Babies!

[Rebekah5280]

Here are some pictures for C&C please.

#1

#2

#3

#4

Thanks for looking, and your feedback.

 

[PixByATeen]

Well,
#1 The top of her head is just to white it looks burnt...
#2 Is slightly out of focus.
#3 I really like but if I was going to be picky I would say that the flower on her hat is a bit distracting.
#4I like but the flower in front of the basket is bugging me.
But overall not bad I was just being picky Keep posting!

 

[tirediron]

C&C per req:

1. The exposure is wayyyyyyy out of whack here. You've totally blown his crown and some of the background as well as parts of his fingers. You needed probably two stops of fill light image right to reduce the dynamic range, equalize the exposure and produce a correctly exposed image. When composing/cropping, always avoid cropping little bits of limbs such as the fingers. If you do need to crop limbs, do it boldly, not at or near joints and never laterally.

2. A nice high-key attempt; you're just a little over here; you've blown some of the detail on the white sleeves and shoe soles. The image appears slightly soft, particularily near the eyes, and he could use a little more room image right.

3. Skin tones aren't bad, but you've lost all detail in the whites.

4. A bit cliche IMO, but if the client likes it.. Again, your exposure is off here; you're shooting with a bright backlight and as a result the face is in shadow and the eyes are lifeless. A single speedlight 20 degrees camera right with a diffuser of some sort would have really improved this image. If possible, i would suggest recropping to include all of the basket and removing some of the right side to put the subject slightly off centre.

Overall, not a bad set at all, but you have some serious exposure issues to overcome; all easily dealt with using one or two speedlights and a couple of diffusers and reflectors.

Just my $00.02 worth - your mileage may vary.

~John

 

[Rebekah5280]

I agree. I do have exposure issues!! I'm trying to get better though. I try to save my backgrounds but then my subjects are underexposed, or I expose for my subjects and my backgrounds are blown.. *sigh*
I also have a tendancy to over-expose in post because I like my pictures "bright," but I'm losing detail and I'm not sure what to do. but I guess what your saying is that I need fill flash... ..and, if I use a diffuser, than I will not get a "flashed" look to my pictures. Right?
I shoot solo so trying to use a relector is challenging. I've purchased a flash, but its worthless, I will be investing in a speedlight for sure.

Thank you for your critiques. I value your feedback.

 

[tirediron]

What kind of flash did you buy and why do you feel it is worthless (nb. "Speedlight" is simply a generic term to any off-camera flash, it doesn't signify a particular type of quality)? Any flash that has manual control is useful, you just need to know how to use it properly. Reflectors without helpers can be a challenge, BUT it's do-able. Cheap tripods, music-stands, etc all make great supports for reflectors. I would suggest reading the tutorials here, especially the ones relating ot metering and exposure. As well, spend some time over at the Strobist Blog and read through 'Lighting 101' for a wealth of information on off-camera flash work.

 

[Rebekah5280]

I ended up with a flash that will mount, but not swivel so I can't bounce it the way I want to. The cord that came with it, does not fit into my camera so I have to use it mounted on my camera (I could purchase the correct cable, but I hate that I cant swivel the flash so I'm just going to get a different one). Even with my flash diffuser, I'm just not happy with it.
I only began shooting in March and I was so overwhelmed with learning how to manipulate my camera into doing what I wanted it to do (i.e. shooting in manual) that I declared myself a "natural light" photographer just because I couldn't imagine trying to figure out flash on top of everything else.. haha.. But I am willing to tackle it now.
I will look into the exposure and lighting links you provided.
Thanks again!!!

 

[edddial]

I like #3 & #4.

 

[Rebekah5280]

Thanks!

#3 The babies skin tone was really blotchy red and yellow (jaundice), so I had some work to do in post to even it out a little.