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Post by slampear88 on Oct 21, 2012 21:39:19 GMT -5
I haven't started diving into the majority of the photos I took today of my whole family, but I did spend some time messing around with a few that I took of my little sisters. This was my first time shooting people (I usually stick with dogs), so some constructive feedback would be very welcome! Thanks!!  DSC_7396 copy by SLampear88, on Flickr  DSC_7393 by SLampear88, on Flickr  DSC_7369 by SLampear88, on Flickr  DSC_7358 by SLampear88, on Flickr (Keep in mind, my sister chose this pose! lol She's quite dramatic and had ALL KINDS of fun ideas for how the whole family should pose.)  DSC_7345 by SLampear88, on Flickr  DSC_7331 by SLampear88, on Flickr And a seasonal snapshot of my "brother", just for fun   DSC_7485 by SLampear88, on Flickr |
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Oct 21, 2012 22:15:43 GMT -5
I don't shoot people, so I don't have anything in particular to comment on, but they look good! Love the wardrobe! Go Lions!
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Post by Karl Wertanen on Oct 22, 2012 3:54:26 GMT -5
Same with Daniel. I don't do people either but you can't go wrong in that park with the river, bridges, trails large stands of old oaks... They look nice to me. I wouldn't be disappointed  |
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Post by CalvinDigital (Charles Calvin) on Oct 22, 2012 6:02:36 GMT -5
Very good slampear88, the only thing I could say is that maybe the first shot could have benefited from a little fill flash. The shadows on her face is a bit distracting and making it hard to see her expressions. Other then that nicely done, the rest of the shots have a good balance and it doesn't look like any highlights where blown out on your sisters. Good Job!
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jenniferh
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Post by jenniferh on Oct 22, 2012 7:47:29 GMT -5
Hi! I'll give you some CC (contsructive criticism). I may come off sounding a little harsh, but I'm not. Posting images for CC is how I learned. Props to you for putting yourself out there! I am only commenting on photography and not processing. 1-While the spot is pretty, the lighting is not good. You need to face your subject to the light or use a reflector. From what I am gathering of this image, If you had her positioned next to the railing on the other side and posed her mirror image, you may have had better results. 2-Much better light! I don't love the way her arms (both of them) get cut off in the frame. 3-Not loving the hands again. Especially how her left hand is coming in forward and around that branch nub. I would also love to see the background brightened. There are a lot of blacks that suck the life away from the image. 4-Not loving the light again. See how her eyes are dark? Always try to get catch lights in your subjects eyes. Again try facing her to the light. I also don't love her arms. One disappears behind the tree, while the other is coming out at an awkward angle. 5-Not loving, sorry. The pose is a little cheesy (but fun for a snapshot!). In general, I don't love subjects being shot higher than the camera. I also don't like the blown sky directly behind her (which also often happens when shooting below the subject). I always aim to have a tree or a building between my subject and the sky. 6- Best posing, but watch the chop at the fingers. The lighting looks off to me though. Did you use a gold reflector? The light is a little flat and the warmth is throwing me off. 7-Cute dog!!!! Also, I'm not sure what lens you are using. I would love to see your backgrounds a bit softer and less busy. Your subjects are competing with all that is going on in the background (in the trees). A longer focal length at a lower aperture would help. In general, not bad for a first try! |
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Post by Eric on Oct 22, 2012 9:52:12 GMT -5
Samantha, you have some wonderful (family) models to shoot. This really give you an advantage to learn how to setup and improve your shooting skills. Be sure to always treat your models well, especially when they are family and not well paid! Flash and reflectors could improve things, but for now, what I would suggest are these few changes. I see from your Flickr Exif file you are shooting with a Nikon D3000. Lets talk f-stop. What I noted you were for most of your shots at f/9. When shooting a single person I would suggest getting your f-stop at around f/5.6, like in your second shot, you had f/5.3. This adds some bokeh which helps to isolate your subject from the surroundings. This causes the subject to pop better in the photo. Shutter speed, you are shooting far to slow, though you did a wonderful job (very steady hands) 1/8 sec is too slow. Your ISO was 100. Bump this up to allow faster shutter speed. You really want something like 1/60 sec for the focal length lens you are using. You can bump your iso to 500 without much change in image quality. A rule of thumb thing here, keep the lowest iso you can with the f/stop where you want it and with the shutter speed at 1/60 sec or faster for these type of photos. Manual Mode. I see you are using manual, that's great! That really is a big step for new folks, getting them to understand and to use manual mode opens up the usefulness of your camera big time. Camera file type. I could be wrong here, but it looks like you might be saving your photos in JPG. If this is true, I would highly suggest starting with your next snap of the shutter, saving your images in raw. This will allow you to do much more with your photos after you have taken them. Take advantage of your little sisters models! Keep shooting and keep up the great shots!!  |
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Post by slampear88 on Oct 22, 2012 13:58:57 GMT -5
Thanks for the replies! I will definitely take what you all have suggested and keep practicing! As far as equipment, I'm very limited in what I have. I have my D3000, the kit lens and a 55-200 lens. No flash or reflectors at this point. Hopefully, I can add those to the mix soon. Thanks!
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Post by CalvinDigital (Charles Calvin) on Oct 24, 2012 6:13:17 GMT -5
Even your camera's popup flash can be used effectively as a fill flash, with some practice.
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Post by slampear88 on Oct 24, 2012 21:37:03 GMT -5
I'll have to practice with it a bit more. I've tried but it tends to make people look almost waxy, if that makes sense. I'm sure there's a way to dial it down a notch, but I haven't played with the flash much yet. |
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Post by Deleted on Oct 24, 2012 21:45:46 GMT -5
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Post by slampear88 on Oct 24, 2012 22:14:00 GMT -5
Awesome, thanks!
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erictillman
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Post by erictillman on Nov 2, 2012 19:13:47 GMT -5
I will agree with jennifern and (the other) Eric - good first attempts (better than mine, I can assure you!). Better light (a white foamboard from the dollar store makes a great budget reflector), more attention to posing/composition, and paying attention to the background (less cluttered/busy/contrasty) are the next steps.
Regards,
Eric T.
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