Why not?!

sb5901 · Sep 8, 2012

New to the forum and new to my camera! But it's time to not be intimidated by some of the great photographs I see, and share my own. How else will I learn (besides taking 100 shots and deleting all but 2 of them lol).

Loved the water droplets

My 3 1/2 pound baby. Looked more dramatic BW

My teenage drama queen (can't you tell?!)

timor · Sep 8, 2012

sb5901 said:
(besides taking 100 shots and deleting all but 2 of them lol).

Not bad, the average ratio seems to be closer to 350 per 1 :lol:

In my feelings the water droplets photo looks kind of flat. It lacks a third dimension, maybe the light was too soft.
Sweet puppy, is looking good in this compo. There is a "drama" but I think created mostly by very harsh contrast this photo has.
The third photo just lack any dynamics in color, contrast or pose (closed eyes take away a lot from any face, no "soul" ).

sb5901 · Sep 8, 2012

Agreed (now that you mention it

)
Noted and these are great pieces of advice. The whole getting the right lighting seems to be a struggle for me. Hoping a speedlight will help. Learning to use it will be my curve ball! And you're definitely right about the eyes. Looking back at the other shots, BIG difference! She doesn't look as comfortable but I think this one isn't as flat? But I focused too much on the tree I think. Grrrrrr so much to work on!

HughGuessWho · Sep 8, 2012

Since your photos are "OK to Edit" I took the liberty of trying to get a little more punch out of #1. I wish it had a little more depth of field.

View attachment 19769

timor · Sep 8, 2012

sb5901 said:
Agreed (now that you mention it )
Noted and these are great pieces of advice. The whole getting the right lighting seems to be a struggle for me. Hoping a speedlight will help. Learning to use it will be my curve ball! And you're definitely right about the eyes. Looking back at the other shots, BIG difference! She doesn't look as comfortable but I think this one isn't as flat? But I focused too much on the tree I think. Grrrrrr so much to work on!

I think we all have to watch the light before triggering the shutter. Using strobe in portrait photography is not easy.
And yes, the next portrait is much better. What camera are you using ? Sometimes with such a static shots is maybe better to switch to manual focus. As for the learning, check your local library for some books about flash photography and portrait photography. That will speed up things.