Teach me something - C&C please

Midwest wrote:

f3nr15 wrote:

A Little Wonder

There are all kinds of approaches to focusing involving setting off-center focus points or using them all. My preference is the old standby of selecting the center focus point, putting it on the part of the photo which must be in focus, half-pressing the shutter to get focus, then shifting the camera to get the right framing - then take the photo. It's easy, quick, and generally works well.

Re this photo - I think I'd have tried to get more of the adults' faces in it if they were meant to be in the picture (and I am sure they were). There is a large dark area of hair taking up too much of the photo. Also this is a good example of why I shoot RAW, because it makes it easy to go in and adjust the white balance. For my taste this photo is too 'orange-y' and doesn't look like the real scene did. It's almost more like a sepia-tint monochrome. If that's the look you wanted then you did get it, but it's not what I'd choose.

This is not a bad 'snapshot' - type of photo but you should try (assuming you didn't) to get some shots with just a good view of that beautiful new youngster, especially his face. Certainly take pics of the baby with the older generation! I'm big on kids and babies and family shots myself. But look for the special photo that sometimes is within the scene, not just the overall scene.

You're welcome to click on my username and view my gallery. I have a 'baby pics' album. Maybe you'll get some ideas. I'm a big believer in looking at what others do that works well and then drawing inspiration from them. I do it all the time. Good luck and keep shooting.

Thank you, I appreciate the input.

To chat a little of my approach and philosophy - my purpose in this hobby is, like many, to capture the moment and the meaning. I'm very new to "the art", and in that respect most of my photos are going to be snapshots. I'm not at the point of staging pictures, and even feel uncomfortable giving people directions to allow composition, because I feel it takes away from the "reality" of the situation.

Now having said that, I take very few photos, and despite their snapshot nature, I am trying hard to think and compose with each. In this instance, I have a small connection to the new baby, but a much more significant connection to my wife and daughter. The "moment" I was trying to capture was the unspoken lesson between my wife and my daughter taking place, which is the gentleness of holding a new baby - my wife has her arm protectively around the baby, with my daughter also practicing a tentative embrace. I wanted to the viewer to immediately focus on the newborn as the focal point, but then to recognise the "wonder" of the two holding him to be the story. So, I wanted the babe to be sharp and the bystanders to be a little softer, hence the f2.8 - I had a flash there anyway, and would have been able to use a larger DOF if I had wanted.

I chuckled about your comment re the tint - I'm a bit hung up on sepia at the moment because I'm enjoying the vintage look, but despite pleasing me, it probably annoys most. I'll cut back on the sepia in the future!

Taking some of your pointers in to account, here's a less processed version of the photo with a tighter crop, centred on the babe a little more - do you think this works better in conveying the moment?

A Little Wonder - alterative crop, no processing

Finally, I had a look at your gallery and I really like the compositions of the kids, great stuff.