What am I doing wrong? I need guidance. 1 photo for C&C

LuckySe7en · Nov 14, 2011

I did a shoot with my cousin's baby. She did fantastic! It was the final results I wasn't happy with.

This is an unedited photo straight out of the camera. All I did was a simple crop. So please keep that in mind. What am I doing wrong? Am I expecting too much out of my camera? Canon T2i w/Kit lens 18-55

Thanks

memento · Nov 14, 2011

"c&c" - there's plants growing out of the kids head and peoples legs in the background.. which are distracting.

what are you not happy with?

MLeeK · Nov 14, 2011

And you missed focus. It falls on the line between the rock and foot. That leads me to believe that you are shooting with more than one active focus point. You should be using only one focus point and locking it on the inside edge of the eye closest to you.
OR if you are focusing and recomposing you are using a wide enough aperture that you are changing the focal plane when you recompose. Toggle to the focus point you want to use and lock on the eye. Don't recompose.

LuckySe7en · Nov 14, 2011

memento said:
"c&c" - there's plants growing out of the kids head and peoples legs in the background.. which are distracting.

what are you not happy with?

Yea I'll remove the people in pp. The plant I can't do anything about. I screwed up there.

@ MLeek: Your exactly right. I set it to all 9 focus points. I was going to use one but when I do, it seems like I have to compose my shot so that the eye is on this dot. What if I want to compose my shot where they eye falls in between a focus point?

photo guy · Nov 14, 2011

I agree on the plant issue. The plants are too much distractiion

KmH · Nov 14, 2011

Turn the camera to the vertical orientation for most people shots, and get closer.

I would not say you missed focus, but I would say the photo needs some sharpening and other work.

LuckySe7en said:

Light advances, dark receeds.

LuckySe7en · Nov 14, 2011

What about the focus points? Should I always set to one focus point, place the eye on it and then crop to center the photo? I usually try and compose the photo as I take the shot so the eye does not always fall on a dot. ???

gsgary · Nov 14, 2011

Looks like a re-shoot is needed

LuckySe7en · Nov 14, 2011

gsgary said:
Looks like a re-shoot is needed

That bad?

enzodm · Nov 14, 2011

LuckySe7en said:
What about the focus points? Should I always set to one focus point, place the eye on it and then crop to center the photo? I usually try and compose the photo as I take the shot so the eye does not always fall on a dot. ???

use one point (central), focus where you need by half-pressing shutter, then recompose, that is, change composition by maintaing half-pressed the shutter.

LuckySe7en · Nov 14, 2011

enzodm said:
LuckySe7en said:

What about the focus points? Should I always set to one focus point, place the eye on it and then crop to center the photo? I usually try and compose the photo as I take the shot so the eye does not always fall on a dot. ???

Click to expand...

use one point (central), focus where you need by half-pressing shutter, then recompose, that is, change composition by maintaing half-pressed the shutter.

See this is what I don't get. If I use the center point, what I want to do a vertical shot. I can't get the eyes in the center. Am I missing something?

KmH · Nov 14, 2011

Yes, apparently you're not understanding the 'recompose' part. Page 48 of your T2i user's manual.

Your T2i has 9 focus points. The middle focus point is the only one that is a cross-type focus point - the most accurate kind.

Your T2i should also capable of being set up so the auto focus function gets moved from the shutter release button to the focus button on the back of the camera, which is called 'back button focus'.