Feedback

[cmerc4]

Hello everyone,

This is my first time posting photos on here, but I have been lurking around learning from other posters CC's for about a month now. I know there have been a lot of complaints about the new members posting pics for feedback without trying to do their homework, so I have been hesitant to post. However, I have been reading and playing around with my camera in manual mode for almost a year now.

This was my first attempt at really trying to use my histograms, and I want to know if it appears that I'm doing it right or not ??? My lighting is not the greatest, I have a nikon SB700, a small reflector and a bunch of tin foil (lol) but no strobes or anything. Also, I didn't edit the picture (except some cropping) because I want feedback on my shooting, not my editing (and I suck at editing haha, I'll spend time working on that once I'm more confident in my photography skills).

Issues I noticed are that there is a slight angle between the floor and the background that makes the pictures look crooked. I could probably fix this easily with straightening though. I don't love this dress for the reflection of light, but it's her "valentines dress" from grandma, and it gives me such an appreciation for the Pros having to deal with whatever clothing their customers show up in! In the photo she is filling out her Valentines Day cards.

The photos were shot NEF but I converted them to JPEG after cropping.

 

[tom_anderson18]

Looks underexposed, the background is too busy. You should try placing her in front of a plain background and try get closer using a shallow DoF.

 

[cmerc4]

Thanks, I'm waiting for a new lens in the mail that will give me shallower DOF. I keep reading about not using them wide open so I didn't want to go any wider than I did with this lens. I'll definitely take your advice about getting a plain background, and when I edit these I'll expose them more. Thanks again.

 

[KmH]

Unfortuntely, that is a popular type of background.

Of course the intent is to have the subject several feet in front of the background. rather than leaning back on it.

Both shots are badly under exposed.

Exposure Bias Value = -0.67EV

Adding exposure post process makes image noise more visible.

Investigate ETTR (Expose To The Right).

 

[RebeccaAPhotography]

Well first off I have to say it is great you held back and actually read and tried to apply things. Now here are my quips... You are quite underexposed and I hate the background it's just too busy. There's my 2cents lol. But that's one darn cute kid!!! what was your exif data?

 

[Flyer]

Nikon would be to the left. I started watching my meter after reading you say that in another thread and was thinking 'WTH, to the right is -'. Please correct me if I'm thinking wrong though.

I agree though ... underexposed a bit.

 

[cmerc4]

Unfortuntely, that is a popular type of background.

Of course the intent is to have the subject several feet in front of the background. rather than leaning back on it.

Both shots are badly under exposed.

Exposure Bias Value = -0.67EV

Adding exposure post process makes image noise more visible.

Investigate ETTR (Expose To The Right).

Thanks for this....where/how do I find the exposure bias value? Exposure is something I've been struggling with because I think I naturally like overexposed photos and have been fighting that urge by trying to balance my histogram. I'll also make sure to have her positioned further in front of this background (and with a white floor) if I use it again to try and minimize how busy it is.

 

[cmerc4]

Well first off I have to say it is great you held back and actually read and tried to apply things. Now here are my quips... You are quite underexposed and I hate the background it's just too busy. There's my 2cents lol. But that's one darn cute kid!!! what was your exif data?

Thank you
Is there an easy way to show exif data? or is there a specific thing you are looking for?
Here's the exif summary:
MakeNIKON CORPORATIONModelNIKON D3100Aperture7.1Exposure Time1/200 (0.005 sec)Lens IDAF-S DX VR Zoom-Nikkor 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6G IF-ED (II)Lens Spec18-200mm f/3.5-5.599999999 G VRFocal Length40.0 mmFlashOn, Return detectedFile Size6.9 MBFile TypeJPEGMIME Typeimage/jpegImage Width3732Image Height2835Encoding ProcessBaseline DCT, Huffman codingBits Per Sample8Color Components3X Resolution300Y Resolution300SoftwareViewNX 2.0 MYCbCr Sub SamplingYCbCr4:2:0 (2 2)YCbCr PositioningCenteredExposure ProgramManualDate and Time (Original)2012:01:14 20:00:53Max Aperture Value4.4Metering ModeSpotLight SourceUnknownColor SpaceUncalibratedSensing MethodOne-chip color areaCustom RenderedNormalExposure ModeManualWhite BalancePresetDigital Zoom Ratio1Focal Length In 35 mm Format60 mmScene Capture TypeStandardGain ControlLow gain upContrastNormalSaturationNormalSharpnessNormalSubject Distance RangeUnknownQualityRAWF Number7.1Exposure Compensation-2/3Focus ModeManualFlash ModeFired, ExternalISO Setting100ISO400OrientationHorizontal (normal)XMP ToolkitXMP Core 4.1.1

Sorry it's so crazy, I've never shared it and would gladly show you in a more organized/friendly way if someone tells me how.

 

[MTVision]

You could just tell us what your shutter speed, ISO and aperture was

 

[MTVision]

Nikon would be to the left. I started watching my meter after reading you say that in another thread and was thinking 'WTH, to the right is -'. Please correct me if I'm thinking wrong though.

I agree though ... underexposed a bit.

You can change how the meter reads and its expose to the right (side of the histogram).

 

[cmerc4]

You could just tell us what your shutter speed, ISO and aperture was

Sorry about that! My shutter speed was 1/200, which was the fastest my camera would allow, aperture was 7.1 (I think I would use f9 next time, because I was trying to move down a couple of stops from being fully open, however couldn't remember the chart so I guessed and was wrong). My ISO was 400...I set it to 200 on my camera, and was on manual so I'm not sure why it adjusted. I did notice that my camera was set to exposure compensation -0.7 by accident, which would probably be why my picture was underexposed I must have accidentally done that while adjusting other things because I haven't read enough to be playing with my exposure compensation button yet.

 

[Flyer]

Thank you for the correction Megan. I found the change but changed it back. I've been shooting this long (couple years now) and have gotten used to it that way. The dial would also have to be reversed to match the movement of the meter.

 

[baturn]

Flyer - expose to the right refers to the histogram, not the meter.