Newbie Critique Needed

Hi,

I am brand new to DSLR and want to learn all that I can. Any critique you supply will be appreciated!

Kelly

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Focus seems to be off, are you using the center autofocus point?. The foreground is also very distracting on the right side

Yes, I am using the center focus point. Help me see what you are seeing: where does it seem to be off focus? How can I correct it?

It's a great start. You could frame it and she'd be happy. She's a little too close to that rock, or maybe she should be in front of that little outcropping instead of behind it. It's blocking a little of her head.

I can't see the EXIF info, so I don't know shutter speed. Was it fast enough? Also, what was she looking at?

Thanks for your replies. What effect does a faster shutter speed have on this photo? I am really trying to learn.

MikeFairbanks wrote in post #12058662
I can't see the EXIF info, so I don't know shutter speed. Was it fast enough? Also, what was she looking at?

The exif is 1/125 @ f4.

Brainstormin wrote in post #12058722
Thanks for your replies. What effect does a faster shutter speed have on this photo? I am really trying to learn.

I can't speek for Mike but I think he was wondering if there may have been some motion blur, but @ 1/125 you should have been all set. I'm assuming you had the focal point focusing on the eyes..?

I hope I focused on the eyes. We were out hiking, and I just snapped this. We were pretty impressed with the setting at the time, so maybe I got carried away and focused on the rock instead

I took a second shot at the same time. Is this one better?

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Unfortunately this one also seems a bit soft. The rock above her head looks to be sharper than her eyes, however I think it definitely has potential. There's a huge number of people prowling around here that are unbelievably talented at editing, and I bet you'd be surprised what could be done ... I'm just a beginner, but if you turn on your editing ok, I'd be more than happy to invest a couple minutes to give you an idea. Nothing major, just a little sharpening and such. Maybe it would even draw in some of the "pro's" ...

second is better.

The mind wants the eyes, above all else, to be in focus. The best way to do this is focus on the eye (put the focus spot over the eye and half press so the focus locks) then reframe and snap the pic. This way the lens will be focused for the eye.

Anybody else see a face in the rock?

I wish the girl was about 4 feet away from the rock. I think the shot would have been more successful if she was. But that second shot isn't bad at all. And the face in the rock is wearing a slight smile, just like the girl.

drvred wrote in post #12065732
Anybody else see a face in the rock?

You just freeked me out...! I just said the same thing and thought about posting it. I didn't notice it last night, but after looking again tonight, it jumped right out at me ... WOW... you sober..? lol...

Thank you all for all of your help! I know all of this may seem basic to you, but it is all new information to me, and you are really helping me!

Have you tried using the meter spotting? Use that to focus on eye area, at least you'll get a better focus on the subject itself. The person seems OOF. The focus is more towards the jacket and hand area.

But, overall, the compos seems okay.

Keep it up.