Practicing the with the zoom on my speedlite

[laynea24]

Here's a photo of my son playing. It was a quick shot because he moves around so much! Just took this for practice to get more comfortable with my speedlite. Of course I love it, because he is my son!



I believe I had it set up on the couch which is to the right of him. I had it set to a very tight zoom and I think it was at 1/32 output. I could be wrong though.

 

[laynea24]

Go ahead, tell me how cute my son is.

 

[Haya.H]

I like this, but it almost seems too dark for a little boy.

& he is very cute indeed.

 

[laynea24]

Thank you for pointing out that it's dark! It looks dark on my phone and my fiancé's laptop, but not my Mac. Do you think I need to calibrate my screen?

 

[michael9000000]

Go ahead, tell me how cute my son is.

Your son is flipping adorable!

 

[laynea24]

Your son is flipping adorable!

THANK YOU!

 

[SoCalTiger]

Lighting seems really harsh which makes the unlighted parts of the scene very dark in comparison. Are you using a large diffuser (umbrella / soft box)? That would have helped a ton. It also looks like the flash is aimed straight at him. I'd do a ceiling bounce if you don't have a diffuser. A second flash or reflector for cross-light would have helped too.

 

[laynea24]

Lighting seems really harsh which makes the unlighted parts of the scene very dark in comparison. Are you using a large diffuser (umbrella / soft box)? That would have helped a ton. It also looks like the flash is aimed straight at him. I'd do a ceiling bounce if you don't have a diffuser. A second flash or reflector for cross-light would have helped too.

Thank you for the imput. I actually was going for harsh lighting purely for practice. I just received my speedlite a week ago so I have been playing with it to get more comfortable. So, I am glad you found it harsh! I wanted the rest of the photo to be very dark. So thank you! I ordered some reflectors and these things to mount my flash onto a light stand I already have. Then I'm going to get a diffuser and shoot through umbrella. I am slowly getting there in terms of obtaining all the equipment I need.

 

[kundalini]

Notice the position of the catch lights and (harsh) nose shadow. Uplighting such as this does not conjure "cute" to me. This type of lighting is more inclined for an image where you want to emulate mania.

For portraiture, it is far more pleasing to the viewer if the nose shadow falls between the bottom of the nose and slightly above the upper lip. Additionally, any shadow you create (and you DO want shadow) should be a gradual transition. This is acheived by softening the light source and increasing its apparent size. Light modifiers such as umbrellas, softboxes and such are the tools that help to this end.

Congratz on the new flash. Keep practicing.

 

[laynea24]

Notice the position of the catch lights and (harsh) nose shadow. Uplighting such as this does not conjure "cute" to me. This type of lighting is more inclined for an image where you want to emulate mania.

For portraiture, it is far more pleasing to the viewer if the nose shadow falls between the bottom of the nose and slightly above the upper lip. Additionally, any shadow you create (and you DO want shadow) should be a gradual transition. This is acheived by softening the light source and increasing its apparent size. Light modifiers such as umbrellas, softboxes and such are the tools that help to this end.

Congratz on the new flash. Keep practicing.

Oh, I see.. Thank you. I have never heard of where the nose shadow should fall.

 

[Big Mike]

That is good advice from Kundalini.
Photos of people almost always look better when the light source is above them, rather than below them. And of course, the tell tale sign is where the nose shadow falls. As a basic starting point for a 'safe' lighting style called loop lighting, try to get the nose shadow to fall toward the corner of the mouth (but not so far that it touches the mouth).

Do you think I need to calibrate my screen?

When it comes to digital photography, you always need to calibrate your screen.

 

[thiha]

he so cute. and nice photo.

 

[kundalini]

Just to follow along with Big Mike's suggestion of "loop" lighting, here is a link for basic portrait light patterns. I also highly suggest to peruse the links at the bottom of the page in Related Articles. There is a wealth of information to glean to help move your photos from "cute" to impressive.

Tutorial: Basic Light Patterns

 

[laynea24]

Just to follow along with Big Mike's suggestion of "loop" lighting, here is a link for basic portrait light patterns. I also highly suggest to peruse the links at the bottom of the page in Related Articles. There is a wealth of information to glean to help move your photos from "cute" to impressive.

Tutorial: Basic Light Patterns

Will do! Thanks for the tip.

 

[laynea24]

That is good advice from Kundalini.
Photos of people almost always look better when the light source is above them, rather than below them. And of course, the tell tale sign is where the nose shadow falls. As a basic starting point for a 'safe' lighting style called loop lighting, try to get the nose shadow to fall toward the corner of the mouth (but not so far that it touches the mouth).

Do you think I need to calibrate my screen?

When it comes to digital photography, you always need to calibrate your screen.

Okay. I will look more into loop lighting. AND calibrate my screen. Thanks!