one photo, your CC please

[bbarclay]

Hi all,
I'm here to learn and improve.CC Welcome.





--
Thanks

EOS 450D
EF-S 17-55mm f2.8 IS USM
EF 70-300mm IS USM

 

[Shorthand]

What was your goal in taking this photo? What were you trying to communicate?

Technically, the photo is in focus and properly exposed, but there is no composition (its just a head in a frame), the lighting is flat and lifeless, and the background is somewhat distracting.

There are volumes written online on how to do "available light" portraiture right. Getting your subject into the right frame of mind is just as important as any technical or artistic aspects of lighting or exposure.

• http://shutterbug.com/techniques/lighting/0101sb_available/
• http://neilvn.com/tangents/2010/07/22/available-light-portrait/

What I see:

• In a normal size room, you will typically find that you want to take a portrait at around 50mm to get an upper torso shot on a APS-C camera (incl. all Canon Digital Rebels). With a head shot that tight, you have almost no room left for composition
• The background isn't bad, but the couch parts are still a bit distracting. There are lots of subtlities here.
• Add some directional lighting (e.g. from a window) to highlight the subject's features
• The subject wasn't at ease and has a very guarded expression.

 

[Samgy]

Besides everything that's been said...

..for just a head shot you're missing some of his hair from the top and chin from the bottom.

Personally I would rather go for a head and shoulders or something even tighter with dramatic lighting.

-Sam

 

[vikram747]

hi,

i detect a slight hint of motion blur. In my opinion you could improve the photograph by bumping up the ISO to 800 which will give you a faster shutter speed.

Also, it would be nice if some of the moustache and the hair just above the forhead were in sharp focus along with the eyes, so you might want to set your F-number or aperture accordingly.

Ultimately, its a give and take between shutter speed/depth of field/high ISO noise.

You will have to compromise one of the above factors or resort to using bounced flash.

hope this helps.

 

[bbarclay]

Hi Shorthand, Samgy, vikram747

Thank you all for your viewing my photo and spend the time.

all the observations, criticisms and opinions I shall take them into consideration

--
Thanks

EOS 450D
EF-S 17-55mm f2.8 IS USM
EF 70-300mm IS USM

 

[DVT80111]

Did you do any post processing? Did you take in RAW? my guess, not.

 

[bbarclay]

Hi DVT80111,

Thank you for viewing the picture .. Yes, I worked with a very light touch PP in DPP and take it in RAW... But at night I take it in a small room at home on the lighting room 4-flourescent(35W each) two on the wall, which appears behind the subject and two on the opposite wall at a height of two and a half meters.
--
Thanks

EOS 450D
EF-S 17-55mm f2.8 IS USM
EF 70-300mm IS USM