Well, not as good as I wanted, but better than the old ones... (C&C 4)

misstwinklytoes · Sep 6, 2010

So this weekend, the only picture taking I got to do was snapshots and a few of my friend Jordan (who you've all seen before, but hopefully this time in a better light).

Please let me know what could have been done differently to improve. Thanks ahead of time.

1.

Camera Model Canon EOS DIGITAL REBEL XS
Shooting Date/Time 9/5/2010 5:47:59 PM
Shooting Mode Program AE
Tv( Shutter Speed ) 1/60
Av( Aperture Value ) 4.0
Metering Mode Partial Metering
Exposure Compensation 0
ISO Speed 100
Lens EF50mm f/1.8 II
Focal Length 50.0mm
Image Size 3888x2592
Image Quality RAW
Flash On
Flash Type Built-In Flash
Flash Exposure Compensation -2
Shutter curtain sync 1st-curtain sync
White Balance Mode Custom
AF Mode AI Focus AF
Picture Style Standard
Long exposure noise reduction 1:Auto
High ISO speed noise reduction 0:Off
File Size 9167KB
Dust Delete Data No
Drive Mode Continuous shooting
2.

Camera Model Canon EOS DIGITAL REBEL XS
Shooting Date/Time 9/5/2010 5:53:54 PM
Shooting Mode Aperture-Priority AE
Tv( Shutter Speed ) 1/200
Av( Aperture Value ) 1.8
Metering Mode Partial Metering
Exposure Compensation 0
ISO Speed 100
Lens EF50mm f/1.8 II
Focal Length 50.0mm
Image Size 3888x2592
Image Quality RAW
Flash Off
White Balance Mode Custom
AF Mode AI Focus AF
Picture Style Standard
Color Space sRGB
Long exposure noise reduction 1:Auto
High ISO speed noise reduction 0:Off
File Size 8890KB
Dust Delete Data No
Drive Mode Continuous shooting
3.

Camera Model Canon EOS DIGITAL REBEL XS
Shooting Date/Time 9/5/2010 5:56:49 PM
Shooting Mode Aperture-Priority AE
Tv( Shutter Speed ) 1/200
Av( Aperture Value ) 1.8
Metering Mode Partial Metering
Exposure Compensation 0
ISO Speed 100
Lens EF50mm f/1.8 II
Focal Length 50.0mm
Image Size 3888x2592
Image Quality RAW
Flash On
Flash Type Built-In Flash
Flash Exposure Compensation -2
Shutter curtain sync 1st-curtain sync
White Balance Mode Custom
AF Mode AI Focus AF
Picture Style Standard
Long exposure noise reduction 1:Auto
High ISO speed noise reduction 0:Off
File Size 9285KB
Dust Delete Data No
Drive Mode Continuous shooting
4.

Camera Model Canon EOS DIGITAL REBEL XS
Shooting Date/Time 9/5/2010 6:19:23 PM
Shooting Mode Program AE
Tv( Shutter Speed ) 1/60
Av( Aperture Value ) 2.2
Metering Mode Partial Metering
Exposure Compensation 0
ISO Speed 100
Lens EF50mm f/1.8 II
Focal Length 50.0mm
Image Size 3888x2592
Image Quality RAW
Flash Off
White Balance Mode Custom
AF Mode AI Focus AF
Picture Style Standard
Color Space sRGB
Long exposure noise reduction 1:Auto
High ISO speed noise reduction 0:Off
File Size 9239KB
Dust Delete Data No
Drive Mode Continuous shooting

EDIT!: ADDED EXIF DATA

SecondShot · Sep 6, 2010

1) Don't like this one so much - tree is distracting - makes me think the picture is crooked for some reason.

2) Kinda cool - but a) too blue all around and b) it looks like he's proposing.

3) Like this one more than 1 and 2, but a) would've preferred to see his elbow and b) the hand on the tree gives me a bit of a larger than life feeling. Hand appears disproportionately larger than normal.

4) Your strongest one IMO. The different hue of blue makes this picture work really well, the wooden stairs or whatever adds organic structure to the image and focuses the eye on the guy. All important body parts are in frame. Only thing I would've liked more with this is more lighting. Seems a tad dark.

