Boys -- would love some critique

julia4480 · Feb 23, 2010

Hi guys,

here are my 2nd and third shots posted to the forum... I haven't done anything with them with regards to editing, and would love to hear your ideas on what I could do to them and any other critiques you have! Thanks!

1.

2.

reznap · Feb 23, 2010

I like your idea on #1 but the sky's a little overbright. Cropping some off the top might help. This is why I like shooting on bracketing when possible (even on my current quasi-camera, it can only do +1/-1 exposure value... but it helps)

#2 is great, I really like it. Maybe bump the contrast up a bit, maybe not. I'd print and frame this for sure.

Photo Phan · Feb 23, 2010

looks like good subjects but the photography could use some work. looks like not enough lighting and not enough contrast. and color too. you could fake some in photoshop. but i think if you mess with the settings on your camera you can get it to work. Good Ideas!

chammer · Feb 23, 2010

really like the 2nd one, but its underexposed. as you listed your images as ok to edit, i imported it into lightroom and played with it a bit:

brought up the exposure/saturation just a touch and warmed up the color temperature a tad.

julia4480 · Feb 23, 2010

Photo Phan said:
looks like good subjects but the photography could use some work. looks like not enough lighting and not enough contrast. and color too. you could fake some in photoshop. but i think if you mess with the settings on your camera you can get it to work. Good Ideas!

Thank you so much for your input. I am really trying to get the concepts of lighting, aperture, shutter speed etc etc etc, but am not yet good at the actual shooting of it. What could I have done in my camera to bring up lighting.. it was a shaded spot and I didn't want to use flash. How would I bring out more contrast in my photography?

Thanks SO MUCH!

julia4480 · Feb 23, 2010

chammer said:
really like the 2nd one, but its underexposed. as you listed your images as ok to edit, i imported it into lightroom and played with it a bit:

brought up the exposure/saturation just a touch and warmed up the color temperature a tad.

Love what you did with it. I haven't purchased any editing software, but debating using GIMP. Heard it's a little difficult. I also don't yet know what to do on what photo...LOL. Oh the learning process.... :lol:

julia4480 · Feb 23, 2010

reznap said:
I like your idea on #1 but the sky's a little overbright. Cropping some off the top might help. This is why I like shooting on bracketing when possible (even on my current quasi-camera, it can only do +1/-1 exposure value... but it helps)

#2 is great, I really like it. Maybe bump the contrast up a bit, maybe not. I'd print and frame this for sure.

What's bracketing?? and thank you, also for your input.

tdiprincess · Feb 23, 2010

Very cute shots! Your boys are very charming!

I really love #1.. awesome creativity!

julia4480 · Feb 23, 2010

These boys aren't mine! haha! But thank you. They are my job. Im a nanny

Their mom allowed me to use them as my photography guinea pigs. Poor things. My camera has been in their faces for weeks!!

reznap · Feb 23, 2010

julia4480 said:
What's bracketing??

That's where you set the camera to take a rapid 3 shots, one with your manual settings, another exposed more and another exposed less.

myfotoguy · Feb 24, 2010

This is a nice thread (good suggestions and interaction). I like what chammer did with the image, looks great.

There are other editing software packages that aren't as complicated to learn as Gimp (to get started for now). Photoscape is farily easy to pick up.

IN the second shot, wonderful capture, just a bit underexposed as was mentioned. I use my flash a lot outdoors to "lift the shadows". It might have worked great here. You would likely want to dial in some negative flash compensation though. But fill flash can work wonders. You could start at -1.3 to -2.0 flash comp to start.

JayLPhoto · Feb 24, 2010

#1 is soft in the boys faces, maybe try and manual focus, it looks like the camera focused on the tree. Maybe crop a little from the top, also, in post you could add a little fill light and maybe bring the exposure down a little.

Keep shooting!

ann · Feb 24, 2010

with number two i wouldn't crop at both the top of his head and then the chin.

lean back a bit when you took the shot to include his chin

julia4480 · Feb 24, 2010

JayLPhoto said:
#1 is soft in the boys faces, maybe try and manual focus, it looks like the camera focused on the tree. Maybe crop a little from the top, also, in post you could add a little fill light and maybe bring the exposure down a little.

Keep shooting!

Thanks so much! Question tho... lol... what do I focus on when I have two beautiful faces...or how do I focus I should say?

julia4480 · Feb 24, 2010

myfotoguy said:
This is a nice thread (good suggestions and interaction). I like what chammer did with the image, looks great.

There are other editing software packages that aren't as complicated to learn as Gimp (to get started for now). Photoscape is farily easy to pick up.

IN the second shot, wonderful capture, just a bit underexposed as was mentioned. I use my flash a lot outdoors to "lift the shadows". It might have worked great here. You would likely want to dial in some negative flash compensation though. But fill flash can work wonders. You could start at -1.3 to -2.0 flash comp to start.

Great suggestions thank you so much! So, when I add flash compensation, the actual flash on my camera ( just the built in one for now ) doesn't seem as "harsh" ( for the lack of better terminology)?