i hate naming these things!

lizheaemma · Nov 26, 2003

Let me know what you think.......

ksmattfish · Nov 26, 2003

#1) Beautiful colors. The rosey skin and blue go together well. I normally don't like pics of kids where the angle of view is from above, but I like this one. the shapes formed by the face at this angle are interesting.

#2) I think there's something here. I'd like to see more shots experimenting with this idea.

#3) Good idea. I'm distracted by whatever that is forming the shape angles beneath the face. The leaves blend into the clothing. I'd like to see them stand out a little more.

lizheaemma · Nov 27, 2003

Thank for the comments!
It's so hard to be critical when looking at your own photo's!

I totally agree that the last picture whould be so much better if her cloths where like a vibrant maroon. The structure under her is the picnic table that she is leaning on.

Ok... I'm off to try and convince my kid to sit next to the garbage can some more! :shock:

Phodog · Nov 27, 2003

Very nice - I love the fact that they look like candids and not set-ups. So much more natural and innocent.

lizheaemma · Nov 27, 2003

I played around with the reflections a bit more! Sorry about the flash flare, my camera is :evil: and I can't adjust it!

craig · Nov 28, 2003

The center BW shot is the one that caught my eye. The other photos illustrate that you can really capture children and probably grownups as well. I am assuming that this is your child. If it is not than call the art director at Vanity Fair(the best magazine ever), you could get a job there. Personally I have never gotten the hang of photographing people. Strangely enough I do a lot of it for the paper. The elements are there and they are OK, but it is the emotion I seek, but rarely get. Keep up the good work. I will give ya a dollar if you post tips as well :roll:

lizheaemma · Nov 29, 2003

Thank you for your kind words! Yes, these are my children, I have tones more of other kids, but I won't post them without permission and I haven't asked so.....
Tips? I don't know I love people and kids and spend alot of time with them! I stick to settings that are comfortable to them and try to get in real close, which would be so much easier if I had any zoom on my camera! I try to be patient and save those big flashes in the face for the right moment because after a few I find that I loose them and they start anticipating the flash and cringing! For a while my youngest had her camera face!

she would smush it all up ready for the flash! Mind you the face was cute, but you can only have so many pics with that face.

craig · Nov 29, 2003

Comfortable settings is something that of have gotten pretty good at. I think the problems begin when A) I have just met this person. B) It is not someone I would be friendly with, i.e real estate sharks and CEO's. C) I have less than half an hour to set up and get this person comfortable.
I know the shot will be doomed when the first words out of their mouth is "I hate having my picture taken". Over the years I have gotten better at immediately making the subject comfortable, but the fact remains I'm not a people person (I also do not like dogs) which is the real problem. If I had any kind of sense I would sit one of my friends down for two hours
and get the shot that I know is there.

lizheaemma · Nov 29, 2003

I have a friend who is a photographer and works for a news paper and I'v noticed that he takes tones of pics before the person even has a clue that he's started! He hold his camera in his hands and has learned what he's shooting from this position and he just clicks away! I find that I also do this alot exspecially with kids, they need to see your eye's! I know that it's against the rules because it can cause more shake but, this friend of mine gets great shots like this and I like to think that I do to! I only hold the camera to my face if I'm taking pics of landscapes or imanimate objects!

craig · Nov 29, 2003

I believe that may be the next step. This is a shot I took a couple of months ago using that same technique. I titled it "SolemnMoment". As always let me know your thoughts.

lizheaemma · Nov 29, 2003

you definitally have emotion....
now mind you I am really an amateur! But here are my thoughts.....
you have a sun issue that takes away from this picture, maybe a different angle would have helped? I also feel that there is alot going on here, I think that your pic really shows an overall feeling but you might be able to pic out one or two people and get that deep deep emotion.
Remember that I have no photography training only art training!
Have you tried playing around in photoshop, maybe try it in black and white try cropping it a bit? Do you mind if I play with it a bit?

ksmattfish · Nov 29, 2003

I've found that a TLR style camera is great for shooting while maintaining eye contact with your subject. Also it's easy to get a lower angle of view with a TLR; I think that my best pics of kids are when I'm at their eye level or lower.

craig · Nov 30, 2003

The kudos mean a lot to me. Any posts that are made by craig are there for the taking. So to speak. I must say I am long subscriber of photoshop. Unfortunately this one was not good enough for me to tone in said second ruler of all programs (Quark is first). I kind of like the "harshness" of the scene. The ol' Nikon on "continuos" may be the way? As always "just bring the damn thing with ya where ever ya go" That is something I need to do more of.

lizheaemma · Nov 30, 2003

I don't know what resolution you have this picture in so this might not exist, my try at is definitally doesn't have the quality but I just love corner of this pic!

The original pic really does have a tone of harshness that dosen't show in my idea!

What is Quark? I actually use Art soft photo studio,

it can with my printer so it was free! It's actually not a bad program but it's no photoshop!

My next purchase is a computer, then a decent camera but that's not in the forseeable future! :shock:

craig · Nov 30, 2003

I have the original tiff, which is 1629x969 pixels. Generally, I try to make the photos I post as small as possible. That corner is my favorite as well. I would never have thought about that crop. How bad is it to crop the photograph? Personally I have been fighting that question since day 1
Try as I may most my photos need some kind of crop. I have other photos from that day. Maybe it is time to rethink them.

Quark is a page layout program. The details maybe a little boring.