C&C Please

cccott3 · Nov 7, 2011

1.

2.

3.

4.

cccott3 · Nov 7, 2011

The wind was blowing like crazy and trying to keep a 2 year old still is not so easy but she did great! I will def need to crop her toes out of number 4.

tirediron · Nov 7, 2011

C&C per req:

1. Cute, but fill light was needed image right to avoid the racoom eyes. I would also try and get more level and square with the subject to avoid the skewed perspective.

2. I like the composition here, and her expression is cute, but the monochrome is a bit mid-tone rich. She's also a little too centered for my taste.

3. Great smile, but why the landscape orientation? Next time, have her turn her body slightly so that her eyes are not fully over to one side.

4. Good expsoure, but the cropped feet? Ouch! Again, she's suffering from racoon eyes, and the image needs to be leveled.

Overall, a nice set. A few minor technical issues to work on, but well shot.

Just my $00.02 worth - your mileage may vary.

~John

MrsLittle · Nov 8, 2011

I like #1, cute!

KmH · Nov 8, 2011

Be sure and consider your backgrounds.

The vertical lines (trees) steal attention from your subject.

In #1 one vertical (tree) is in line with her head, and in #2 it's right up against her head.
In #4 the door knob and lock are distracting being that close to her head.

As mentioned, in all of them there are issues related to the lighting.

Lighting affects composition, focus, exposure decisions, and pretty much everything about taking a picture. Further, the mood of the photograph is totally dependent on the lighting - and can make or break the image. It is also one of the hardest things for a budding photographer to grasp. - Fil Hunter

Focus On Lighting Photos: Focus on the Fundamentals (Focus On Series) (The Focus on)
Light Science and Magic, Fourth Edition: An Introduction to Photographic Lighting

Westcott Photo Basics 304 5-in-1 Reflector Kit and a video on how to use it: http://www.photobasi...tails.cfm?id=57

And a YouTube video:

cccott3 · Nov 8, 2011

Well heck. I thought they were pretty good

I guess I don't have the eye for this yet. I made a reflector and never even used it because it was super windy and her mom could not hold it because she was constantly having to distract the child. I used my sb 700 for fill flash but guess I need more practice with that thing. Thanks for the critiques

Futurelight · Nov 8, 2011

Nice shots but you forgot the very first rule:- Never, Never, Never, Never, Never, Never, Never, Never, Never, Never, Never, Never, EVER ever ever....
Work with children or animals! :-D haha They are some nice shots though

Good effort.

Futurelight · Nov 8, 2011

And, I agree with KmH, Spend a bit of time working out the composition. It takes few seconds but creates much better shots.

Keep shooting!

KmH · Nov 8, 2011

cccott3 said:
I used my sb 700 for fill flash but guess I need more practice with that thing. Thanks for the critiques

At least you have the speedlight.

More knowledge about how to use the SB-700 is worth more than uninformed practice.

If you are letting the camera and flash unit control the light expect inconsistant results, because they are both just stupid machines that can only follow a program some committee of Japanese software engineers wrote.

tirediron · Nov 8, 2011

cccott3 said:
Well heck. I thought they were pretty good I guess I don't have the eye for this yet. I made a reflector and never even used it because it was super windy and her mom could not hold it because she was constantly having to distract the child. I used my sb 700 for fill flash but guess I need more practice with that thing. Thanks for the critiques

It's not a matter of good or bad; Ansel Adam's first shot probably wasn't a keeper either. Remember a good photograph is like a woman's make-up. Hours of work, effort and thought go to produce a product that, if done correctly, will look as if nothing was done at all.

deathdealer · Nov 8, 2011

I like #2 i would have made it tighter, however it tells a story it makes you stop and pause. I dont think the bench causes a distraction because you place her at the end of the bench therefore they kinda draw the eyes to her, but again i woulda cropped it so she wasnt so much in the middle.