Blake.Oney · Sep 6, 2010

Your focusing is definitely getting better. Did you airbrush his face in the last one? If you did it isn't necessarily bad, it's just that after seeing 3 without it, it looks off on the 4th one. Nice improved set overall I think.

misstwinklytoes · Sep 7, 2010

I tried to help with the acne, yes. I think I'm going to do it to the whole set if it doesn't look horrible.

He's very self conscious about that and his smile (see how he never smiles?).

MohaimenK · Sep 7, 2010

you should have airbrushed them all if you were going to do one, just thought it'd be better that way. focusing needs work but with time and practice you'll be better. g'luck with future shoots. I like the syle of them

misstwinklytoes · Sep 7, 2010

I am gonna airbrush them all. Wanted to make sure it doesn't look bad first

SrBiscuit · Sep 7, 2010

im feeling that these are all rather flat.
his skin tone actually seems to match the fence in one of em.
i would consider a bit of contrast/levels adjustment in all of these.
compositionally they are all very similar. it would be nice to see a bit of variety in that aspect.
i agree that the last one is the best of the set.

Aayria · Sep 7, 2010

Hey misstwinklytoes =)

I can see that you're improving..you can tell these pictures all have a lot of thought behind them.

The first thing that I think would help this set as a whole is to really warm up the tones. His skin is very cool and flat. Just be careful, it's easy to go overboard and get lobster skin with too much contrast

In the first shot, I think I know what you were going for but a couple of things would have achieved it a bit more closely for you. First, watch arm chop (I'm guilty of this CONSTNANTLY). You cut off his hand right at the wrist. Secondly, watch composition, this would be a stronger image if he wasn't dead center in the frame.

The second shot is composed better, but I agree with the previous post about it looking like a proposal. Also, watch when posing men that you aren't shooting (for lack of a better phrase) down the crotch.

The third shot is also a good, classic idea.. but the focus fell more on his left hand than his face. It's made more apparent because his face is soft, but his eyes have been sharpened a bit. It also needs some context- as it stands now, his left hand is just kind of floating off by itself, it looks almost severed from him. This may be a nit-pick, but it's something I've noticed with my crop sensor camera. It makes a 50mm lens have a longer focal length (75mm) which tends to exaggerate distances. So, for instance, if you have an arm floating on a tree with the kid's body behind it, the focal length actually exaggerates the appearance of distance from his arm to his body, making it look unnatural. Also here, watch for chopping at the wrist again.

The last shot is your best. You did a good job of framing without chopping hands. His pose looks natural, and the focus is sharp. This really needs some warming up, and you may need to tone down the eyes a bit, but it's a huge step in the right direction. I'd like this one a little more if he wasn't quite centered in the frame, but it works. His expression is a little odd, I'm feeling like he wasn't too comfortable in front of the camera. One last note on this shot, I know a lot of guys like to put their hands in their pockets, but it very rarely looks good in portraits. Here, it just makes his thumb look cut off, lol.

I hope you don't take any of this too negatively! I just wanted to comment as best I could because I can really see you're trying to grow. =)

misstwinklytoes · Sep 7, 2010

Not negatively at all! That's exactly what I need. I knew something looked weird about two, but I didn't attach it to proposal until just you guys mentioned it.

I might try to crop #1 differently. It was a very small alley that they made into a "garden" downtown. Didn't leave a lot of room to move around, but his mom really wanted pics there.

I'll also try a different crop of #3 and see if his elbows in there somewhere.

Yes, his expressions are odd in almost all of them. The small smile I got (in any of them) were not by any small means. It was a matter of already being focused and just capturing it. He'd stop smiling anytime I put the camera up to my eye.

I think a Tripod would have really helped me get the focus spot on in these. I'm gonna have to get one. I'm hoping next week or so. Although the focus on these is SO much better than the last time I shot him.

I think on the first one Ishould have taken a step to the right, but if I remember correctly, I was already in a bush and I know there was a bush right in front of him.

Blake.Oney · Sep 7, 2010

Do you use the focus points in the viewfinder on your camera?

DanEitreim · Sep 7, 2010

I agree that they should be warmed up a bit. On #1 with the position of his head, it is almost a feminine looking pose. I think it would be nicer to have him turned slightly more toward the camera and leaning against the wall with his shoulder, rather than his back.

On #2 since the emphasis is clearly on the ring, I would just shoot a picture of the ring and leave him out of it altogether. Your subject and his mother will know it is his ring...you don't need an out of focus shot of him to prove it.

