Getting bad feedback - tips and crit welcome

[laineyamber]

I just started doing some photography a couple of months ago
I bought myself a Canon EOS 600D, having never owned anything other than a Nikon Coolpix before
I am absolutely loving learning about the camera, and I've been doing some "shoots" with friends to get some experience
I took these images yesterday, and whilst the model liked them, I've got some bad feedback off other people
Can anyone give advice on what settings could have been altered on the camera, different things to have asked her to do, etc
Also I tried getting some shots in the sunlight, but they looked completely washed out
I had the ISO at 100 and the f.s at 4.5... I change the shutter speed according to a little dial that comes up when I half press the shutter, I always make sure the arrow is in the middle (I don't know if this makes sense to non canon owners?)
Also (so sorry, more questions), what do you think should go on my shopping list next? I enjoy taking images of people and sports photography. I've included a recent sport shot I took for any crit on that too.




Sorry for the large amount of images, and thank you in advance for any advice

 

[cgipson1]

Biggest issue with the first three is shooting in harsh sunlight... that causes very contrasty, blown out highlights where the sun hits the subject, and dark shadows elsewhere... either shoot in solid shade, or use diffusers to soften the sunlight...

#1 Underexposed backlit subject.. needs fill with either a reflector or preferably a flash. That would allow you to more evenly balance the subject and the background (so the background doesn't blow out so bad)

Basically the same C&C on #2 and #3 also.....

#4 Not much to say about it really... focus is ok, looks like it was shot with a high shutter speed, is relatively sharp. You would get better shots with more action, showing the riders eyes / face... etc....

 

[laineyamber]

Thank you.
Honestly I would never have thought of needing a flash in bright sunlight. Do you think the camera's built in flash will be sufficient?
Also, what is a diffuser? (sorry, noob)
Thanks for the rapid response!

 

[cgipson1]

Thank you.
Honestly I would never have thought of needing a flash in bright sunlight. Do you think the camera's built in flash will be sufficient?
Also, what is a diffuser? (sorry, noob)
Thanks for the rapid response!

The popup flash can be used for fill... but is far from ideal. A separate flash, preferably off camera... will give much more control of fill. Many of us use flash a lot outdoors... it just makes things easier. A reflector can also help. A diffuser is basically a thin piece of diffusing material or cloth... on a frame. It softens the light and drops the intensity a stop or two. There are many Combo reflectors that also have a diffuser in the kit.

Like this one: Amazon.com: Fotodiox 5-in-1-44 42-Inch Premium Grade Reflector Pro Collapsible Disc: Camera & Photo

 

[vintagesnaps]

Before you get into buying a lot of equipment you might need to work on learning how to get a proper exposure, how to frame shots well, and get in plenty of practice. Probably you'll start finding yourself thinking about how you could have gotten a better photo of ___ if you had ___.

I don't do formal portraits (have done what I consider in-game sports portraits) but in general when framing shots you might want to think about where to crop subjects (in the first two think about where her arm/wrist is and what might have looked better). You seem to have engaged the subject nicely and she herself looks good I think in the photos - maybe that's why she likes them. Looks like you'll need to keep learning about exposure and lighting and how to adjust for various lighting conditions.

For the one of the motorcycle if that's as close as you can get obviously a longer lens would help - that photo looks like the exposure wasn't what was needed for the existing light (although it also looks like there was dust in the air which probably affected the light filtering thru that). I think it takes time to learn how to adjust the camera to make sure you're getting as good an exposure as you can. These look like you have potential and just need to keep developing your skills in using your camera. Good luck with it.

 

[laineyamber]

That 5in1 reflector kit is definitely going on the shopping list! I just found a nice tutorial on youtube about how to use them, and how to use external flash
Thanks for giving me these pointers

 

[cgipson1]

That 5in1 reflector kit is definitely going on the shopping list! I just found a nice tutorial on youtube about how to use them, and how to use external flash
Thanks for giving me these pointers

Glad to help....