Fall portrait C&C please

[creisinger]

Also I'd like to add, the background is very bright, too many highlights (in the original at least).

I agree.

Putting more light on the girl would have allowed you to darken the background by closing down on the aperture.

I couldn't even believe at first that the original image showed the actual bokeh of that lens.

I would just put a Gaussian blur on the background and mask out the girl - done.

 

[K8-90]

If the background is distracting, how about a tighter crop in the girl (portrait orientation)?

 

[Derrel]

Well, you said the photo looked "off" in some way, and you said yuo coudn;t put your finger on it. And then three people in a row, with me being one of the three, took issue with the background.

I think the original had very distracting bokeh. The last edit looks the best to me,since it's a fairly convincing fake bokeh effect. The depth of field band is "faked"pretty well in the last edit. In the first,original photo, there were how many out of focus specular highlights??? 200? 250? All those small, OOF highlights, uphill, behind the little girl, were really distracting. The dappled light and yellow leaves are unusual,and only exist for a few days in any one year. It's a snapshot in time. Autumn 2009.

Completely eliminating the OOF highlights in the last edit has removed a lot of the distractions--hundreds of them have been removed in fact. it is an offbeat kind of look, an offbeat composition. Some day it'll be a treasured memory. As far as the 25mm's bokeh--I haven't seen any shots done with that lens. It's a fairly exotic optic--I'd like to see what it can do some day.

 

[Jane58]

I'm with K8-90 -- maybe a tighter crop would work. The slant of the horizon is distracting to me - makes me feel she's going to roll to the left! Maybe rotate it a couple of degres clockwise?
Personally, I like the shade on the face...makes for a unique pic - with the blank look, it's like the many moods of a toddler!!

 

[bengtb]

your world is leaning on way and its left...

 

[creisinger]

I have to say that a tighter crop is not fixing the terrible bokeh of the lens...

I think the original composition is fine and the background can be easily softened as already shown.

I'd be more concerned about the lens than the composition.

 

[pony]

your world is leaning on way and its left...

I live outside Pittsburgh. Everything is on a hill
She was sitting in the only "flat" part of my front yard.

 

[pony]

I have to say that a tighter crop is not fixing the terrible bokeh of the lens...

I think the original composition is fine and the background can be easily softened as already shown.

I'd be more concerned about the lens than the composition.

Thanks. This was a hand me down camera and lenses. I am saving up for a replacement Nikon. Then I can at least find an assortment of lenses. No camera shops here = a serious lack of anywhere for me to go to try out gear

Well, you said the photo looked "off" in some way, and you said yuo coudn;t put your finger on it. And then three people in a row, with me being one of the three, took issue with the background.

I think the original had very distracting bokeh. The last edit looks the best to me,since it's a fairly convincing fake bokeh effect. The depth of field band is "faked"pretty well in the last edit. In the first,original photo, there were how many out of focus specular highlights??? 200? 250? All those small, OOF highlights, uphill, behind the little girl, were really distracting. The dappled light and yellow leaves are unusual,and only exist for a few days in any one year. It's a snapshot in time. Autumn 2009.

Completely eliminating the OOF highlights in the last edit has removed a lot of the distractions--hundreds of them have been removed in fact. it is an offbeat kind of look, an offbeat composition. Some day it'll be a treasured memory. As far as the 25mm's bokeh--I haven't seen any shots done with that lens. It's a fairly exotic optic--I'd like to see what it can do some day.

Thank you again Derrel. I had no idea that lens was "exotic". Makes sense though considering who I gt all this stuff from LOL

I'll try to get some pics with it today. I have trouble with stuff getting too soft around the edges when I use it. Maybe you guy can help me figure that out too. I have noticed that the backgrounds are much smoother than with the lens used for this photo though.

Thank you all for your insight. I have learned a lot the past week of to. Now I just have to see if I can put any of it into practice

 

[creisinger]

I have to say that a tighter crop is not fixing the terrible bokeh of the lens...

I think the original composition is fine and the background can be easily softened as already shown.

I'd be more concerned about the lens than the composition.

Thanks. This was a hand me down camera and lenses. I am saving up for a replacement Nikon. Then I can at least find an assortment of lenses. No camera shops here = a serious lack of anywhere for me to go to try out gear

No need to try out - well yeah but no.

Simply come here into the forum and ask what members recommend based on your budget and what shots you would like to take.

Buy prime lenses. They will never "go bad" and deliver best quality.

 

[newrmdmike]

didn't read all the comments, but for starters i would suggest holding up a white sheet or something to diffuse the light on the childs face, you don't want those splotchy highlights from light shining unevenly through the trees.

 

[FarrahJ]

This photo would have been immensely improved by moving your subject out of the sun or by putting a diffuser over her.

The fact that half her face is in the sun and half is in the shade is what ruins this picture for me.


Some people are going on about bokeh, but I think there are other things that are much more of a problem.

I agree with this...but the responses should tell you something...your background is what people are noticing more than your subject. =(