Up a tree

[ronlane]

Here is a set of pictures that I took this weekend with my new nifty fifty. My son wanted me to go out and watch him climb in our tree, so I took my camera along. Which is best?

1) As he was looking down to find a foothold. This is my wife's favorite.


Tyler in a tree 3 by Ron_Lane, on Flickr

2) This is mine because he is looking at the camera.


Tyler in a tree 2 by Ron_Lane, on Flickr

3) I liked this head shot but I noticed that the composition was off and he is centered in the frame. Does it really hurt this image?


tyler in a tree 1 by Ron_Lane, on Flickr

 

[Braineack]

use the BBCode radio button, not the HTML.

 

[paigew]

my favorite is #2. It really gives us some context as to what he is doing. Plus he's got great eye contact and a cute smile.

 

[ronlane]

Thanks Paige, that's why I like it too.

 

[sashbar]

The background dominates in all 3 pictures due to its high contrast and strong lines. All these white spots really do not allow to concentrate on the main subject. And his shirt is white as well, so together it is a bit too distracting. Maybe that was a part of the idea, if not then try to find a less contrasty (maybe more leafy) background, choose his shirt color that would complement the green (yellow?) and do not be afraid to open up your nifty-fifty a bit more! A bit more blur on the background would not go amiss. You have a lovely boy.

 

[ronlane]

Thank you sashbar

 

[sm4him]

The background dominates in all 3 pictures due to its high contrast and strong lines. All these white spots really do not allow to concentrate on the main subject. And his shirt is white as well, so together it is a bit too distracting. Maybe that was a part of the idea, if not then try to find a less contrasty (maybe more leafy) background, choose his shirt color that would complement the green (yellow?) and do not be afraid to open up your nifty-fifty a bit more! A bit more blur on the background would not go amiss. You have a lovely boy.

^That might all be true, IF this were a professional photoshoot. But "the idea" here was just to practice with a new lens while his boy played. Ever try to convince a young boy to go change his shirt so it will "complement" the tree better? :lmao:

Ron, your son is adorable! Always makes me wish mine were little and cute again. But then I remember being the taxi driver, the principal, the cook, the maid, the police and everything else ALL the time, day after day...I love having grown children!

I have two different answers to your question, "Which one is best?"

Answer #1:
I prefer #2, but I agree that it might have been nice to have shot that a little wider open to get a more blurred background. Otherwise, it's cute. I love #1; the ONLY thing I don't like about it is that I wish Tyler would on the right side of the photo, with more space off to his left. As it is, I end up following his eyes right down out of the photo.
#3 is a cute close-up, but you do lose that context of what he's doing, and since these ARE just "play" shots, not portraiture, the ones that would mean the most to me would be the ones that remind me of his tree-climbing days.

Answer #2, which is the CORRECT Answer:
#1 is the best.
Because your wife thinks so.

 

[tirediron]

I like #2 myself, for the same reason as you. With respect to #3, just crop a little off of each side, make it a square and then centred is good!

 

[ronlane]

The background dominates in all 3 pictures due to its high contrast and strong lines. All these white spots really do not allow to concentrate on the main subject. And his shirt is white as well, so together it is a bit too distracting. Maybe that was a part of the idea, if not then try to find a less contrasty (maybe more leafy) background, choose his shirt color that would complement the green (yellow?) and do not be afraid to open up your nifty-fifty a bit more! A bit more blur on the background would not go amiss. You have a lovely boy.

^That might all be true, IF this were a professional photoshoot. But "the idea" here was just to practice with a new lens while his boy played. Ever try to convince a young boy to go change his shirt so it will "complement" the tree better? :lmao:

Ron, your son is adorable! Always makes me wish mine were little and cute again. But then I remember being the taxi driver, the principal, the cook, the maid, the police and everything else ALL the time, day after day...I love having grown children!

I have two different answers to your question, "Which one is best?"

Answer #1:
I prefer #2, but I agree that it might have been nice to have shot that a little wider open to get a more blurred background. Otherwise, it's cute. I love #1; the ONLY thing I don't like about it is that I wish Tyler would on the right side of the photo, with more space off to his left. As it is, I end up following his eyes right down out of the photo.
#3 is a cute close-up, but you do lose that context of what he's doing, and since these ARE just "play" shots, not portraiture, the ones that would mean the most to me would be the ones that remind me of his tree-climbing days.

Answer #2, which is the CORRECT Answer:
#1 is the best.
Because your wife thinks so.

Thank you Sharon, you have a truely wise selection.

I see what everyone is saying about shooting more wide open. These were all in AV at f/4.5, I picked that because I have been playing with the f stops in the 2's and 3's. And for now it seems that every one of the pictures, one eye will be in focus and the other will be soft or OOF.

You were correct that I am just learning to use this lens and it is a struggle for me. I borrowed a 50mm about 6-8 months ago and had this issue and it's why I have been so long about getting one. But I finally decided to get one and learn how to get the photos I want with it.

Are there any suggestions to help me hand holding this lens at f/2.? and get a good image?

 

[ronlane]

I like #2 myself, for the same reason as you. With respect to #3, just crop a little off of each side, make it a square and then centred is good!

Great suggestion John. I didn't think about that. I will do that when I get home tonight and post it again.

 

[DarkShadow]

Nice shots Ron.Very handsome young man.Nice eye contact #2 and 3 and the WB looks spot on,at least on my end.

 

[ronlane]

Nice shots Ron.Very handsome young man.Nice eye contact #2 and 3 and the WB looks spot on,at least on my end.

Thank you DarkShadow. WB is something that I worry about getting right and never really know if I am doing it right.

 

[ronlane]

#3 cropped to square. I think that helps.


tyer in a tree square by Ron_Lane, on Flickr