Beginner here. Please let me know what you think

[Stefany0219]

Hi all.  So, I am truly a beginner and just starting out.  I have several workshops behind me, online training and real world experience, but am always looking to improve.  Currently shooting manual with the canon rebel t4(blah) with the 50mm 1.8.  I hope soon to get the Canon Mark and the 85mm 1.2 lens.  Not happy with the rebel.  Anyways, here are some images.  Please let me know what you think!

 

 

 

 

[Stefany0219]

Ugh.  Sorry..for some reason images aren’t copying.  Does anyone know what the deal is? I’ve copied the html from photobucket AND just right clicked copied and pasted.  Both not showing up

[Stefany0219]

 

 

Sorry, only could get the image url to work.  Appreciate any feedback

[Stefany0219]

And please check out my 365 project.  http://365project.org/stefanyflynn/365  Any feedback appreciated.  Again..thank you!

[KeyAndFill]

Focus, focus, focus, focus.    Work on your focus.  The two images you posted are soft.

[JLiu]

To expand on KeyandFill’s response, the eyes are the most critical objects in any portrait with regards to sharpness.  Anything else can be out of focus (AKA OOF), but if the eyes are soft, it invariably throws the picture off.

[Stefany0219]

I see that..in your opinion, should I stick with AF mode and work on it, or try MF?

[Stefany0219]

Also, do you think this image is better as far as eye focus?  http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e286/Stefany0219/Winter.jpg

[dont.care]

He’s not insinuating you shoot with MF.. He’s insinuating that you work on your DOF I’m assuming… It seems that some parts of your images are sharper than others.. The eyes are what you focus on when taking portraits.. DOF can be a bitch with a fast lens. . . Head tilted slightly away from the camera will throw your focus off on one side of the face. Taking pictures of little people, some folks have a tendency to shoot down on them vs. being parallel . 1.8 isn’t god awful difficult to master this, but distance can be your friend.. The closer an object the less DOF you have, when you have fast lens wide open and are semi close or close to your object you have a very small DOF.. Moving slightly away from your object will increase DOF slightly.. Slightly closer and you’ll sightly lose DOF.. Or, you can just get closer, stop down your lens and pretty much get the same DOF. it’s all relative.

[JLiu]

No, unfortunately.  The focus appears to be sharpest on the nose…and even that seems a smidge soft.

I took a look at the EXIF data on the photo, and it looks like o a handheld shot using the 50/1.8 lens at a shutter speed of 1/60 + flash and an aperture of 1.8.

So, already the depth of field (AKA DOF) is quite small (I’d imagine you weren’t more than 2 feet away…which gives equates to about about 0.36 inches DOF).  Tack on that this is handheld at an “inappropriate” shutter speed, the chances are high a soft image will be the result.

I put inappropriate in quotes because, although the general rule of using a faster shutter speed than the focal length of the lens is being obeyed, there is a higher risk of soft images with a shutter speed that close to the focal length – especially considering the crop factor.  It would be safer having a shutter speed of about 1/100.  That’s not to say it’s impossible to get sharp images at 1/60…but the results are almost always better with more keepers at a more appropriate shutter speed…..am I making sense?

[dont.care]

I didn’t even think to look at EXIF :-[ I always follow the focal length/shutter speed .. 100mm would be 1/100th or > whereby 100 is minimal but 1/125th is better.. if you can’t get it, raise the ISO if aperture is important

[dont.care]

http://365project.org/stefanyflynn/365/2013-03-12 I like this, hate cats but like this photo.. color balance could be better but it’s a nice shot

 

http://365project.org/stefanyflynn/365/2013-03-06 – never crop ears off.. although its sharp and good color/ lighting

http://365project.org/stefanyflynn/365/2013-03-04 — neat, but the crooked walls should have been cropped out and more of her head in the photo

 

http://365project.org/stefanyflynn/365/2013-03-03 — never crop less than one inch from eyebrows (tight head shots you can crop in on the face, this they should of retained their head), color balance is whack and it seems rather flat

 

http://365project.org/stefanyflynn/365/2013-03-02 — soft, but i think this could’ve been your best photo in that set

 

http://365project.org/stefanyflynn/365/2013-03-01 if her head woulda been in this, it woulda been awesome with some color correction

 

http://365project.org/stefanyflynn/365/2013-02-23 — spot meter, expose the snow.. it’s brighter than the sky.

 

that’s really as deep as im going to get into your photos.. im sure i missed alot

[Stefany0219]

Thank you both.  I do have the tendency to focus solely on DOF because I’m going for that beautiful bokeh that I love.  I also have to lose the fear of backing away from the subject and still getting a nice photo.  I tend to come in too close.  Also, thanks for the cropping tips.  The picture with the puddle was intended to not have a head artistically, but maybe I should have just focused on the feet then? The picture of the three of us was kind of a goof.  I’m going to try and get some pictures later with eye focus outside.  I also have found photographing somebody in the snow to be challenging.

[dont.care]

Well, in my opinion I hate rules, but cropping rules are there for a good reason..

Say-> You crop someones arm below the elbow,  they instantly look amputated… So, any crops that have to be done in that area, keep it above the elbow..

The knees, is essentially the same; below the knees and it looks amputated and directly above the feet it looks like their feet are stuck in the nether world..

When arms hands and feet are involved, don’t crop the digits.. Never crop tight on feet, leave some ground leading upto the feet

Closeup head shots, you can crop into the face, but don’t crop off the ears and don’t crop below 1″ above the eye and don’t under crop if you do it, otherwise it’ll look like a mistake

don’t half crop any ones anything, if you’re going to amputate, take the whole thing. so if the arm is hanging down the side of the crop line, take the arm. don’t crop it in half. Although, it’s better to make sure you don’t have to do that.. Otherwise you’re potentially cropping into the torso.

So, above the elbow, above the knees,  never below 1″ above the eye, etc etc..

DOF, move closer and stop down your lens, same physics apply.  Alot of photographers get worried that their client might think they’re taking too long to “get the shot”, it’s easy enough to reassure your client that they are paying for “the shot” and if they want it right, they’ll give you time to make your adjustments.. Although this falls into experience which is why you should never take a job until your absolutely comfortable with making these kinds of adjustments on the fly and ultimately, you should know what you need to do before you ever set up for the shot :\

Move away -> Stop up your lens to shallow your DOF, so 4.0 to 1.8 for example

Move close -> Stop down your lens to shallow your DOF 1.8 to 4.0 for example

Distance & Aperture are both relative to DOF

[Stefany0219]

Thank you! The cropping rules are great.  Definitely will be thinking about it every time I shoot now

[Author]

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