A few "in-kind" informal shots -- someday, I want to do this stuff "for real"

woytekwoytek Registered Users Posts: 28 Big grins
edited December 1, 2009 in People
I've been thinking about getting some studio strobes and putting together a better lighting package. I'd like to get into more portrait work and people photography. I'm new at the forums here, and thought I'd post a few informal portraits of people that I did "in-kind" (read: they asked me to take their photo with a point-and-shoot, and I did, under the condition that they let me shoot them with my SLR, too).

I'd appreciate any comments about these shots. I realize that they are informal and have several failings. I'm trying to learn, though, and suspect that there are things here that I missed or didn't do that the more seasoned people here will be able to point out to me. :)

#1: A couple of friends after a whitewater trip at Ohiopyle State Park, Pennsylvania.
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#2: A couple at the Olympic park in Atlanta, Georgia. This shot made me wish I had my SB-900 with me, or at least a bounce card.
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#3: Four friends at the Olympic fountain in Atlanta, Georgia. Again, I wish I had my speedlight with me on this day.
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Comments

  • Quincy TQuincy T Registered Users Posts: 1,090 Major grins
    edited December 1, 2009
    I like #3, but it's unfortunate that the person (obviously not a member of the picture group) in the background is a bit distracting since he's right on that same plane of vision. It would be difficult to crop him out based on the location of the 4th girl's arm.

    #2 would've been really great as well if it hadn't been for the softness of the man's face.
  • woytekwoytek Registered Users Posts: 28 Big grins
    edited December 1, 2009
    Sword and Scales wrote:
    I like #3, but it's unfortunate that the person (obviously not a member of the picture group) in the background is a bit distracting since he's right on that same plane of vision. It would be difficult to crop him out based on the location of the 4th girl's arm.

    #2 would've been really great as well if it hadn't been for the softness of the man's face.

    I agree on both, and I appreciate the comments. I really wish I had gotten the framing better on #3, as that group worked well together. I ended up inadvertently cutting off the hand of the first person in the line and caught that guy in the background. I tried a crop to remove him, but took-off too much of the last person's arm.

    I've been learning and practicing a lot with my primes. It took me a while to get over the razor-thin-DOF-syndrome that occurred when moving from a basic kit lens on a D70 to a f/1.4 on a D700. When "wide open" was something like f/3.5 on the kit lens, I'd go for the most shallow DOF I could get with it. Trying to work the same way with an f/1.4 leads to all sorts of mental wrangling to say, "No, just because you CAN shoot at f/1.4, you do not NEED to shoot at f/1.4." It also leads to shots like these, where I could have easily dropped one stop, and had a much better photo out of the deal.

    Thanks again for viewing and commenting!

    jonathan
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