What is wrong with this picture?

[clipse]

Sun was behind him. Hazy sky. I have tried several different ways to post process and this is the best I could come up with.

IMG_6571 by clipse_94, on Flickr

 

[Light Guru]

The pole sticking out of his head is the biggest distracting thin in the image.

 

[Braineack]

what's wrong with it?

 

[clipse]

I'm really looking to how I can make it look better. It just seems off to me.

 

[Braineack]

The only thing I really see is the background slant and the pole as mentioned, but it's so minor.

It's well exposed, it's framed well, it has enough DOF on the face, the bokeh is pleasing, the background is relativity clean, it's bright, it's fun, the smile is great... there's a ton good going for it.

Was it just a snapshot? If so, then you should be patting yourself on the back.

 

[clipse]

Yeah it was a snapshot......kinda. My wife wanted family pictures, so we went to the park. While she and my daughter when to the little girls room, I took this pic.

 

[goodguy]

Not bad, boys top of the head is over exposed, what I do usually (if I can) is shoot same picture 3 times, first regular second 1/3 under exposed and then 2/3 under exposed.
This helps me to choose best exposed picture.
Its always much easier to pull details from an underexposed area then to get details from over exposed area.
Also I personally would crop the picture closer to the boys head this way the poll is less distructing.

 

[dennybeall]

Really like the expression on the child's face. I would darken it just a tad and PS that monument out that's behind his head. I think the exposure brought down a bit would bring out some detail in the hair and face.
Might even smudge the out of focus background a bit more.
His Mom would love the shot just as it is because of the expression captured so well.

 

[clipse]

The kid loves to smile.

IMG_6569 by clipse_94, on Flickr

 

[dennybeall]

OK couldn't resist...........

 

[dennybeall]

Dad's just got to stop lining up those poles behind his head.............
The kid does not take a bad picture!

 

[clipse]

Ok, so I'm not the best at removing stuff from photos. But here is my attempt.

IMG_6571_3 by clipse_94, on Flickr

 

[JacaRanda]

Great smile. The removal of the pole was not bad, but best to watch your backgrounds prior to the shot (when possible). As goodguy mentioned, I would crop more from the top of the picture. Just scrolling my screen to about 1/4 inch above is head makes a world of difference in my view.

 

[Solarflare]

- Choose your backgrounds (obviously)
- Choose your exposure more carefully (for example learn reading histograms, enable highlights / zebras)
- Choose your framing (for example dont cut off parts of the feet like that, that makes the shot look random)
- Try noncentral position of the subject (i.e. in this case the face) instead of always only head on centered (centered works very well sometimes, but all the time and it gets very repetitive and boring)
- Get closer; fill the photograph with the subject (this is again about the second picture which is a very boring and sloppy composition)
- Its no problem at all with this boy, since he has a modellike, very symmetric face, but in general rather try taking pictures of people from one side. Ideally also put the light on the "short" side of the face to create a slimming effect.

 

[soufiej]

Sun was behind him. Hazy sky. I have tried several different ways to post process and this is the best I could come up with.

IMG_6571 by clipse_94, on Flickr

With the sun behind the subject, how did you meter the scene? If you went with the broadest metering, then your camera expects a similar value across the frame. IMO it's best to close down the metering point to just cover your subject in order to attain the best exposure of the subject. This typically can't be done in full auto mode. You'll have to be in some other shooting mode which provides some control over your camera's functions. Basically, the look of the snapshot is one of allowing the camera to control you rather than you controlling the camera.

Center weighted or spot metering will result in somewhat over exposed backgrounds in a shot such as this but that's not that bad and can easily be taken care of in post production. Your subject will be properly exposed and that's the first request. Selecting a different background other than bright sunlight can help resolve the differences between subject and background.

Available light photography is not just about taking a photo in the light that is available. It is more about observing the effects of the light and using them to your advantage. You have a posed subject so you could have posed this boy in a direction which gave more depth to his face by providing highlights and shadows. Even if you select a pose which adds deep shadows to one side and then want to add a bit of fill flash, it would, IMO, make for a better image. You could have even moved him into light shade and added some (minimized) flash for a more interesting shot. As is, it reads as a snapshot by someone not too familiar with the basics of photography or their camera's operational facilities.

Your composition is rather poor. Not only do you have a consistent problem with poles sticking out of heads and cutting off feet but you don't seem cognizant of the lines in the image. The horizontal bands of light and less light, roadways vs grass, are bothersome IMO. Our eyes naturally follow lines and spaces in an image. They are basic tools of good composition the photographer must learn to manage and control. Your backgrounds are not only uninteresting but they are distracting. With a posed shot, you could have done far better. Pay attention to where you are placing your subject.

You really need to learn to look at what's in your camera frame before you shoot. Move your subject around a bit to get the most pleasing composition and the best lighting. Yeah, centering the subject is pretty much ... not so great. Search a few tutorials on how to best photograph children. A simple "stand there while I take this snapshot" is going to be the snapshot-ish result you have achieved. Your second shot is better in this regard but you've included so much that has nothing to do with the shot that it too lacks in ... "creativity".

Your poses are standard mom and pop fare. A straight on facial shot is OK but never going to make you take notice. Even if that's what you want, a straight on shot of the face, there are simple techniques which will make the shot far more interesting and memorable.

Research "how to photograph children" and "how to pose photographic models".

What shooting mode are you using on the camera? Does your camera provide any manual controls?