Black & White Potraits

[rijac]

i am very much a newbie and shoot with a canon a630. i would like to take better pictures of my children. the shot here is of my daughter taken in the camera's black and white mode; program AE. it was a candid shot on a slightly overcast afternoon with no flash or additional lighting. slight contrast adjustment was the only pp.

i would like some feedback on how this type of photo could be improved. thank you.

[waileong]

There's nothing to improve. Enjoy the picture!

[angiee]

Improve in what way? Please tell us what you don't like about it.

[rijac]

thank you.

what would i need to do differently so that i wouldn't need to touch up the contrast. i took a few shots like this and all of them needed to be touched up a little. is it because of the lack of lighting on her face?

[lkkang]

I photograph my daughter most of the time, due to family commitments , tough to go out for outdoor shoots anymore...

It is not easy to picture kids at this age, they are running around, crying... wanting to grap your lens...this and that...

not bad a shot actually, it is consider sharp enough for a "moving" subject.. However, there is nothing interesting about the subject itself.. basically , she is not doing anything but staring. try capture the kids "working".

[waileong]

Originally Posted by rijac thank you. what would i need to do differently so that i wouldn't need to touch up the contrast. i took a few shots like this and all of them needed to be touched up a little. is it because of the lack of lighting on her face?

Touching up (otherwise known as PP) is a routine procedure in digital photography. Nothing to be ashamed of.

[rijac]

thanks for the feedback. it is appreciated.

[Yatlapball]

rijac: richard?

I like the usage of the negative space in the photo. My personal preference would be to give a little more space above the head as well... But that's just my personal preference.

Are you familiar with dodge and burn? The background could do with some burning in

[rijac]

Originally Posted by Yatlapball rijac: richard? I like the usage of the negative space in the photo. My personal preference would be to give a little more space above the head as well... But that's just my personal preference. Are you familiar with dodge and burn? The background could do with some burning in

no i am not familiar with the term. and yes, richard.

[Yatlapball]

Ah... How are you? It's really nice to see old friends from RCC appearing here. Heh. First konahead now you. (mad_hayato/tofu_man here by the way) [ok enough OT before eikin spanks me]

You could google to see how to go about doing it. But the gist is, dodging is lightening and burning is darkening. Very useful for holding certain parts of a photo back whilst highlighting others. Quite an essential tool for b&w photography in my opinion.

Overcast days gives a nice soft even lighting all-round... but I would suggest using a fill-flash to give that little extra "kick" to the image.

On the whole, it's a pretty nice capture

[rijac]

Originally Posted by Yatlapball Ah... How are you? It's really nice to see old friends from RCC appearing here. Heh. First konahead now you. (mad_hayato/tofu_man here by the way) [ok enough OT before eikin spanks me] You could google to see how to go about doing it. But the gist is, dodging is lightening and burning is darkening. Very useful for holding certain parts of a photo back whilst highlighting others. Quite an essential tool for b&w photography in my opinion. Overcast days gives a nice soft even lighting all-round... but I would suggest using a fill-flash to give that little extra "kick" to the image. On the whole, it's a pretty nice capture

ah... long time no see.

thanks for the tip, i will look it up. don't think i can do fill-flash with this compact digital camera or is it something i would use separately?