I'm pretty bad at people pictures. CC anyway?

Abby Rose · Sep 2, 2011

I don't know how to take a good people picture. This is one of my attempts, and I'd love it if you could tell me if I did anything correctly and how I could have done better.
This is my friends little sister, at the county fair, after she won the rabbit and cavy shows. I don't think this counts as a snapshot because I did compose it, though rather hastily. I cropped part of the lady who is connected to that foot out, but I didnt want my subject too close to the edge of the frame. I was going for a photojournalistic sort of picture - I wanted a picture of the moment that was still a decent photograph.
Anyway, help me out?

Virtuosos · Sep 2, 2011

I personally like it... I might try a slightly tighter crop (not by much) just to get rid of the random-ass leg in the back ;p

tirediron · Sep 2, 2011

C&C per req:

It's not a bad photo at all. I do think you could crop the image to remove the 'random leg' without hurting things, but if you don't want to, perhaps camoflauge it using the clone tool?
The main issues I see with the shot are that (1) she's not looking at or near the camera, which is not such a bad thing since we can see what she's doing, but (2) we can't really tell what she's doing. If you look carefully you can figure out that she's holding two blue rosettes, but it took me a minute to figure out that the other things were plaques in plastic bags.

I think a little more clear layout of the prizes and a shooting from a slightly lower position would have made this a much stronger image.

Just my $00.02 worth - your mileage may vary.

~John

dakkon76 · Sep 2, 2011

Way too much vignette for my taste. She's holding too much stuff so that you have to examine it to see exactly what it is... but this was a candid shot and kids are hard to direct without them going over the top

Had you been crouching a bit lower, I think the angle on her would have been better, it would have gotten more of her face in view, although it may have taken some focus off of her ribbon and plaque - which may have been your intended focus.

The_Traveler · Sep 2, 2011

You need to look at your photo from an unknowing viewer's standpoint.

What is she doing?
What is going on?
Why can't we see her face?

Photographs are emotion and action and connection.
We can't see any of that here.
The only points of interest are at the top and the bottom and the 'important' parts of the photo are empty.

It's not about exposure or wb or focus, it's about composition.