Portraits. Please comment on what you think. Good or Bad.

[boomer1959]

Mother and Son.
http://images.fotopic.net/?id=3732609&outx=379&oq=0
Just the Mom.
http://images.fotopic.net/?id=3732608&outx=353&oq=0

[boomer1959]

COULD REALY USE SOME INPUT ON THESE. I'M NOT SURE ABOUT THEM.

[Idoc]

Ok alright,

to be short and simple but honest "Not Good"

They have so many artifacts from I'm guessing compression. The only other thing I could think of is did you have your macro setting on?

The lighting seems dim and I don't care for the angle. Please take none of this to heart, just some constructive criticism. The subjects and matter were good but just maybe a bit more planning is needed.

Personally I cannot take good pictures/portraits of people no matter how much I try, now small inanimate objets those area breeze. 8)

[boomer1959]

Thanx Idoc, like I said I wasn't sure and I don't mind what you said.
You can't get better at something if you don't take the bad with the good.

[Shabookie]

With the canons a60-80's if shooting inside try changing the balances.
Maybe you can try fluorescent or tungsten settings depending on the lighting? If you are using the sounds, I would turn them off. I usually get lots of lines and noise in my picks when they are turned on. These canons don’t take good inside low-light picks plain and simple. I have to do so much tweaking to get a good inside shot. Maybe 1 out of 10 turns out ok. You can buy a sunpak filter for fluorescent lighting for really cheap and that should help.

Keepum coming....

[Idoc]

With the canons a60-80's if shooting inside try changing the balances.
Maybe you can try fluorescent or tungsten settings depending on the lighting?

Keepum coming....

I agree with Shabookie here, I used to shoot with an A40, and inside pictures always were the most trouble.

Changing the lighting settings will help. The auto light setting most of the time does what needs to be done, another thing to try is adjust your exposure settings just a tad or two, which will brighten up the image bringing your subject forward into the shot. The more you try the more you improve :D and dont forget to be creative sometimes mistakes can lead to learning techniques :)

[ijohnson]

The major problem with the A80 as well as any P&S digital is that the low light performace is terrible. I have a G2, however with indoor shots I have the luxury of putting my 420ex flash on there so that I don't have to blast their faces with direct light either. I can't remember if the a80 has a hot-shoe.

You might have been able to do this shot with a tripod and two VERY still subjects. Otherwise, take your camera outside. Its not even worth ratcheting up the ISO as you get some really grainy pics.

These particualr posts are too dark, too compressed and, while candid and unforced, the subjects aren't very interesting to look at, probably because of the lighting problem.

In other words, go spend $2000 more and you can take this very shot with more success. I'll bet that doesn't make you feel better.

-Isaac

[vafa]

Hi boomer1959
I suggest to have a look at the portaits at:

http://vafa.fotopic.net/c149084.html

They are tooken by a A80 too and may be helpful.
Vafa

[boomer1959]

Thank you everyone. I didn't know of the problems with the A80.
I am looking at getting a better camera. One that will do the job.
Thanks again. :D

[Polymathic]

I agree with what others have said, but I also think that the problems go a little deeper than the equipment. At a basic color level, the mother and son are wearing clashing reds. The couch, too, provides a rather unpleasant blue, especially with the blue of the boy's collar. In portraits, you want to make sure the background is pleasant. Also, the mother's nose would be better if it didn't poke the boy's left eye.

For good portraits, as someone else has said, you need a little more prep & planning.

Anyhow, that's the fun and the learning. Thanks for sharing your pictures.

[henkbos]

These are not portraits , but snapshots. Valuable for the family as momento, but no photographic value.
Portraits need a little more and I'm sure if you look at a display in a professional store you will find a lot of answers to your questions.
Camera is not the most important thing here!

[Shabookie]

I dont think its all the cameras fault... I didnt mean to say that these camera blow, because they dont. Yea, they are entry level cams, but with a tad bit of tweaking you can have very good if not awesome shots.
The tweaking could be in the form of filters, adjusting levels in the cam, or photoshop.

Hey, I only use a canon A70......
:)

[boomer1959]

OK I admit these are very candid shots. I am having trouble with all my indoor shots. The outdoor ones almost allways turn out good. Well almost.lol. Thanks again for your input.