bliss.. (seeking feedback)

[ssping83]

hi all i've posted this pic on my blog earlier on.. but looking at it now and then raised some questions in my mind that i thought maybe will be good to post in the critique corner to get some feedback and to improve myself.. not sure if i should have posted in newbie corner though..

1. in what area is critique to be sought?

i have been having problems / queries with sharpness in my photos (saw some very sharp photos taken by fellow clubsnappers).. wondering if there is a problem with my technique or something)..

the photo was taken at 1/6s exposure, 56mm and ISO 200 (i think).. camera was placed on the table for stability (and for "stealth" reason also) so to reduce handshake at that shutter speed..

other than that.. other critique on composition, etc are welcome.. =)

2. what one hopes to achieve with the piece of work?
3. under what circumstance is the picture taken? (physical conditions/emotions)

actually this was a little meant to be a snapshot that i took when having drinks at tcc with a friend.. saw this blissful scene and took the shot.. (picture was cropped later)

4. what the critique seeker personally thinks of the picture

i thought it was a nice heartwarm moment.. maybe it would have been better if more of the younger lady's smile was captured?!

 

[iRaphael]

i assume you didnt know who they were?

anyway, just my opinions..

shutter of 1/6 would most likely result in handshake even though you put the camera on the table. by pressing the shutter would result in slight handshake.

i would have preferred a tighter crop. and it looks a little underexposed.

did you use flash? there's this white light thing beside the older woman..

it would have been better if you were at the angle so that you can capture the younger lady's smile.. but then again, i assumed you shot someone you didnt know..

i think only you can answer qn 2 & 3.

personally, i feel that it captures a good moment..

but you can do better, perhaps capture at eye level?

 

[Pablo]

Hi ssping83,

Under exposed I think.

Everything on the table is distracting.

The white curve top left corner is distracting.

The butterfly clip is distracting.

A nice moment to catch, but just not a good situation to take the shot.

Cheers.

 

[ssping83]

hi iraphael and pablo.. thanks for the response..

i didn't realize that it was underexposed until both of you made the same remark~
camera was set to program mode and i juz shot away and posted the photo.. now that i reviewed it again it does seem underexposed..

iraphael ->
yup i didn't know them.. din know that shutter release can have so much impact (when i took the picture i "felt" that the camera had been quite "stable" already)

pablo ->
will it be better if i put soft focus using picasa or photoshop to reduce all these distractions? (looking at the clutter of plates and stuff might be a little difficult though.. :sweat

 

[m3lv1nh0]

Hi.. just some suggestions from another newbie

At that shutter speed (1/6s), subject movement would also affect the sharpness even if the camera is supported. WHat you can do is to open up your aperture to the widest and bump up your ISO. Your shutter speed should increase as a result. Use Av mode to select the aperture. WB is on the warm side but it's fine for this shot.

You can also zoom/crop so that the image covers only the 3 subjects. Than use other means like vignetting, burning, blurring to remove other distraction.

But sometimes when the condition is not favourable for a good shoot, it's better to just sit back and enjoy the scene. Cheers!

 

[matrixneo]

My personal opinion:

Like wat other csers have said, everything on the table is distracting...pic looks underexposed...however, all these (table items, background curve etc) are not under your control since its a candid shot.

Indeed its a heartwarming scene and I do agree with capturing more of the lady's smile and expression.

from this pic, what you do for future is to have a tighter crop. At least to remove the menu on the table from yr pic.

Cheers and happy shooting.

 

[ssping83]

hi m3lv1nh0 and matrixneo.. thanks..

i cleanly forgot of the subject movement.. was too consciously looking out for my OWN movement.. -.-"

will love to have faster lens though.. heh.. still using the basic kit.. can't get fast shutter in low light unless i boost the iso.. and i've always refrained from using anything higher than iso 400 (though i only use 200 for this shot)..

seems that it's a "habit" (bad habit!? lol) from my previous fuji s5700 coz anything higher than iso 400 will be a bunch of murky shots..

hope to shoot better pictures next time.. =)

 

[m3lv1nh0]

Dun worry.. your DSLR should be able to handle noise better than P&S. Anything from 800-1000 is usable. At worst, you can convert the noisy pic into B/w and you will get another kind of "mood" shots.

 

[dotaboy]

hi all i've posted this pic on my blog earlier on.. but looking at it now and then raised some questions in my mind that i thought maybe will be good to post in the critique corner to get some feedback and to improve myself.. not sure if i should have posted in newbie corner though..

1. in what area is critique to be sought?

i have been having problems / queries with sharpness in my photos (saw some very sharp photos taken by fellow clubsnappers).. wondering if there is a problem with my technique or something)..

the photo was taken at 1/6s exposure, 56mm and ISO 200 (i think).. camera was placed on the table for stability (and for "stealth" reason also) so to reduce handshake at that shutter speed..

other than that.. other critique on composition, etc are welcome.. =)

2. what one hopes to achieve with the piece of work?
3. under what circumstance is the picture taken? (physical conditions/emotions)

actually this was a little meant to be a snapshot that i took when having drinks at tcc with a friend.. saw this blissful scene and took the shot.. (picture was cropped later)

4. what the critique seeker personally thinks of the picture

i thought it was a nice heartwarm moment.. maybe it would have been better if more of the younger lady's smile was captured?!

Nice girl

Their skin tone seem to be darker than the usual colour and this is pretty evident on the aunty face,therefore i suspect it is underexposed.
If picture is not sharp then perhaps u can try a faster shutter but then again faste shutter would mean underexpose..
I have the same issue..anyone care to rectify?