Hooked on your input. More daughter pics.
Hi, everybody,
I'm really enjoying and learning from everybody's input on my photos. Unlike some other sites, you just don't say "nice shot" and leave it at that. You actually give specific criticism -- and positive feedback -- which is invaluable.
OK, I'm coming back to the well. Tell me what you think of the results of today's session. My daughter happened to be wearing a purple shirt. I also noticed she had put a purple blanket on the floor. So I thought the purple on purple effect might be interesting. Plus, I wanted to test out a new portrait lens I bought recently . . . the Zeiss 85 1.4, which I use on my Sony A700. As it turned out, I never got her to pose with much of the blanket in the background . . . oh well. And I had trouble with stray hair and a faint trace of food on her mouth. This is what happens when your child is young and you just grab opportunities when you can. Details fall by the wayside.
Anyway, here's what I came up with.
BTW, I'm having a lot of difficulty cloning out stray hairs. Can anyone share tips? Thnx.
http://harryjohn.smugmug.com/photos/263874515_9WWTU-L.jpg
I'm really enjoying and learning from everybody's input on my photos. Unlike some other sites, you just don't say "nice shot" and leave it at that. You actually give specific criticism -- and positive feedback -- which is invaluable.
OK, I'm coming back to the well. Tell me what you think of the results of today's session. My daughter happened to be wearing a purple shirt. I also noticed she had put a purple blanket on the floor. So I thought the purple on purple effect might be interesting. Plus, I wanted to test out a new portrait lens I bought recently . . . the Zeiss 85 1.4, which I use on my Sony A700. As it turned out, I never got her to pose with much of the blanket in the background . . . oh well. And I had trouble with stray hair and a faint trace of food on her mouth. This is what happens when your child is young and you just grab opportunities when you can. Details fall by the wayside.
Anyway, here's what I came up with.
BTW, I'm having a lot of difficulty cloning out stray hairs. Can anyone share tips? Thnx.
http://harryjohn.smugmug.com/photos/263874515_9WWTU-L.jpg
Harry
"Too many lenses, not enough time."
"Too many lenses, not enough time."
0
Comments
These shots are great! I love the way you've gotten in tight on your daughter. Lots of photographers lament their cluttered backgrounds and you avoided that completely and at the same time focused on her personality as reflected in her eyes.
As for the focus on her hands and the musical instrument...I like it! She's focused on it and so did you. It probably wouldn't stand alone for a magazine cover shot but as part of a series... I think it works great.
And finally, I'd like to learn how to deal with stray hairs also, but in this case.... stray hair looks perfectly fine on a little girl.
Overall.... good job!
Are you shooting raw yet? Take the plunge and try it. It is way easier than I ever thought it could be. That will solve a lot of white balance issues and make a lot of other changes super simple.
Also... it would make it easier for us dummies to comment if you could number your pics. That way we don't have to waste any of our "valuable brain cells" on counting.
Anyway! I am looking forward to see what you got coming our way because I can bet it is going to be good!
I like these photos, but they could use more light in her eyes. Try a reflector for your natural light shots. I think these could also use a bit more contrast for some added pop.
Good job with these tight crops. They certainly make these portraits more interesting.
http://clearwaterphotography.smugmug.com/
As Heather mentioned, shooting in raw might help you with the color temp issues, but otherwise that new lens did a good job.
www.portraitwhisperer.com
The WB does seem a bit cold in all of these...something RAW and/or a program such as Lightroom could fix easily.
50mm 1.4, 85mm 1.8, 24-70 2.8L, 35mm 1.4L, 135mm f2L
ST-E2 Transmitter + (3) 580 EXII + radio poppers
Zoom in to 500 - 600% and start cloning at the pixel level. Not much else you
can do. Keep an eye on a 50 - 100% version of the file while you're working
(open another copy of the image). Most of these are easy, but the ones that
go across an eye are going to be a pain.
http://bertold.zenfolio.com
Thanks for the comment. I'm not crazy about flash, but maybe I'll experiment with just a touch of fill. Re: the flute. I hear what you're saying. I guess I was looking to do something offbeat and also test out the new lens' bokeh. So I deliberately focused on her fingers. I guess I learned a lot more about the lens than I communicated about her!
"Too many lenses, not enough time."
. . . for the encouragement.
I agree with your DOF comment. I shot wide open at 1.4. But I now see that in a shot like that . . . with me looking down at her . . . it would be better to have the entire plane of the face in focus and then have the blur start below the face
No, I'm not shooting RAW. But I plan to start soon.
I also think I have a monitor calibration issue, because on my computer these shots are fairly warm, but others have said they're a bit too cool. So add calibrating to my to-do list!
"Too many lenses, not enough time."
. . . keep things in perspective. Not shooting a Cosmo cover, after all!
"Too many lenses, not enough time."
A reflector is a good idea. Problem is I rarely get enough time to set one up. It's hard balancing a young child's attention span with the need to set up the ideal shooting conditions. That's why the pros make the big bucks!
"Too many lenses, not enough time."
Do you mean that the face should be at the top third area of the picture?
"Too many lenses, not enough time."
. . . cloning tips. Let me give them a shot.
"Too many lenses, not enough time."
You've given me lots to think about and practice on. Thanks so much.
"Too many lenses, not enough time."