Second day with my 40D

DoubleStrikeDoubleStrike Registered Users Posts: 3 Beginner grinner
edited March 26, 2008 in Wildlife
So here's the result of my second day with the 40D. Be kind - I'm a DSLR virgin... ;)

Believe it or not, this was with a kit lens I borrowed from a friend while waiting for my 17-55mm f/2.8 to come in. I was using on-camera flash, direct.

Please - be harsh - I'm looking for ways to improve. Click the image for larger size.

Thanks in advance!

270836537_4TSvi-M.jpg

Comments

  • DonRicklinDonRicklin Registered Users Posts: 5,551 Major grins
    edited March 26, 2008
    Nice pose and comp. Needs te white point set. A bit under exposed. Wall should look whiter.

    thumb.gif

    Don
    Don Ricklin - Gear: Canon EOS 5D Mark III, was Pentax K7
    'I was older then, I'm younger than that now' ....
    My Blog | Q+ | Moderator, Lightroom Forums | My Amateur Smugmug Stuff | My Blurb book Rust and Whimsy. More Rust , FaceBook     .
  • Jane B.Jane B. Registered Users Posts: 373 Major grins
    edited March 26, 2008
    LRmvcDonR wrote:
    Nice pose and comp. Needs te white point set. A bit under exposed. Wall should look whiter.

    thumb.gif

    Don

    These kind of comments always make me wonder. Since you weren't there how do you know that the wall was whiter?

    Jane B.
  • DonRicklinDonRicklin Registered Users Posts: 5,551 Major grins
    edited March 26, 2008
    I don't but, it read, to me, the image reads muddy dark as it is. Maybe soemone else will chime in on this.

    Actually, it should not matter if you have set a proper white point (White need not be present.) it is getting sufficient exposure level (AFAIK).

    my 2¢,

    Don
    Don Ricklin - Gear: Canon EOS 5D Mark III, was Pentax K7
    'I was older then, I'm younger than that now' ....
    My Blog | Q+ | Moderator, Lightroom Forums | My Amateur Smugmug Stuff | My Blurb book Rust and Whimsy. More Rust , FaceBook     .
  • darkdragondarkdragon Registered Users Posts: 1,051 Major grins
    edited March 26, 2008
    I actually think the whole image looks good. It doesn't look unbalanced or underexposed to me at all. The face is nice and sharp.

    The only thing that might improve it is to lay down on the floor and take a shot of this little guy/gal to gt a more interesting composition - since that is the way most of us see tiny dogs (from high above as in your image).

    What kit lens did you use? (ther are 3 d40 kits)
    ~ Lisa
  • MaestroMaestro Registered Users Posts: 5,395 Major grins
    edited March 26, 2008
    Nice shot. Exposure is hard to tell because of everyone's different monitor settings. It doesn't look underexposed to me, but did you use a flash or ambient light. That might explain the uneven lighting. Anyhow, the DOF(Depth of Field) is a bit shallow because the whole face and one ear are in great focus but the one ear isn't plus it was clipped.

    You'll love the 40D.
    Stephen
    www.capture-the-pixel.com

  • DoubleStrikeDoubleStrike Registered Users Posts: 3 Beginner grinner
    edited March 26, 2008
    Jane B. wrote:
    These kind of comments always make me wonder. Since you weren't there how do you know that the wall was whiter?

    Jane B.

    Laughing.gif - in this case, you turn out to be quite correct. The wall is actually not white, but more of a cream-ish beige sort of color.

    **

    The other input is certainly appreciated. I'll play with some additional positions to get some better poses from him. I thought the exposure looked OK, but again, I'm a newbie, so there's a good chance that I'm wrong on that one. I did make sure to not clip the histogram on the right, though. Perhaps I played it too safe.
  • DoubleStrikeDoubleStrike Registered Users Posts: 3 Beginner grinner
    edited March 26, 2008
    As to the shallow DOF comment (and the clipped ear) - the framing was what I could get on short notice - he's a skittish fellow when he sees the camera. I think he must be a Nikon guy or something.

    The DOF was intentional, though perhaps not as well-executed as planned. I wanted the tip of the nose in crisp focus and the rest blurred, but that's tough to do with an aperture of f/4 at that range.

    This was a kit lens borrowed from a Digital Rebel guy. It's the 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 non-USM version. Small, light, and did I mention SMALL?
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