Granddaughter

I can't decide which I like better.

I would convert this to black and white...not sepia.
The colour version's saturated green, pink and red are just too much for me and take away from this pretty face.

#2 for me. First one is a bit noisy. Was this high ISO or sharpened?

Thanks for the comments I went back and reduced noise just to see and desaturated just to see. I'm not sure they are better to me. The picture was captured at high iso and I knew it was noisy; I just liked the affect.

Black and White

B&W all day!!

Something tells me this photo was an extreme crop in order to be a pixelated and noisy - even for a 40D. There is just a lack of details. What strikes me is a lack of a smile. Just far too serious an expression for a what, 2 year old?

HappySnapper90 wrote in post #16862541
Something tells me this photo was an extreme crop in order to be a pixelated and noisy - even for a 40D. There is just a lack of details. What strikes me is a lack of a smile. Just far too serious an expression for a what, 2 year old?

I put the picture on the "Critique Corner" with all expectations that people would criticize the photo. This isn't a model we are discussing hear. This is a 3 year old that was minding her business and I took some pictures of her. Just to be clear, she smiles, she laughs, she cries and all emotions in between.

I have seen pictures here that people post wanting a critique on and I am tempted to mention that the model may make a better photographer than a model. I have been able to refrain from making those comments.

Perhaps you thought my granddaughter was modeling for me and you thought she was going for a look... After having made that error in judgement, you are making a recommendation that she models as a happy 3 year old verses an unhappy 3 yr. old? Or is the recommendation that I consider the picture undesirable due to the fact that she wasn't smiling at such a tender young age.

Yes, I did crop the photo a good bit. I did shoot the photo at 3200 iso. I liked the picture because to me it looked like a painting, in a way in the color rendition; I thought the septa one looked like an antique photo with the noise and all.

Attached is the original photo. She was watching peppa pig and turned to see what I was doing. I don't remember but she may have been mad because her mother told her to quit riding the scooter through the apartment. She wanted to wear the helmet. Whatever, she is 3. And yes she does take her peppa pig seriously.

I like the catch light in the eyes. Now that we know it was cropped, I would crop a little differently: leave negative space in front of her face so it's not all centered and cutting the rear parts of the helmet and strap off. I didn't like the grain in the first image, but if you want a painted look, try dropping the clarity into the negative territory. I think slightly desaturated in your second color attempt is the way to go.

dcsmith40D wrote in post #16863265
I put the picture on the "Critique Corner" with all expectations that people would criticize the photo. This isn't a model we are discussing hear. This is a 3 year old that was minding her business and I took some pictures of her. Just to be clear, she smiles, she laughs, she cries and all emotions in between . . .

I join you in rising to the defense of models, especially children and fiercely those who are dear but don't think your granddaughter is being targeted here at all but rather her expression at the instant the light was captured. As most of us have learned the hard way, fleeting expressions can make all the difference. Even the hint of a smile could have turned your shot into a treasure.

1st by far for me. Looks very dramatic.

When you ask for a critique, you'll get critiques on all aspects of the photo. And you'll get some advice that you didn't think of yourself. That's the point of these forums.

HappySnapper90 wrote in post #16880273
When you ask for a critique, you'll get critiques on all aspects of the photo. And you'll get some advice that you didn't think of yourself. That's the point of these forums.

Yes.

And choosing the right moment to press the shutter is all part of taking good photos, as is interacting with human subjects to help them relax, smile or whatever will best suit the photo you're trying to achieve. This can be fiendishly difficult with small children and you certainly don't always want subjects to be smiling, but the comment you offered was a perfectly fair one. It obviously was not a critique of the child herself and it's unfortunate the OP seems to have taken it that way.

To me the images look not so much noisy as over-sharpened, and the first version in colour seems too saturated.

CRCchemist wrote in post #16863391
I like the catch light in the eyes. Now that we know it was cropped, I would crop a little differently: leave negative space in front of her face so it's not all centered and cutting the rear parts of the helmet and strap off. I didn't like the grain in the first image, but if you want a painted look, try dropping the clarity into the negative territory. I think slightly desaturated in your second color attempt is the way to go.

I agree about the cropping, and the rest as well.