Constructive criticism needed!

[SusanSayl]

I've recently got started in Photography. Bought a used Canon Rebel Xsi and a couple of used lenses. I have not touched any of the settings because, quite frankly, I'm scared to. I have no idea what I am doing. I don't believe my pictures are terrible and everyone that has seen them really like them, so they must not be too bad. So I'm afraid of messing with it and making it worse. However, I know that in order to move forward professionally, my photos do need some work and professional advice would be nice. Especially on these 2 photos. These are probably, in my opinion, my worst ones. I really love them though and would like to know what I can do to fix them and what to do better next time.



I pulled them off my facebook page. If a better quality is needed, I can upload them when I get home this evening. And these photos have not been edited at all, they are SOOC.


Thanks a bunch!
Susan

 

[jwbryson1]

I've recently got started in Photography. Bought a used Canon Rebel Xsi and a couple of used lenses. I have not touched any of the settings because, quite frankly, I'm scared to. I have no idea what I am doing. I don't believe my pictures are terrible and everyone that has seen them really like them, so they must not be too bad. So I'm afraid of messing with it and making it worse. However, I know that in order to move forward professionally, my photos do need some work and professional advice would be nice. Especially on these 2 photos. These are probably, in my opinion, my worst ones. I really love them though and would like to know what I can do to fix them and what to do better next time.

View attachment 42839View attachment 42840

I pulled them off my facebook page. If a better quality is needed, I can upload them when I get home this evening.


Thanks a bunch!
Susan

Hi Susan, and welcome to the forum.

On your images, I have several comments. Get rid of that watermark. It looks awful.

If you want to take this type of photograph, may I suggest that you should get down on her level and shoot the image towards her, and not down AT her. The downward angle of the image is not pleasing.

You also need to learn about proper lighting. It may sound counterintuitive, but outdoors in bright sunlight you really need to shoot with a flash or you will get just what you have here -- images that are exposed properly for the background and a poorly underexposed face. A flash will give you what's known as "fill flash" or "fill light" which will properly expose her face, plus the background, and will result in a much better image.

I'd suggest your read your user's manual cover to cover about 3 or 4 times to get really familiar with your camera. If you don't have the manual, Google it because they are readily available online. Then I'd spend some time in the following links because you will find them useful.

Immerse yourself in this forum -- seriously, if you want to improve as a photographer and not just be another "MWAC" (Mom With A Camera), then you will need to improve your skills. You will get a LOT of really good feedback in this forum, but you must have thick skin because nobody will sugar coat it for you. Shoot images, post 2 or 3 of them here along with the EXIF data of each image, get feedback and work with it, and then shoot some more and respost.

Check out these links:

Cambridge in Colour - Photography Tutorials & Learning Community

 

[jwbryson1]

Watch this too:

 

[picturehappy]

Also ill add to the above

If you don't have a flash try a white board and bounce the light back onto the face i use the foam core boards if i don't have a flash on me .....just some DIY on the cheap but it gets the job done

 

[tirediron]

Someone will be along to move these to a more appropriate location shortly, so, in the meantime, C&C per req:

There are a couple of significant issues I see with these images. The first is exposure; your camera has metered for the much brighter background, and caused the subject's face to be at least a stop under-exposed. Go here and read through the excellent series of tutorials, in particular those that relate to metering and how your camera's exposure meter actually works. To alleviate this problem you need to add more light, and given how bright the scene is, a reflector would have worked well to bring some light into her face.

Another consideration is posing. Centered subjects are rarely appropriate in a scene like this. Read up on the "Rule of thirds", the "Golden mean/ratio" and "Portrait posing".

 

[KmH]

If you don't have it, you can download the Canon EOS Rebel XSi/450DKiss X2 user's manual here - http://gdlp01.c-wss.com/gds/3/0300000933/01/EOSRXSi-EOS450D_EN.pdf

Originally Posted by SusanSayl
However, I know that in order to move forward professionally, my photos do need some work and professional advice would be nice.

The most concentrated source of professional advice is usually found in books:

Master Lighting Guide for Portrait Photographers
Direction & Quality of Light: Your Key to Better Portrait Photography Anywhere
Doug Box's Guide to Posing for Portrait Photographers
Minimalist Lighting: Professional Techniques for Studio Photography
Minimalist Lighting: Professional Techniques for Location Photography
The Business of Studio Photography: How to Start and Run a Successful Photography Studio

 

[SusanSayl]

On your images, I have several comments. Get rid of that watermark. It looks awful.


If you want to take this type of photograph, may I suggest that you should get down on her level and shoot the image towards her, and not down AT her. The downward angle of the image is not pleasing.


You also need to learn about proper lighting. It may sound counterintuitive, but outdoors in bright sunlight you really need to shoot with a flash or you will get just what you have here -- images that are exposed properly for the background and a poorly underexposed face. A flash will give you what's known as "fill flash" or "fill light" which will properly expose her face, plus the background, and will result in a much better image.


I'd suggest your read your user's manual cover to cover about 3 or 4 times to get really familiar with your camera. If you don't have the manual, Google it because they are readily available online. Then I'd spend some time in the following links because you will find them useful.


Immerse yourself in this forum -- seriously, if you want to improve as a photographer and not just be another "MWAC" (Mom With A Camera), then you will need to improve your skills. You will get a LOT of really good feedback in this forum, but you must have thick skin because nobody will sugar coat it for you. Shoot images, post 2 or 3 of them here along with the EXIF data of each image, get feedback and work with it, and then shoot some more and respost.


Check out these links:

Thanks for your advice! And I will definitely check into those links! And I never in a million years would have expected to get criticism for my watermark. But thanks anyways. Criticism is exactly what I wanted and needed, on every aspect of the image. Thanks a bunch! And I do have fairly thick skin.


Oh and I'm not a mom. Not that there is anything wrong with being a mom, I just have no desire to be one. The beautiful subject in the image is my neice. I know that doesn't matter, just wanted to point it out though.

If you don't have a flash try a white board and bounce the light back onto the face i use the foam core boards if i don't have a flash on me .....just some DIY on the cheap but it gets the job done

I will certainly check into that! I've been wanting to purchase an external flash, but since they are over $200, it will have to wait. So I will definitely be trying your idea. THANKS!

Someone will be along to move these to a more appropriate location shortly, so, in the meantime, C&C per req:


There are a couple of significant issues I see with these images. The first is exposure; your camera has metered for the much brighter background, and caused the subject's face to be at least a stop under-exposed. Go here and read through the excellent series of tutorials, in particular those that relate to metering and how your camera's exposure meter actually works. To alleviate this problem you need to add more light, and given how bright the scene is, a reflector would have worked well to bring some light into her face.


Another consideration is posing. Centered subjects are rarely appropriate in a scene like this. Read up on the "Rule of thirds", the "Golden mean/ratio" and "Portrait posing".

Thanks you for your advice, and I will be checking out the tutorials you linked.

If you don't have it, you can download the Canon EOS Rebel XSi/450DKiss X2 user's manual here - http://gdlp01.c-wss.com/gds/3/0300000933/01/EOSRXSi-EOS450D_EN.pdf

I do actually have the manual. Just haven't found the time to actually sit down for a few hours and look over it. I guess that is something that I am going to have to make the time to do though since that is my most common advice.