First portraits

[Kenneth Walker]

Why does the first attempt look better somehow than when I've fiddle about with aperture, white balance etc? Step granddaughter revising for a physics exam tomorrow.....I had asked her not to pose, subsequent images had her looking far too serious...here, she's getting used to the idea of me waving a camera about, so there's a half amused look going on. Messing about with my prime lens.

 

[Designer]

Hey, Kenneth!

This portrait looks good. As to your question; I have no idea, but it might help if you had not stripped the EXIF, then somebody might be able to give you an answer. What kind of fiddling did you do with the settings?

One more thing; take more pictures of this young woman.

 

[Kenneth Walker]

I didn't strip anything, but resized the image for uploading. This was before I had made any alterations to the camera since last using it for landscape work. I was just testing the idea, and getting Ola used to the idea of being photographed in anything other than the standard family snapshot. I only messed about with things later (opening up the aperture and playing about with white balance) but I seemed to have lost some indefinable quality along the way.Anyway, looking at the original image, f10, 1/20sec and ISO of 200

 

[The_Traveler]

Why does the first attempt look better somehow than when I've fiddle about with aperture, white balance etc? Step granddaughter revising for a physics exam tomorrow...

Anyway, looking at the original image, f10, 1/20sec and ISO of 200

Take this below as I mean it, which is an attempt to be helpful but honest (as I see things)

The truth is probably that you don't know enough about what you are doing in editing.

Why shoot at f10, 1/20th and ISO 200?

That combination doesn't make any sense to me for a portrait.
f10 (small aperture) means large depth of field and thus too much of the background will be in focus and intrude on teh composition.
f10 is also rarely the sweet spot of a lens that provides best resolution.
Shutter speed of 1/20th means not only that you have to be careful in handholding the camera but also any of the subject's tiny movement are caught as blurs.
ISO 200 is needlessly low for any modern dslr.

Your shot, as taken, could be better framed and if you change your profile to allow editing (or even post a larger image) someone can make some changes to show you.

Lew

 

[Kenneth Walker]

I hadn't set the camera up for a portrait...as I think I had explained, but when I made some appropriate changes...the results suffered, perhaps not technically, but in some undefined way. There's a spontaneity about this one I quite like.

 

[The_Traveler]

All we can see is the picture as it is and we don't have any before, after or during that you know.
May I show a change is the composition as a suggestion?