#4 is my favorite too.

misstwinklytoes · Sep 7, 2010

I have one of him with his shoulder leaning against the wall, but in general it's just not as good as that one IMO.

Here are a few more. I thought the first set was better.

He's extremely hard to work with (for me as my first 'real' subject) cause he hates having his picture taken. He's nice about it, but he just doesn't scream cooperation.

5.

Camera Model Canon EOS DIGITAL REBEL XS
Shooting Date/Time 9/5/2010 6:48:25 PM
Shooting Mode Program AE
Tv( Shutter Speed ) 1/50
Av( Aperture Value ) 2.0
Metering Mode Partial Metering
Exposure Compensation 0
ISO Speed 100
Lens EF50mm f/1.8 II
Focal Length 50.0mm
Image Size 3888x2592
Image Quality RAW
Flash Off
White Balance Mode Custom
AF Mode AI Focus AF
Picture Style Standard
Color Space sRGB
Long exposure noise reduction 1:Auto
High ISO speed noise reduction 0:Off
File Size 10479KB
Dust Delete Data No
Drive Mode Continuous shooting
6.

File Name IMG_3306.CR2
Camera Model Canon EOS DIGITAL REBEL XS
Shooting Date/Time 9/5/2010 6:20:27 PM
Shooting Mode Program AE
Tv( Shutter Speed ) 1/30
Av( Aperture Value ) 1.8
Metering Mode Partial Metering
Exposure Compensation 0
ISO Speed 100
Lens EF50mm f/1.8 II
Focal Length 50.0mm
Image Size 3888x2592
Image Quality RAW
Flash Off
White Balance Mode Custom
AF Mode AI Focus AF
Picture Style Standard
Color Space sRGB
Long exposure noise reduction 1:Auto
High ISO speed noise reduction 0:Off
File Size 9315KB
Dust Delete Data No
Drive Mode Continuous shooting
7.

Camera Model Canon EOS DIGITAL REBEL XS
Shooting Date/Time 9/5/2010 5:29:34 PM
Shooting Mode Program AE
Tv( Shutter Speed ) 1/60
Av( Aperture Value ) 4.0
Metering Mode Partial Metering
Exposure Compensation 0
ISO Speed 100
Lens EF50mm f/1.8 II
Focal Length 50.0mm
Image Size 3888x2592
Image Quality RAW
Flash On
Flash Type Built-In Flash
Flash Exposure Compensation -2
Shutter curtain sync 1st-curtain sync
White Balance Mode Custom
AF Mode AI Focus AF
Picture Style Standard
Color Space sRGB
Long exposure noise reduction 1:Auto
High ISO speed noise reduction 0:Off
File Size 9169KB
Dust Delete Data No
Drive Mode Continuous shooting
8.

Camera Model Canon EOS DIGITAL REBEL XS
Shooting Date/Time 9/5/2010 5:11:10 PM
Shooting Mode Shutter-Priority AE
Tv( Shutter Speed ) 1/200
Av( Aperture Value ) 2.0
Metering Mode Partial Metering
Exposure Compensation 0
ISO Speed 100
Lens EF50mm f/1.8 II
Focal Length 50.0mm
Image Size 3888x2592
Image Quality RAW
Flash On
Flash Type Built-In Flash
Flash Exposure Compensation -2
Shutter curtain sync 1st-curtain sync
White Balance Mode Custom
AF Mode AI Focus AF
Picture Style Standard
Color Space sRGB
Long exposure noise reduction 1:Auto
High ISO speed noise reduction 0:Off
File Size 9624KB
Dust Delete Data No
Drive Mode Continuous shooting

EDIT! Added EXIF data

misstwinklytoes · Sep 7, 2010

*bump*
Critique, Please?

SrBiscuit · Sep 7, 2010

i think 7 and 8 are your best images from either series.

what were your settings for the ring pic? doesnt look like anything is in focus.

edit:
something is going on with #5...its got some major noise or something.
what site do you host on? i feel like something is up with all your pics. like a camera issue. colors arent popping, things look blurry, theres no range.
these were all with the XS? and one of the 2 lenses you have?
sorry, im not meaning to sound harsh, but there is something about all the pics...i cant put my finger on it, but they just seem "off".

misstwinklytoes · Sep 7, 2010

Ring is weird. It looks weird in the original.

5 is noisy. I don't know why, but it turned out that way. Plus it's got some PP done on it.

I use photobucket to host.