Straight out of the box shots with my new T2i. C&C wanted.

[jeff_scott]

It is constructive.

Wow, you're gonna be a fun one.

Criticism yes, constructive no.

I think its very much constructive.... I share his sentiments.

The food, I'm guessing ketchup or pissketty sauce, ruin the shots for me.

If you are trolling for a compliment on your son, I'd be glad to give it to you... He's a good looking boy. But this isn't a "compliment my kid" forum... its a photography forum... And the truth of the matter here is, the subject in your photos has food all over his face. Its the first thing I saw in the first picture... and the second, and the thrid, and the .... Its like going being on a first date with a georgous woman, and she farts during the appitizer.

I never once was fishing for compliments, I am looking for good advice on what I could do better composition wise. Let me find you what CC looks like:

He's a cute little kid, so you ought to try and help convey that by showing him as "a little kid", within his environment. In the 22nd photo, you turn the camera to portrait orientation, and show him head-to-toe. Bingo!!! There he is...an entire little kid..wearing cute little Thomas The Tank Engine tennis shoes, and a tee shirt that says "whiz kid" on the front of it. Short pants, chubby little legs, clambering up onto a playground structure.

If you want to get a large head size, and a clear expression, and still show his hands and some of his body and clothing, you need to turn the camera to the tall orientation more often. It's possible to follow one's small child around and actually work on composition, and Tip Number One is to hold the camera in portrait mode more often than horizontal or landscape mode. Try and include both hands in the shots. MIx in some half-body with some full-length shots. On about 20 of the shots, the pictures that resulted from a horizontal camera orientation are duller and less-interesting than you would have gotten if the camera had been rotated.

As stated above, learning about editing is a good idea. Distinguishing between a good photo and a bad photo is rather important, just to save space, time and whatnot. but hell, if you love them all, then you keep them, its your son. ;-)

all in all, they're adorable shots but i think composure is lacking and the perspective is a little too high to me.

Those are the types of things I'm looking for. Trust me, I was very aware that his face was dirty...big deal he's a kid.

Do I need to read over and over that people don't prefer the dirty face? Absolutely not.

Do I want to read real advice and constructive criticism on what I could do better from a composition and perspective standpoint? Absolutely yes.

Enough of this bickering. I'd like true CC on what I could do better other than making sure my son's face is clean. That is all, thank you.

 

[jeff_scott]

all in all, they're adorable shots but i think composure is lacking and the perspective is a little too high to me.

That's the type of CC I am looking for. Thank you.

I respectfully disagree with rj... I think the compsure and perspective are both great. You got down to, and in some of the shots below, his level... that exactly what you should be doing with children. There are a few of the shots that are a little too "on-center" for me, but I can look past that because you didn't do that in most of them.... Honeslty, my biggest problem with those shots is the food all over the face.

Thanks.

 

[bazooka]

As much as I don't like adding fuel to the fire, I really do agree with above concerning the dirty face (food and marker). This is easily the weakest part of these pictures. It doesn't seem you're interested in hearing how to make these shots better though unless it's something you already had in mind that was wrong with it.

One other thing that I did notice was the sky is gray and featureless. Compositionwise, on this cloudy looking day, it'd be best to comp it out of the shot in my opinion.

 

[jeff_scott]

As much as I don't like adding fuel to the fire, I really do agree with above concerning the dirty face (food and marker). This is easily the weakest part of these pictures. It doesn't seem you're interested in hearing how to make these shots better though unless it's something you already had in mind that was wrong with it.

Got it, you're beating a dead horse.

One other thing that I did notice was the sky is gray and featureless. Compositionwise, on this cloudy looking day, it'd be best to comp it out of the shot in my opinion.

Thank you.

 

[Boomn4x4]

This is why I hate it when people post pictures for critique of their kids... They are too emotionally attached and any little mention of flaws in the "subject" of the photograph are first of all taken offense of, an secondly, completely ignored.

If someone were to post a shot of their car and there was mud all over the mud flaps...I'd bet a pay check that the first reply would be "the car is dirty, its got mud all over the flaps"... and the person who posted it would reply, "thanks... I totally missed that when I took the picture".

But post a picture of their kids.... and "there is food all over his face" turns into a 16 page pissing match.

If you post a picture of a dirty car... and some one says... you've got a dirty car. Then wash the car, retake the picture, and learn that the next time you go to take a picture of your car, make sure it isn't muddy.

If you post a picture of your kid, and someone says... you've got a dirty kid. Then wash the kid, retake the picture, and learn that the next time you go to take a picture of your kid, make sure he isn't dirty.

 

[jeff_scott]

This is why I hate it when people post pictures for critique of their kids... They are too emotionally attached and any little mention of flaws in the "subject" of the photograph are first of all taken offense of, an secondly, completely ignored.

If someone were to post a shot of their car and there was mud all over the mud flaps...I'd bet a pay check that the first reply would be "the car is dirty, its got mud all over the flaps"... and the person who posted it would reply, "thanks... I totally missed that when I took the picture".

