How to change your style?

[MiiLovely]

Thank you for the replies. I am going to post this because I re-edit it. I will check out your link MLeek thank you for posting it
Also I know now that people here are very.. to the point no emotions included and even if I reply back deffensive, that isnt going to scare me off. This is the only GOOD photography forum that Ive been able to come across where people (even if it is rude) give you the exact pointers and help you need to improve.

 

[sm4him]

Thank you, I actually had to slow the shutter speed down because if I didnt it would have been to dark. (still figure out manual setting on my camera) so this was the first real test day. (I didnt want to use the built in flash because it caused me to have dark shadows under my eyes but then again I could have fixed that in editting.

I can't lend much help, as portrait photography is something I'm still learning myself, but...
...is that a SELF portrait??

It just seems to me like doing self-portraits would be a hard way to start--but again, I am NO expert!! Maybe that IS the way to go, but I would just think it would be hard to learn that way.

Is there a friend or someone you could get to pose for you? Or a blow-up doll?

On the other hand, maybe I'm wrong and that's NOT you in which case in the words of Gilda Radner: "That's very different then. Never mind."

 

[MiiLovely]

Lol yes it is me and I know I shouldnt have jumped right in and done this until I understood exspoure better but me being me though I could figure it out with trial and error (clearly not.. lol) Honestly I probably wont attemped this again until I do a bit more reading/practicing! and the only model I have is my 1yr old son who is pretty hard to get pictures of as he is always on the go! lol

 

[sm4him]

Lol yes it is me and I know I shouldnt have jumped right in and done this until I understood exspoure better but me being me though I could figure it out with trial and error (clearly not.. lol) Honestly I probably wont attemped this again until I do a bit more reading/practicing! and the only model I have is my 1yr old son who is pretty hard to get pictures of as he is always on the go! lol

Well, if you can't find a live model, you can always do what I do: I use a large, stuffed Tigger as my model.
Granted, it's not really going to win me any awards, but it IS a good way to really learn exposure and lighting. I can set Tigger up in different lighting conditions, and practice focus, lighting, DOF, just about anything. That way, when I move to a real model, I'll already understand the basics.

 

[MiiLovely]

Thank you I did a few test shots on my son focusing more on the apature and shutter speed and this is what I got

 

[MLeeK]

Thank you I did a few test shots on my son focusing more on the apature and shutter speed and this is what I got

Your shutter speed is still WAYYYYY to slow. you're at 1/40 here. You need to be at about 1/250 to shoot an active toddler without it being blurry.
Will you allow us to edit your images? Your people are pretty orange... think oompa loompa and that is the first thing you are going to need to learn in editing-how to fix white balance issues.
Are you calibrated? I assume not?

 

[MiiLovely]

I didnt edit that photo (but I am giving you permisson to edit it if youd like) Also I tried to up my shutter speed it made the photo really dark (I have no idea why it does that) but it seems the only way I can get a bright picture is with a low shutter speed or using my flash (which I dont like to do because I get the deer in the head lights look)

 

[The_Traveler]

I didnt edit that photo (but I am giving you permisson to edit it if youd like) Also I tried to up my shutter speed it made the photo really dark (I have no idea why it does that) but it seems the only way I can get a bright picture is with a low shutter speed or using my flash (which I dont like to do because I get the deer in the head lights look)

And why do you think that a faster shutter speed makes your pictures darker?

http://digital-photography-school.com/learning-exposure-in-digital-photography

There is no sense taking pictures and trying to learn basic things by taking time with silly trial and when you could simply read what is going on and you'll actually know what you are doing and be a few steps further down the road.

 

[MiiLovely]

I dont think it does, it does. Even with completely normal lighting. why do YOU think its doing that?
Edit: I just tried to take a picture, normal room lighting, shutter speed 1/4000 ISO at 200 and the photo is so dark I can barely make out an outline.

 

[o hey tyler]

I dont think it does, it does. Even with completely normal lighting. why do YOU think its doing that?

We know why it's behaving that way. It would be an interesting and informative learning experience for you to establish the reason on your own. It's one of the fundamentals of exposure.

 

[MiiLovely]

Gahh lol okay I can do this!
(ps I edited my post above.)

 

[MTVision]

I dont think it does, it does. Even with completely normal lighting. why do YOU think its doing that?
Edit: I just tried to take a picture, normal room lighting, shutter speed 1/4000 ISO at 200 and the photo is so dark I can barely make out an outline.

I definitely think you should read some of the links posted - you'll find the answer.

 

[o hey tyler]

I dont think it does, it does. Even with completely normal lighting. why do YOU think its doing that?
Edit: I just tried to take a picture, normal room lighting, shutter speed 1/4000 ISO at 200 and the photo is so dark I can barely make out an outline.

Okay now slow down the shutter speed to 1/60s and see what happens. Why would the photo be brighter with a longer shutter speed?

 

[SCraig]

And why do you think that a faster shutter speed makes your pictures darker?
Learning about Exposure – The Exposure Triangle

There is no sense taking pictures and trying to learn basic things by taking time with silly trial and when you could simply read what is going on and you'll actually know what you are doing and be a few steps further down the road.

I dont think it does, it does. Even with completely normal lighting. why do YOU think its doing that?
Edit: I just tried to take a picture, normal room lighting, shutter speed 1/4000 ISO at 200 and the photo is so dark I can barely make out an outline.

We know why it's behaving that way. It would be an interesting and informative learning experience for you to establish the reason on your own. It's one of the fundamentals of exposure.

If you choose to stay with photography, especially using a DSLR, or more precisely a camera offering manual or semi-automatic modes, you WILL take the time at some point to learn the information that Lew pointed to. There is no question of that, there is no avoiding it. The only question is whether you are going to learn it now and avoid all of the quesswork or learn it later and spend the time in between wondering what is going on and why your photographs aren't what you expect them to be. That information is the basis on which EVERYTHING else is built. There is no point in learning composition if you can't expose properly. There is no point in even trying to learn lighting because you won't understand what is happening. You have been given some good advice and whether or not you choose to listen to it and try it out is entirely up to you.

 

[DScience]

I didn't think I was rude but I guess you are quite sensitive to directness.

There doesn't seem to be any style to this editing.
The picture looks essentially untouched; it is plain to the point of blandness.

Perhaps you could post the original so that what you have done to the image could be understood.

I thought you were EXTREMELY rude. And, you act like you have a huge stick up your A#$.