Easter/Family Photos....

emmam83 · Mar 22, 2016

So I've had my Canon SL1 for all of maybe 2 weeks, I took it out on Sunday to take some pics of our little guy for Easter. Thoughts?

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ronlane · Mar 22, 2016

Not bad. I do see 2 things that will help. The first is the vignetting. For me it is a little too much (dark). The second is composition. The first two aren't bad but the third one cuts off the baby's feet. The last one brings in part of a leg and two ghost arms.

It's a good start for sure.

sscarmack · Mar 22, 2016

I'm not a fan of the vignetting and the photos overall feel "washed out".

Other than that, you captured the moment, caught some good expressions, and the photos are relatively decent. Exposures are good, focus is decent. Not bad not bad, keep practicing

emmam83 · Mar 22, 2016

ronlane said:
Not bad. I do see 2 things that will help. The first is the vignetting. For me it is a little too much (dark). The second is composition. The first two aren't bad but the third one cuts off the baby's feet. The last one brings in part of a leg and two ghost arms.

It's a good start for sure.

Thank you! I was thinking the same about the last one with the arms and legs, I played with the vignetting, I should have gone with my original thoughts and gone lighter lol thanks again

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Stradawhovious · Mar 22, 2016

White balance seems a bit hinkey, maybe an overall greenish feel (could be my monitor)... also another vote against the vignetting.

In the last pic, is the "K" on Dad's arm a tattoo or a club stamp? If tattoo leave it, if it's a stamp I would clone it out.

MHO.

ronlane · Mar 22, 2016

What are you post processing with? If it is lightroom, I hardly ever go past -20 (most of the time it is -10 or -15).

emmam83 · Mar 22, 2016

sscarmack said:
I'm not a fan of the vignetting and the photos overall feel "washed out".

Other than that, you captured the moment, caught some good expressions, and the photos are relatively decent. Exposures are good, focus is decent. Not bad not bad, keep practicing

Thanks!! Yeah, looks like the vignetting didn't go over too well lol and I was going for the "washed out" look but I might have over did it. I'm learning, learning!

)

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emmam83 · Mar 22, 2016

Stradawhovious said:
White balance seems a bit hinkey, maybe an overall greenish feel (could be my monitor)... also another vote against the vignetting.

In the last pic, is the "K" on Dad's arm a tattoo or a club stamp? If tattoo leave it, if it's a stamp I would clone it out.

MHO.

That's 3! Lol looks like I struck out on the vignetting.... The "K" is a tattoo (Strikeout) [emoji87] Thank you

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emmam83 · Mar 22, 2016

ronlane said:
What are you post processing with? If it is lightroom, I hardly ever go past -20 (most of the time it is -10 or -15).

I'm using Pixlr for Mac. I haven't looked into other editing apps yet.

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ronlane · Mar 22, 2016

Emma, I wouldn't say that it is a strike out with the vignetting. It's just too much, a slight vignetting will be just fine. It's a fine line that a lot of people (me included) have crossed at first. Then you learn to pull it back and no one will notice or say anything about it.

Derrel · Mar 22, 2016

The color toning on these is not very appealing; Easter is supposed to be a happy, bright, light, fun,outdoorsy holiday, and dark vignetting is the exact opposite of light and bright...it adds a sinister feeling. The overall muted, low contrast and greenish tint is hurting these a lot. I would reprocess these with an eye toward a lighter, brighter overall feeling. Watch out for trees sprouting from heads, as in #1.

I like the last photo, and the way it was done, as far as vantage point for the camera, and the way the dad is supporting the baby. I do not mind the dad's foot being cut-off, and in fact the foot-chop actually make sense in the context of the shot. The baby's feet also do not show--which shows the height of the grass. Cutting the dad's foot at the edge of the frame also keeps the father figure from being too much of a firmly-planted person representation, and is sort of a visual shorthand to make us thing only about the helping hands daddy is offering. It's a good example of where a so-called rule being broken WORKS and works very well. #4 is a really,really GOOD picture for this type of age.

Stradawhovious · Mar 22, 2016

emmam83 said:
Thanks!! Yeah, looks like the vignetting didn't go over too well lol and I was going for the "washed out" look but I might have over did it. I'm learning, learning! )

Yeah, I don't know what it is about the washed out look too... much like the vignetting, I fell into the "washed out look" hole when I first started post processing. I look back on some of my photos and shudder. :lol:

. On top of that, I'm still learning every day. Playing in post is still a bit intimidating to me, so I try to get it perfect in the camera so I can avoid post. Losing battle, that.

You're doing great for being at it a week. Stick around, develop your style, and share. We are all happy to help folks who want to be helped.

emmam83 · Mar 22, 2016

Derrel said:
The color toning on these is not very appealing; Easter is supposed to be a happy, bright, light, fun,outdoorsy holiday, and dark vignetting is the exact opposite of light and bright...it adds a sinister feeling. The overall muted, low contrast and greenish tint is hurting these a lot. I would reprocess these with an eye toward a lighter, brighter overall feeling. Watch out for trees sprouting from heads, as in #1.

Oh my goodness, I didn't even notice the "tree sprouting"!! [emoji1324] I guess I was going for like a pastel look.... I'll spend some more time on these today, thanks

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SquarePeg · Mar 22, 2016

The last one is a great shot. I like the first one also. Agree about the vignette - a little goes a long way with that and its a great tool when used subtly. Why the watermark if these are family photos?

Stradawhovious · Mar 22, 2016

emmam83 said:
Oh my goodness, I didn't even notice the "tree sprouting"!!

It takes a while to be able to slow down and really look at the scene through the viewfinder. Once you take the time to actually look at the scene in its entirety before pressing the shudder, you will start to notice all kinds of things. Tree branches, fire hydrants, park benches, other people, bicycles, street signs, etc... and all in the most inopportune places. It's easier to find them before taking the image than it is trying to clone them out in post.

Ask me how I know.