ghent / belgium Untitled

I am just starting out as well, so I am by no means a pro. However, I have been studying photos quite a bit in order to know what works and what does not.

I like the composition, it is different than most. But there are several things that are VERY distracting in the photo.

1.) Behind the child.. the stripped shirt and the brown/white. Since they are lighter than the child, you eye is drawn to it (usually your eye is drawn to a bright spot on the photo). Also it looks like it is coming out of the child's head. Be more aware of the background when you are shooting photos. Even though your DOF was shallow enough to make this out of focus, it still is distracting.

2.) The whites of the eyes are blue as reflection from the shirt. This can be corrected.

3.) The one side of the face is too dark to get the eyes. When you are taking a photo like this (i.e. without the mouth...) the overall goal is to capture the eyes. Yet, the eyes are too dark. to see any detail. They lack catch lights. It appears that you used the flash (did you?) This gave little dots of lights in the eye, but otherwise the eyes lack depth. If you are going to use your flash for fill in dark areas, that is alright, but you also need another source of light that is as bright to get the cool reflection in the eyes.

These are just some things that I notice. I am sure that some others can give you a better idea of exposure, etc. Keep on practicing to see what works and what does not. Also, study photos. You will start to develop an eye for the details. Good luck.

Corina