But post a picture of their kids.... and "there is food all over his face" turns into a 16 page pissing match.

If you post a picture of a dirty car... and some one says... you've got a dirty car. Then wash the car, retake the picture, and learn that the next time you go to take a picture of your car, make sure it isn't muddy.

If you post a picture of your kid, and someone says... you've got a dirty kid. Then wash the kid, retake the picture, and learn that the next time you go to take a picture of your kid, make sure he isn't dirty.

Man you're beating a dead horse at this point. I get it, move on please.

 

[KmH]

C&C wanted.

In your opening post you said you devoted little time or attention to composition, lighting, or editing, and was just snapping away, yet want C&C ?

"One of the central problems in photography - overcoming the sheer mindless ease of taking a picture." - Michael Freeman

 

[jeff_scott]

C&C wanted.

In your opening post you said you devoted little time or attention to composition, lighting, or editing, and was just snapping away, yet want C&C ?

"One of the central problems in photography - overcoming the sheer mindless ease of taking a picture." - Michael Freeman

Even impromptu shots can be constructively criticized on what could be better, however I do get what you're saying.

I suppose I am looking for advice on what to do better. A perfect example of what I mean is the advice I got to focus more on full body shots to better portray what the subject is doing at that given time and focus less on head shots. Another example would be "shot #x could have benefited from less of x and more of y." Catch my drift?

I suppose I approached and worded this thread all wrong.

 

[KmH]

That is composition, which was low on your priority list when you were shooting.

Composition and light are the entirety of a photographic image.

The light was flat because there was over cast. Had you used a bit of strobed light your photos would have have more pop.

 

[mrpink]

I suppose I am looking for advice on what to do better.

Wipe your kids face before taking photos.





p!nK

 

[Derrel]

Jeff,
TPF Eats Its Young...

In a world where no kid under age nine has access to either food, crayons,ink pens, or markers, photos of kids feature perfectly-combed hair, sparkling smiles, pressed clothes,clean faces, no skinned knees, no zits, straight,gleaming white teeth, angelic skin, perfectly coordinated shoes+top+pants or skirt (as gender-appropriate), no drool marks, and no spilled food stains. WTF were you thinking shooting photos of your kid with a bit of marker on his eye/forehead area and with some residual food on his cheeks? I mean, crap, are you letting your kid out of his plastic bubble, and actually FEEDING him food and letting him play with crayons??? What kind of dad are you???

 

[Sbuxo]

That's the type of CC I am looking for. Thank you.

If you already know why "type" of C&C you want, why bother asking? Say you want people to say your kid's adorable and move on.:er:

 

[Sbuxo]

Jeff,
TPF Eats Its Young...

In a world where no kid under age nine has access to either food, crayons,ink pens, or markers, photos of kids feature perfectly-combed hair, sparkling smiles, pressed clothes,clean faces, no skinned knees, no zits, straight,gleaming white teeth, angelic skin, perfectly coordinated shoes+top+pants or skirt (as gender-appropriate), no drool marks, and no spilled food stains. WTF were you thinking shooting photos of your kid with a bit of marker on his eye/forehead area and with some residual food on his cheeks? I mean, crap, are you letting your kid out of his plastic bubble, and actually FEEDING him food and letting him play with crayons??? What kind of dad are you???

:lmao:
guilty!

 

[mrpink]

Jeff,
TPF Eats Its Young...

In a world where no kid under age nine has access to either food, crayons,ink pens, or markers, photos of kids feature perfectly-combed hair, sparkling smiles, pressed clothes,clean faces, no skinned knees, no zits, straight,gleaming white teeth, angelic skin, perfectly coordinated shoes+top+pants or skirt (as gender-appropriate), no drool marks, and no spilled food stains. WTF were you thinking shooting photos of your kid with a bit of marker on his eye/forehead area and with some residual food on his cheeks? I mean, crap, are you letting your kid out of his plastic bubble, and actually FEEDING him food and letting him play with crayons??? What kind of dad are you???

I do all those things with my children, but we also utilize these (even more so before I take photos):

Wipes: Clean n Go Wipes at The Pampers Shop

These were not photos of him drawing or eating food, in which case the dirty face would have been accepted if not encouraged by added to the overall character of the photo. These were shots of him outside playing, making the stained face all the more out of place and distracting.

Just trying to add some "constructive" to the "criticism".






p!nK

 

[Raizels]

I think the thing w/ the dirty face i, it had nothing to do with the shot.
Allow me to explain.
I took a picture of my son when he was about 1 yr. old. He was sitting in his high chair, eating, and spacing out. He had food stains on his face and shirt, and his pupils are huge - he's thinking some baby thought while eating.
(I'd post it.. but it's OOF...)
The food stains in that shot are cool, they're part of the story.
Otherwise, they just make the kid look dirty.......