical framing should definitely also have been your choice for the photo of the cook's little boy, that would have left his legs "intact" and we would not see so many of the background elements.

Central composition seems to be part of many of these photos here, and the one of the little girl carrying her sister is no exception. You might want to work on this in the future.

And well, yes, the last is a bit of a "blooper" with the one guy's head cut of and the little boy ... erm ... you know... Vertical framing and waiting one more second...?

 

[Talonted90]

Thanks for the comments. This really was a great opportunity for me. I am still young (21) so I am trying to take advantage of all of these experiences while I still can. This upcoming summer I will actually be returning to this same place but this time for two months instead of two weeks. This should give me ample time to get some amazing pictures or so I hope.

I really wish I had spent more time on photographing the people of the region. A lot of these shots were quickly snapped as I was passing by them in the back of a truck. I also didn't really think of the composition and framing aspects when snapping the pictures as I was still relatively new to "seeing the picture" before I took it. With this year of experience I intend to take all of these factors into account.

With regards to the first picture, for some reason when I took it the entire picture was really washed out. With the photo editing program that I have this was the most I can do with it until I get photoshop or something similar.