Took this picture of this young man at a friends wedding. I didn't take my time really because it was more of a shot of opportunity than anything else. C&C welcome as always!
jamesD90 wrote:
Took this picture of this young man at a friends wedding. I didn't take my time really because it was more of a shot of opportunity than anything else. C&C welcome as always!
You got the shot. What do you want to know? How to shoot it over again?
First of all, ignore pilles -- he's the proverbial "grumpy old man" around here.
As you say, the image was opportunistic rather than planned, so it has a "snapshot" feel to it. The processing is okay, though it seems a bit too contrasty and perhaps a little underexposed. The white balance is quite warm.
IMO the best way to improve this shot would be to crop off most of the left half of the image, to get rid of the extraneous elements that pull the eye away from the young man. --c
First off: Anyone who posts on these forums, and puts "Tell me what you think" in the title, deserves the utmost respect. It's a tough crowd around here, and you sir have cast iron cajones!
As for the pic. Well, yeah just a fast-composed snapshot, basically, so it's not fair to jump on it.
BUT:
First, you should use a little less DOF. Some folks always go with the widest aperture they have, and that can also be a mistake, but you have WAY too much detail in this very busy background.
2: It looks like you don't have a very good lens. You are in focus, but it's still quite soft, and the colors are rather lackluster. (I just checked your profile. Egads, if I had to use that Siggy I'd quit photography.) Folks are fond of saying "it's not the equipment, it's the photographer" - but those same folks always have really nice equipment! Consider a decent prime bewtween 50 & 100 mm. You don't need the best. Almost ANY prime will probably slay that Sigma zoom.
3: You might benefit from better lighting, though this pic isn't bad. I Speedlight bounced off the cieling (with a white card or simple diffusor that send some of the light forward) would make things "pop" a bit more. Also, that would give you some catchlights in his eyes, which would make a huge difference. Also I would have gone one click slower on the shutter. The pic is a hair dark, overall.
Last, as Charles says, with this one DEFINITELY crop off the left side, and make it a vertical pic instead.
PS - Don't let Pilles get to you. He's just, well, Pilles.
First off: Anyone who posts on these forums, and puts "Tell me what you think" in the title, deserves the utmost respect. It's a tough crowd around here, and you sir have cast iron cajones!
As for the pic. Well, yeah just a fast-composed snapshot, basically, so it's not fair to jump on it.
BUT:
First, you should use a little less DOF. Some folks always go with the widest aperture they have, and that can also be a mistake, but you have WAY too much detail in this very busy background.
2: It looks like you don't have a very good lens. You are in focus, but it's still quite soft, and the colors are rather lackluster. (I just checked your profile. Egads, if I had to use that Siggy I'd quit photography.) Folks are fond of saying "it's not the equipment, it's the photographer" - but those same folks always have really nice equipment! Consider a decent prime bewtween 50 & 100 mm. You don't need the best. Almost ANY prime will probably slay that Sigma zoom.
3: You might benefit from better lighting, though this pic isn't bad. I Speedlight bounced off the cieling (with a white card or simple diffusor that send some of the light forward) would make things "pop" a bit more. Also, that would give you some catchlights in his eyes, which would make a huge difference. Also I would have gone one click slower on the shutter. The pic is a hair dark, overall.
Last, as Charles says, with this one DEFINITELY crop off the left side, and make it a vertical pic instead.
PS - Don't let Pilles get to you. He's just, well, Pilles.
charlesk wrote:
First of all, ignore pilles -- he's the proverbial "grumpy old man" around here.
As you say, the image was opportunistic rather than planned, so it has a "snapshot" feel to it. The processing is okay, though it seems a bit too contrasty and perhaps a little underexposed. The white balance is quite warm.
IMO the best way to improve this shot would be to crop off most of the left half of the image, to get rid of the extraneous elements that pull the eye away from the young man. --c
First off: Anyone who posts on these forums, and puts "Tell me what you think" in the title, deserves the utmost respect. It's a tough crowd around here, and you sir have cast iron cajones!
As for the pic. Well, yeah just a fast-composed snapshot, basically, so it's not fair to jump on it.
BUT:
First, you should use a little less DOF. Some folks always go with the widest aperture they have, and that can also be a mistake, but you have WAY too much detail in this very busy background.
2: It looks like you don't have a very good lens. You are in focus, but it's still quite soft, and the colors are rather lackluster. (I just checked your profile. Egads, if I had to use that Siggy I'd quit photography.) Folks are fond of saying "it's not the equipment, it's the photographer" - but those same folks always have really nice equipment! Consider a decent prime bewtween 50 & 100 mm. You don't need the best. Almost ANY prime will probably slay that Sigma zoom.
3: You might benefit from better lighting, though this pic isn't bad. I Speedlight bounced off the cieling (with a white card or simple diffusor that send some of the light forward) would make things "pop" a bit more. Also, that would give you some catchlights in his eyes, which would make a huge difference. Also I would have gone one click slower on the shutter. The pic is a hair dark, overall.
Last, as Charles says, with this one DEFINITELY crop off the left side, and make it a vertical pic instead.
PS - Don't let Pilles get to you. He's just, well, Pilles.
You guys are very funny, and I take comments with a grain of salt. I expect nothing but what I "should" have done and judging by some of your reputations I am just happy that someone with such a background would even take the time to give me the proper beat down. Anyways, I got a prime, 50mm to be exact and will post up two pictures that I did take my time on...and Pilles I almost expect your comments. Thanks all hopefully I only get better, you don't get ahead in life by people being nice all the time.
jamesD90 wrote:
You guys are very funny, and I take comments with a grain of salt. I expect nothing but what I "should" have done and judging by some of your reputations I am just happy that someone with such a background would even take the time to give me the proper beat down. Anyways, I got a prime, 50mm to be exact and will post up two pictures that I did take my time on...and Pilles I almost expect your comments. Thanks all hopefully I only get better, you don't get ahead in life by people being nice all the time.
Goddamn!! There;s a real, sensible human being on this board, after all. Oh I like you.
