first shoot with a friend C+C please

[fotomumma09]

Here is my first attempt at a portrait since buying my new 60D a few weeks ago.

I understand that it is underexposed. But what other elements do I need to work on other than lighting? TIA

F1.8, 1/100, 100 shot with my 50mm 1.8

 

[STM]

In both cases, the subject is on the left side of the frame looking TO the left. This naturally draws your eyes left and out of the frame. I am glad that you did not fall into the oh-so-familiar trap of placing her dead in the center of the frame, that is usually poor and amateurish composition. It would have greatly improved the images had you placed her along the RIGHT vertical third of the image with her still looking left. You can never go wrong by applying the rule of thirds!

Also, I am not a big fan of landscape portraiture. Turning the ca;era 90 degrees provides a much more pleasing composition and would show more of her. Also, watch your backgrounds! Keep them simple and VERY out of focus unless you are trying to place her in a specific relevant scene. I am assuming that big greenish blob in the first image is a swimming pool slide. Our eyes are naturally drawn to areas of light rather than dark and that is the very first thing that caught my eye looking at the first image. Also, try not to have vertical posts coming out of people's heads or shoulders, that is distracting too!

Not to finish with all negatives, she is a very pretty lady and you have captured a very nice and relaxed smile on her face!

 

[Austin Greene]

Rule numero uno of the 50mm f/1.8:

Don't shoot it wide open! If your shooting at f/1.8 and your only a few feet away, all you'll get is incredibly OOF photos. Bump up that f stop and get yourself enough DOF to work with.

 

[fotomumma09]

In both cases, the subject is on the left side of the frame looking TO the left. This naturally draws your eyes left and out of the frame. I am glad that you did not fall into the oh-so-familiar trap of placing her dead in the center of the frame, that is usually poor and amateurish composition. It would have greatly improved the images had you placed her along the RIGHT vertical third of the image with her still looking left. You can never go wrong by applying the rule of thirds!

Also, I am not a big fan of landscape portraiture. Turning the ca;era 90 degrees provides a much more pleasing composition and would show more of her. Also, watch your backgrounds! Keep them simple and VERY out of focus unless you are trying to place her in a specific relevant scene. I am assuming that big greenish blob in the first image is a swimming pool slide. Our eyes are naturally drawn to areas of light rather than dark and that is the very first thing that caught my eye looking at the first image. Also, try not to have vertical posts coming out of people's heads or shoulders, that is distracting too!

Not to finish with all negatives, she is a very pretty lady and you have captured a very nice and relaxed smile on her face!

Thanks so much! It is a pool slide. It's in my backyard. I love the gazebo but they're are too many distractions. I appreciate you taking the time to comment.

 

[fotomumma09]

Rule numero uno of the 50mm f/1.8:

Don't shoot it wide open! If your shooting at f/1.8 and your only a few feet away, all you'll get is incredibly OOF photos. Bump up that f stop and get yourself enough DOF to work with.

Noted! Thanks

So if I still want great bokeh but shouldn't shoot wide open, what would you suggest to try?

 

[DiskoJoe]

Rule numero uno of the 50mm f/1.8:

Don't shoot it wide open! If your shooting at f/1.8 and your only a few feet away, all you'll get is incredibly OOF photos. Bump up that f stop and get yourself enough DOF to work with.

Noted! Thanks

So if I still want great bokeh but shouldn't shoot wide open, what would you suggest to try?

Bokeh refers to the quality of the blur and not the depth of field. Great bokeh is achieved by high quality lenses with nice rounded aperture blades, typically 9 or more.

Now to get a nice depth of field you can still do this will and slightly smaller aperture. F4 is a good place to start. Most lenses are sharpest at f4 as well. Then maybe change it to f2.8 or maybe f2. But your focus here is not bad. I would say the posing could use a lot of work. Im not a big fan of the over the shoulder pose. Its awkward and unnatural and if the neck twists to far you start getting wrinkles in the neck. Do you know of a single woman that wants to add more wrinkles to any part of their body? No, I didnt think so.

First thing to try is have the subject turn more towards you but still be at an angle. Face pointed towards the open side of the photo (the opposite of what you have above). Then get a front facing view or maybe a 2/3 view.

I refer lots of people to this....
http://www.thephotoforum.com/forum/articles-interest/268210-guide-classic-portraiture.html

Tutorial is simple and highly effective basics.

 

[TordFuglstad]

Rule numero uno of the 50mm f/1.8:

Don't shoot it wide open! If your shooting at f/1.8 and your only a few feet away, all you'll get is incredibly OOF photos. Bump up that f stop and get yourself enough DOF to work with.

Noted! Thanks

So if I still want great bokeh but shouldn't shoot wide open, what would you suggest to try?

You could still shoot wide open, but remember the shallow DOF and that you nor your subject shall move much for the subject to get outta focus. Continous focus is your friend with shallow DOF.

 

[fotomumma09]

Bokeh refers to the quality of the blur and not the depth of field. Great bokeh is achieved by high quality lenses with nice rounded aperture blades, typically 9 or more.

Now to get a nice depth of field you can still do this will and slightly smaller aperture. F4 is a good place to start. Most lenses are sharpest at f4 as well. Then maybe change it to f2.8 or maybe f2. But your focus here is not bad. I would say the posing could use a lot of work. Im not a big fan of the over the shoulder pose. Its awkward and unnatural and if the neck twists to far you start getting wrinkles in the neck. Do you know of a single woman that wants to add more wrinkles to any part of their body? No, I didnt think so.

First thing to try is have the subject turn more towards you but still be at an angle. Face pointed towards the open side of the photo (the opposite of what you have above). Then get a front facing view or maybe a 2/3 view.

I refer lots of people to this....
http://www.thephotoforum.com/forum/articles-interest/268210-guide-classic-portraiture.html

Tutorial is simple and highly effective basics.

Okay, so I totally thought bokeh had to do with DOF. Back to the books/Internet I go thanks for the info!

 

[DiskoJoe]

Bokeh refers to the quality of the blur and not the depth of field. Great bokeh is achieved by high quality lenses with nice rounded aperture blades, typically 9 or more.

Now to get a nice depth of field you can still do this will and slightly smaller aperture. F4 is a good place to start. Most lenses are sharpest at f4 as well. Then maybe change it to f2.8 or maybe f2. But your focus here is not bad. I would say the posing could use a lot of work. Im not a big fan of the over the shoulder pose. Its awkward and unnatural and if the neck twists to far you start getting wrinkles in the neck. Do you know of a single woman that wants to add more wrinkles to any part of their body? No, I didnt think so.

First thing to try is have the subject turn more towards you but still be at an angle. Face pointed towards the open side of the photo (the opposite of what you have above). Then get a front facing view or maybe a 2/3 view.

I refer lots of people to this....
http://www.thephotoforum.com/forum/articles-interest/268210-guide-classic-portraiture.html

Tutorial is simple and highly effective basics.

Okay, so I totally thought bokeh had to do with DOF. Back to the books/Internet I go thanks for the info!

Bokeh does have to do with depth of field. But it is the quality of the blur that you get in the depth of field that it refers to and not how intense of a blur you get. Lots of people get this mixed up at first. I use to as well.