Lurker ready for some C&C

[deebert]

Hello! I've been mostly lurking all over TPF for the last month and I'm finally brave enough to post some of my photos. For now I am not accepting a dime (except from my brother who bought me my first NBA tickets out of the goodness of his heart) until I am more confident in my abilities. I know I can take good pictures but I'm not always consistent, so that is what I'm working towards.

Here are a few examples of recent photoshoots that friends have graciously volunteered for (hey, they get free pictures, what have they got to lose!). I've learned something new each time (I shot in .jpg for my first few until I found this forum and didn't know how to change where my camera was auto focusing...if that is any indication) and have been incorporating this new knowledge using baby steps. I'm asking for C&C on anything that is standing out to you or that you think might make for a better photograph (lighting, PP, posing, angles, annoying things that should be cloned out that I missed, etc.).

1.

2.

3.

These were both shot inside with a mix of light. There are 4 large windows behind me with my SB-400 bounced off of a reflector or the ceiling...now that the weather is getting cold I have been experimenting with indoor ideas. I realized after these 2 shoots that a black background is hard to work with if they have dark hair because the hair blends into the background. I'm thinking gray might be a better option? No budget yet to afford umbrellas or soft boxes, so I'm trying to work with what I have.

4.

5. (I should have directed her to wear long sleeves but they are both avid Nebraska fans and wanted to sport bright red...)

Thanks!

 

[lyonsroar]

I like #2 a lot. Get rid of that blue doggie poo holder bag thing on the leash. Probably could do it in Photoshop. His kissy face looks a little funky, but there's not a whole lot you can do about that...

 

[Patrice]

Not a bad start at all and in focus as well.

Try and get some separation between your subjects and the background, the more the better. Photo 4 has the background somewhat blurred and it's thus less distracting than in photo five.

 

[deebert]

I like #2 a lot. Get rid of that blue doggie poo holder bag thing on the leash. Probably could do it in Photoshop. His kissy face looks a little funky, but there's not a whole lot you can do about that...

I just changed this and uploaded the new pic. I'm not entirely proficient with photoshop yet, so hopefully it looks ok. Thanks!

Try and get some separation between your subjects and the background, the more the better. Photo 4 has the background somewhat blurred and it's thus less distracting than in photo five.

I will keep that in mind and have people move a little away from the background - thank you!

 

[lyonsroar]

Ninja edit LOL!

 

[lildlege1]

Your right about the girl wearing short sleeves but these photos are nice. I also agree about seperating them from the background a bit.

 

[kundalini]

I will say that you are far ahead of a lot of beginners because you have figured out how and when to turn your camera 90°.

With outdoor shots, be mindful of the backgrounds, the distance of camera to subject and the distance of subject to background.

Good start.

 

[Robin Usagani]

What up three oh three!

 

[NikonNewbie]

I love the 2nd one best of all...and I love the colors...they are just really great photos IMO!
:thumbup:

 

[deebert]

Thanks for the feedback!

be mindful of the backgrounds, the distance of camera to subject and the distance of subject to background"

Is this reflecting on numbers 2 and 3 since they are standing so close to the trees behind them?

What up three oh three!

Howdy!

 

[jfreaksho]

I really like these- the first two are good. You really captured the dog well. The tree doesn't need to be in focus/so close to them in #2. #1 has a really good sense of depth- the dog, then the people, then the trees.

#3 has a good pose, good facial expressions, but the red and purple together kinda clash to my eyes. I don't think they should necessarily match like in #5, but these colors don't seem to go together. I like the bright colors better than the gray in #4, though. The upper part of the tree (leaves and such) look okay and blend well enough as part of the background, but the trunk and branch on the right are unnecessary.

#4- the angles of the faces are both a little off, or maybe they're both only half smiling. His gray shirt is a little drab, too.

#5- I think that having an identical red color on both of them is a bit much.

I'm just trying to write down what I like and don't like. Most of my comments are about the colors of the clothing, over which you have very little control, but that's one of the only things I can think of that hasn't been said already.

 

[rateeg]

I love 1 and 2 photos.
As a newbie like you, may i ask what are the exact settings you used on the 1st two photos?

 

[deebert]

I love 1 and 2 photos.
As a newbie like you, may i ask what are the exact settings you used on the 1st two photos?

First one: f/4, exposure time 1/30 sec, focal length 55mm, no flash, white balance was on auto

Second one: f/4.2, exposure time 1/30 sec, focal length 77mm, no flash, white balance auto

This was my first formal photoshoot I mentioned that was done entirely in .jpeg before I knew to shoot in RAW, although based on my preference and the comments from this thread it has been one of the better ones! If I remember correctly most of the pictures from this batch were done on either Auto or the portrait mode on my camera, don't remember exactly. I'm now branching out to program mode, aperture priority, and shutter priority

Hope this helped some, but really just go out and practice...find a friend and fire away at a park or something! I'm learning so much each and every time I do another photoshoot, I'm looking forward to what my pics might look like next May or so! And of course, sticking around TPF helps too!

jfreaksho:
In #3 his shirt was actually bright orange...one of the things I learned from this session was to give suggestions of less clashing colors! The orange was really hard to get to look right and was way too bright so eventually when I was pp I just focused on the skin tones, her shirt, and the tree and ended up with that shirt color for him.

#4 - Yeah, they do look a little awkward now that I look back at it because they are both leaning back some. And that is his "I'm too cool to let my real smile show through so this is what you get" smile (my brother)