First Portrait with 50mm f/1.4...Thoughts??

[AmeliaP]

This is one of my newest portraits (my first time to try out my 50mm f/1.4). What could I have done to make this portrait even better? It was at the smallest aperture (1.4), so perhaps I should have gone up to like 2.8 to get more of her face in focus?

Thanks in advance for your thoughts.

 

[OLaA]

Nice attempt. You definitely would want to stop down a bit. You lose a lot of detail in the face wide open. Her chin is less defined and you can barely make out the tip of her nose. Also the photo seems a bit hot, and her eyes a tad over cooked. A decent starting point though.

How are you liking the lens?

 

[AmeliaP]

Thanks for your input! I will work on the things you mentioned.
I really do like the lens. I have had a bit of trouble sometimes with focusing, but I'm sure it's just something I need to get used to. I def like the manual focus better than auto, though, because I can get much clearer results.

 

[DiskoJoe]

F1.4 is actually the largest aperture. Aperture has an inverse relationship so the small numbers are the larger openings. F1.4 is going to be a very shallow depth of field which is why her eyes are in focus and her chin is out of focus.

 

[AmeliaP]

Hey thanks, DiskoJoe! That's probably somewhat contributing to why I was confused. I had it backwards in my head.

 

[DiskoJoe]

Hey thanks, DiskoJoe! That's probably somewhat contributing to why I was confused. I had it backwards in my head.

Everyone is like that at first.

 

[AmeliaP]

So I adjusted the levels and curves some to reduce the burned out look. Does it look like that helped any? Thoughts on editing it better are appreciated too.

 

[tirediron]

A couple of things... remember that just because your lens will open up to f1.4, it doesn't mean you should shoot there. While the 50mm f1.4 is an excellent lens, NO lens is ever at its maximum sharpness wide open; typically for portrait work I shoot with an 85mm f1.4, but at an aperture of f5.6 or f8. As well, if you're not having good results with auto-focus, you may want to try and figure out where things are going. Modern cameras and lenses are designed to auto-focus, and they do it well. For single-person portrait work, I recommend using a single AF point and placing it over/between the subject's eyes. Do not use the focus and recompose technique as this can cause problems, especially with shallow DoF shots.

 

[AmeliaP]

Is it looking a tad grey now to anyone but me?

 

[Big Mike]

I will echo what John is saying above.

Most lenses are at their worst when used 'wide open' (lowest F number/widest aperture). So you will likely see an improvement in overall quality if you use something in the range of F2.0 to F4.
Also, the DOF is so thin at F1.4, that it's often too little. That makes it hard to focus accurately and may not be the best option for your photo (but that's up to you).

I def like the manual focus better than auto, though, because I can get much clearer results.

You should be able to get clear results with either...and the AF system is much more sensitive than our eyes, especially with today's cameras and their small viewfinders. It's probably that you just need to practice with your AF.
It is possible that your AF system (lens & camera) might need calibration. There is a small tolerance that is allowed when they build these things, so it could be off a little bit. It's usually not noticeable, but when you shoot at large apertures like F1.4 (thus giving you a shallow DOF) that little bit may cause an issue. Try to eliminate user error before blaming the gear though.

 

[jwbryson1]

This image is not making the cut for me. I think it is way too close, OOF and needs a lot more contrast.

 

[The_Traveler]

You would get better and much more useful help if you allowed editing.

 

[The_Traveler]

And, imo, this image is way too over-exposed, under-contrasty, over-saturated in red,

 

[AmeliaP]

Thanks for all the great tips! I'm going to try again and see if I can get better results.

I changed my profile, so if you want to edit my photo, that would be awesome!

 

[texkam]

There is nothing "wrong" with this image. It just depends what you are going for as a photographer and artist. The angle and DOF may be totally appropriate and rather impactful along side an article about diseases of the eye, for instance. Your 1.4 is simply a tool that can give you a desired look if needed.

http://healthylogica.blogspot.com/2012/08/simple-ways-to-keep-eyes-healthy.html