C&C Practicing WB and exposure

[bunny99123]

I took these today, which is cold and over-cast with sun trying to glare through at times. I finally did learn custom white balance and adjust the exposure. They seem soft to me, and I am not happy with the photos, so C&C is welcome!
Thank you

 

[tirediron]

I'm on a netbook, so I can't say much about the WB or pull the EXIF data, but while they seem acceptably sharp on this small screen, the length of the water drops inthe background leads me to believe your shutter speed may have been longer than was ideal. In general, they're not bad; compositionally, try and avoid placing the subject in the center of the image. Read up on the Rule of Thirds and the Golden Mean/Golden Ration for help with composition.

 

[bunny99123]

Thanks...my eyes are not too good, so I have trouble checking for sharpness. I was shooting in A mode a lot, and next time keep an eye on the shutter. So much to remember. I wanted to get the nice background and where she was at there was only one place to step. How do you avoid the orange look of skin next to natural brick?

 

[tirediron]

Easy, don't shoot next to natural brick!



Yeah, I know... everyone loves an intelligent donkey. Strongly reflected colour casts can be a real challenge. You can try adding some light from a strobe or reflected sunlight to help "wash it out", or, if you have lightroom, use the selective adjustment tool to correct the WB on her skin.