My first attempt...

Playboy_Mommy · Jun 2, 2014

So this is my first attempt at shooting people since getting my DSLR and taking a basic photog class and reading a bunch of books. I met up with a friend yesterday evening at the park for a very casual, laid back shoot with her 3 girls. I think this one is my favorite so far - I really like the expression on her face. Thoughts?

Sent from my iPhone

Dinardy · Jun 2, 2014

My personal thoughts are...
She seems like she was being a little goofy and having fun which is great. The composition feels a little off balance to me. Also the eyes seem a little OOF. Maybe a crop that shows the top of her head and complete left arm would not make it feel so cramped... Depth of field is okay, but you might have been able to stop it down a bit more. I can't view exif on my phone. I'm not a pro with pro advice, keep shooting.

Derrel · Jun 2, 2014

Dinardy said:
My personal thoughts are...
She seems like she was being a little goofy and having fun which is great. The composition feels a little off balance to me. Also the eyes seem a little OOF. Maybe a crop that shows the top of her head and complete left arm would not make it feel so cramped... Depth of field is okay, but you might have been able to stop it down a bit more. I can't view exif on my phone. I'm not a pro with pro advice, keep shooting.

Pretty good C&C from Dinardy. I agree--it feels just a bit cramped as shown. Strange as it might seem, I think cropping off some at the top, and maybe a bit off the bottom might actually help, by changing the aspect ratio of the shot; it feels too tall and skinny...making it a bit more boxy would help I think. And congratulations on having read some photo books and having completed your basic photo class! Good for you! I think education and reading about photography are great things. And congrats on the new dslr camera.

Playboy_Mommy · Jun 2, 2014

Well, I'm actually still in the middle of my class. Just two more nights and I'm done. I've been going out several times a week and shooting everything in sight lol.

Do you prefer this one? I'll try some of your suggestions with the cropping of the original as well. Thanks for the feedback!

Sent from my iPhone