New pics for critique

[major_tom]

There may not be any to critique as these are mainly P&S shots with a DSLR
Appreciate your kind comments to help me along this new hobby.....sigh, a long,long road ahead.

Anyway, just 4 nothing extra-ordinary pics to share with you.....

http://photobucket.com/albums/e34/ma...=PC2202091.jpg

all out-of-box .....

p/s: pls be gentle, it's my 1st time......

[student]

Originally Posted by major_tom There may not be any to critique as these are mainly P&S shots with a DSLR Appreciate your kind comments to help me along this new hobby.....sigh, a long,long road ahead. Anyway, just 4 nothing extra-ordinary pics to share with you..... http://photobucket.com/albums/e34/ma...=PC2202091.jpg all out-of-box ..... p/s: pls be gentle, it's my 1st time......

Please do not give excuses in order to anticipate bad comments, such as "I am a newbie", I am not using a pro camera, my pictures are ordinary.

If you bother to put up a picture for critique, this image must mean something to you. Important enough to you. So the image will be critiqued to help you improve. Don't ask for "gentle critiques". If you are afraid of honest opinions , don't ask for opinions. Remember the opinions are just that - opinions. The opinions are not gospel truth. At the end, you will have to evaluate the comments to see what is useful to you. Be thick-skinned. Take an example from AngelZhou who, like a tenacious bulldog, hound CS members to explain their critiques.

Now coming to this picture.

This is a tender moment. I would personally go in closer to centre the gaze on the intereaction between the two children and the cake. At least I would crop off (hopefully at the stage of taking the picture) some of the space on the left.

[major_tom]

Originally Posted by student Please do not give excuses in order to anticipate bad comments, such as "I am a newbie", I am not using a pro camera, my pictures are ordinary. If you bother to put up a picture for critique, this image must mean something to you. Important enough to you. So the image will be critiqued to help you improve. Don't ask for "gentle critiques". If you are afraid of honest opinions , don't ask for opinions. Remember the opinions are just that - opinions. The opinions are not gospel truth. At the end, you will have to evaluate the comments to see what is useful to you. Be thick-skinned. Take an example from AngelZhou who, like a tenacious bulldog, hound CS members to explain their critiques.

Ok, point taken. Yep. Never thought of that....It's good that you are frank and honest in your feedback. Seriously, that's lesson #1 for me....

[Hacker]

Nothing a little crop on the left won't solve to zoom in a little on the shared moment. It clearly depicts siblings sharing a very private and family moment. From a technical perspective, I would rather the flash be just a fill in and for color correction. The shadow under the boy is distracting to me and considered harsh in the context of this picture.

What is the exif info? Can post?

[major_tom]

Originally Posted by Hacker Nothing a little crop on the left won't solve to zoom in a little on the shared moment. It clearly depicts siblings sharing a very private and family moment. From a technical perspective, I would rather the flash be just a fill in and for color correction. The shadow under the boy is distracting to me and considered harsh in the context of this picture. What is the exif info? Can post?

Thanks for the pointers, hacker. Actually, this shot was a fluke but when it came out....I really like it. A very private moment of sibling innocence and love.....

Hope this is what you are looking for:
Flash used: Yes
Focal length: 50.0mm
Exposure time: 1/100
Aperture: f/3.4
ISO equiv.: 160 (Auto)
Whitebalance: Auto
Metering Mode: matrix
Exposure: Creative

[major_tom]

Originally Posted by chainsmoker I can see their attention on something. Wat is the gal doin, planting a candle or plucking the cherries off the cake? If a photo should tell a tale, it is obscured by her hand.

yep. that's why I agree with student. The cropping should be done at the point of shooting. To crop the left side now may make the hand & pic look funny and awkward....
Need to improve on the framing/composition amongst others.....

[Hacker]

Based on the exif data, I would try to shoot at ISO 200 or higher but below 400 (since I mainly shoot at 100) and maybe drop the shutter speed to 1/60. Fill in flash with 1/3 stop under exposed. Not sure how steady your hands are, but these would be the settings that I use. It is only a preference and not anything else.

[major_tom]

Originally Posted by Hacker Based on the exif data, I would try to shoot at ISO 200 or higher but below 400 (since I mainly shoot at 100) and maybe drop the shutter speed to 1/60. Fill in flash with 1/3 stop under exposed. Not sure how steady your hands are, but these would be the settings that I use. It is only a preference and not anything else.

ok, noted. gotta shoot more.........thank you!

[ParkertR]

hi major_tom,
i concur with student and hacker here about framing. check out some of the works of our very own cs'ers like Zaren (one of my fav) whose framing is one of the better ones on this forum Here's a link to his photo a day... CLICK HERE

[major_tom]

Originally Posted by ParkertR hi major_tom, i concur with student and hacker here about framing. check out some of the works of our very own cs'ers like Zaren (one of my fav) whose framing is one of the better ones on this forum Here's a link to his photo a day... CLICK HERE

thanks for the link.....
anyway, am removing the kiddy pic from photobucket.
Fren not too comfortable with his children's pic on the net.....my bad.