betty_lowrey Posted January 14, 2009 Share Posted January 14, 2009 <p>I've been fiddling with the settings on my D300 in hopes to get them where I want them for a child shoot tomorrow. This is a shot I took of my daughter. Any critiques or comments are welcome.</p><div></div> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
francie_baltazar Posted January 15, 2009 Share Posted January 15, 2009 <p>Amanda - I think it is a nice photo but doesn't look like a portrait or professional photo. I think the color is off and the angle bothers me a bit, but that is a personal thing. I think it is the DOF that is off most for me with the background. she is too close to the backround so it is creating a dark shadow off to the left of the photo. I don't mind the lighting on the left side of her face if that is the look you are going for... but the shadow behind her is distracting. Also the her hands take up a third of the photo and because of the DOF I find them out of focus distracting - if they weren't in the forground it wouldn't bother me... but with them there it is flawed. And I am not sure if it is res or not but she seems to be out of focus in general - with a Shallow DOF I think you have to be extra careful to insure spot on sharpness for the rest of the photo. </p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mark_hartman Posted January 15, 2009 Share Posted January 15, 2009 <p>Cute shot. I might crop the top part of the head off, but that starts to get into personal taste. The stray hairs on the top of the head draw my eyes away from the rest of the image a bit.</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
betty_lowrey Posted January 16, 2009 Author Share Posted January 16, 2009 <p>Francie- It wasn't really meant to come off as a "professional" photo, I was just kind of testing out my settings as far as color, saturation, clarity, etc. It's a snapshot if anything.</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
francie_baltazar Posted January 16, 2009 Share Posted January 16, 2009 <p>Amanda - you asked for "any feedback" which I gave you feedback - my request is that you not be defensive of that feedback - it's just my opinion - and it is listed under portraits and fashion - so I was just going with the catagory... if you did not want it to be reviewed as a portrait maybe you could have posted it in "beginner questions" </p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
betty_lowrey Posted January 17, 2009 Author Share Posted January 17, 2009 <p>Francie, I wasn't trying to be defensive, I was just explaining my motivation.</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LenMarriott Posted January 17, 2009 Share Posted January 17, 2009 <p>Betty, In my humble opinion, in kid shots, expression is 90% of the job. You have that in spades here. Add to that, good exposure, focus on the eyes & even a catchlight in the eyes and I'd say you have a successful shot. You have the most important part in focus, her face, the hands being secondary, don't need to be. I would categorize this one as a candid portrait as opposed to a formal portrait, which is a more highly structured effort with different expectations. I think you've aced the settings thing. The other two examples in your folder tells me you've got a great bead on good kid photos, better than most others I've seen here on PN. Good luck on your shoot & don't forget to give us a follow up. Best, LM.</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
35mmdelux Posted January 19, 2009 Share Posted January 19, 2009 <p>I dont like tight shots of children, unless they are really good. The colors dont work in this candid and the settings are off IMHO. For settings, google and review Ken Rockwell write up for D200.</p> <p>The good: foto is sharp and good expression. Best - P.</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
betty_lowrey Posted January 20, 2009 Author Share Posted January 20, 2009 <p>Paul...I actually went to Ken's site for the D300 settings (the camera I used for this shot) and his settings actually were far too "day-glo" for my tastes (he likes his really vibrant...I like candy-colored pictures). I was really concerned about sharpness and over/under exposure. But thanks for the hint...I really like Ken's site.</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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