Newbie Shot at home. Would like to know you opinion :)

2 Weeks into photography so far and the only gear I have is an Canon XSI and two lens. Just recently learned about Aperture, Shutter Speed and ISO.

I love bokeh so even though I don't have a lens for that, I tried to put my 28-135mm USM to the test.

My first experimental shot at home. IF YOU WANT TO SEE THE SETUP I USED FOR THIS SHOT, LET ME KNOW AND I'LL POST IT!

Comments and Critiques are Welcome!

Newbie first experimental shot

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WB loooks too warm and it's OOF. Not a very interesting composition and pretty close to centered.

tmoore323 wrote in post #14403978
WB loooks too warm and it's OOF. Not a very interesting composition and pretty close to centered.

So less yellow and apply rule of thirds I guess?

yes please

as tmoore said the image isnt that interesting but as a test shot i wouldnt worry about that too much at the moment the thing i would say you need to concentrate on is the exposure and focus as they both look off.

i.e. it looks more focused to the left of the mug to me check the focus points and to make it ''pop'' more make sure the whole (or majority) of the mug is in focus and yes, alot less yellow you loose the colour of the mug in the current shot.

edit: to make the shot a little more interesting you could always try resting the mug on som sort of surface, i dunno like a birds nest type thing or something, pop'pori maybe or even sheet of some description.

Drixar wrote in post #14404017
yes please

as tmoore said the image isnt that interesting but as a test shot i wouldnt worry about that too much at the moment the thing i would say you need to concentrate on is the exposure and focus as they both look off.

i.e. it looks more focused to the left of the mug to me check the focus points and to make it ''pop'' more make sure the whole (or majority) of the mug is in focus and yes, alot less yellow you loose the colour of the mug in the current shot.

This is the setup and thanks guys for the feedback. The WB was right but I thought it will looks better warmer, that's why I changed the WB on Camera Raw, I know better now. That's may be why. As far as focus, maybe the lens is not the correct one for this.

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The yellow thing is the white balance, (the cup is white in your setup shot). If you shot in raw, use the wee droplet thing in wb settings to set the white balance. Also a bit more dof to get the entire cup in focus. With lighting it from the back, you could try some white card either side of the cup to reflect more light onto this side?

JimMcrae wrote in post #14404115
The yellow thing is the white balance, (the cup is white in your setup shot). If you shot in raw, use the wee droplet thing in wb settings to set the white balance. Also a bit more dof to get the entire cup in focus. With lighting it from the back, you could try some white card either side of the cup to reflect more light onto this side?

Thanks

I like the shot, but it is off center and slightly out of focus. The white balance is a tad warm. I would try backing it off a few notches. I do like how it looks like fire is coming up out of the cup, but looking at it again after seeing how it was done, the banister really takes away from the shot. Wasn't too noticeable at first, but once I saw behind the scenes. Keep shooting and you will improve.

Now that said, what kind of monitor do you have? Cause your colors could be different from our colors. That was part of my reason for upgrading my laptop to a desk top so I could have decent colors. There is a ton of info on color management and monitor setup here. No sense in working hard to get colors right on a monitor that is really off.

A touch more DoF on the cup would be better.
If you were after the warm look, you succeeded. IMO it's a bit too warm though.
I do like the concept.

SmokeySiFy wrote in post #14404391
I like the shot, but it is off center and slightly out of focus. The white balance is a tad warm. I would try backing it off a few notches. I do like how it looks like fire is coming up out of the cup, but looking at it again after seeing how it was done, the banister really takes away from the shot. Wasn't too noticeable at first, but once I saw behind the scenes. Keep shooting and you will improve.

Now that said, what kind of monitor do you have? Cause your colors could be different from our colors. That was part of my reason for upgrading my laptop to a desk top so I could have decent colors. There is a ton of info on color management and monitor setup here. No sense in working hard to get colors right on a monitor that is really off.

I'm using a Macbook Pro13'

GorgeShooter wrote in post #14404621
A touch more DoF on the cup would be better.
If you were after the warm look, you succeeded. IMO it's a bit too warm though.
I do like the concept.

Yes I was after the warm touch but maybe I over did it.

Thanks for the feedback! Lot to learn

Is this one better? No Prime Lens Yet

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The WB looks alright now, however the cup is underexposed a bit

I like the first one way better. Not sure why everyone is saying the WB is the problem, sure it's not correct, but for the concept that the guy is trying to achieve I think the warmer tones work slot better than a balanced color. A tea cup doesn't look appealing with cool tones, but with the warmer tones it makes it much more visually appealing. The depth of field on the first is also much better, the only technical problem I see with the first image is the focus.

tupper wrote in post #14408768
I like the first one way better. Not sure why everyone is saying the WB is the problem, sure it's not correct, but for the concept that the guy is trying to achieve I think the warmer tones work slot better than a balanced color. A tea cup doesn't look appealing with cool tones, but with the warmer tones it makes it much more visually appealing. The depth of field on the first is also much better, the only technical problem I see with the first image is the focus.

Thank you sir! I like ir better too I agree with the focus but when I get my prime lens, that won't be an issue.

not "a bit" and not "a tad" ;]

OP, congrats on your new cam - if this thing sucks you in, you're into world of wonders and non-stop learning. As for this pic - just bin it and make a new one!