images looking like crap

djspinner2k

I think i am using the wrong settings when i am AF on a subject in a portrait shot. it always seems like when i zoom in the subject is out of focus. I have a Canon 30d. I don't know if the image just looks bad in Lightroom or if I am using the wrong Focusing setting on the camera. someone please help.

share your 30d settings if you can

Thank you for your help

ifocus

djspinner2k wrote:

I think i am using the wrong settings when i am AF on a subject in a portrait shot. it always seems like when i zoom in the subject is out of focus. I have a Canon 30d. I don't know if the image just looks bad in Lightroom or if I am using the wrong Focusing setting on the camera. someone please help.

share your 30d settings if you can

Thank you for your help

Could you post an image with full exif? It is hard to help otherwise.

djspinner2k

how do you get the EXIF info?

gus

Go to your smugmug control panel & allow 'camera info' then when you mouse over the photo ... you get a prompt to look at it.

djspinner2k

I think i figured it out. it's the resolution I had setup in my slideshow.

What kind of metering and flash setting do you guys usually use in portrait photos?

claudermilk

djspinner2k wrote:

I think i figured it out. it's the resolution I had setup in my slideshow.

What kind of metering and flash setting do you guys usually use in portrait photos?

Metering doesn't matter--I am in full manual setting. I use a handheld meter to set my strobes & pick my camera settings, usually around 1/250, f8.

The question is, what are your settings? How do you set up the shot?

djspinner2k

claudermilk wrote:

Metering doesn't matter--I am in full manual setting. I use a handheld meter to set my strobes & pick my camera settings, usually around 1/250, f8.

The question is, what are your settings? How do you set up the shot?

well what I do is set up all my lights in place and go into manual and shoot a grey card. I usually shoot 1/200 and then adjust my aperture till I get the peak of the hump in the middle. then i flip the card and shoot the white side and set it as my custom white balance. then I start shooting. I don't know if this is the correct way to shoot

SloYerRoll

Less talk. Post pictures

claudermilk

Sounds like a reasonable method, though not the way I'd work. What are you tryingto set aperture to? What are you focusing on? Like SloYerRoll said, a picture would help a lot.