What can I do to start improving on these shots?

While on vacation I saw this girl giving lessons at a skating rink. I thought it was a really neat scene, so I got a few shots. Crop and original, I'd like to be able to improve on these types of shots. TIA.

The lesson.

a longer lens would do wonders! very cool though.

I started to get the 70-200 out, but I was already getting strange looks. Get drug off by security and all! "Wait! My family is skating out there! I was shooting themmmmm."

I might next time, that was the first thing I thought when I looked at the shots.

They're both too centered and I think you should try to get both faces in the scene if possible - patience may pay off.

I know exactly what you mean about getting out the 70-200L. It is anything but discreet! I struggle with getting it out at kids sporting events if I am not on a specific assignment for a parent.

I have just been trying to not worry about what others are thinking. Im there to get great photos, and my 70-200L is one of my tools that costs way to much to be shy about using...Good luck on future shots, I think with your zoom, this could have been a promising shoot!

Something that I have found to help with the 'pervert or professional' concern is to look and act like a professional... exude confidence (fake it if you have too, no one there is seeing what you're shooting), if you're confident and comfortable, then they will be too. I try to wear my 'logo'd shirt' if going to public places so they think I'm on assignment. As for the 'Rent-a-Cops'... I honestly think they're hired to make our lives hell.

After looking through them some, I did find one that meets some of what y'all are saying. Still need to drag out the 200 next time.

Did you want to give it that grainy look in purpose?

No, and that's something else I need to work on. Since the exif data didn't tag along I shot it with a 100 f2.8 1/250 ISO 1600.

I'm going to tweak it some more, sometimes I look at it and like it, others I see too many problems to keep it.

IDO 1600 is going to give you grainy with an XSI.

with 100 you can go to about 160-180TV

Another thing that helps is fill flash (580EXII is very good for fill flash)

Well the 100 f/2.8 is sharper than the 70-200f/2.8 however the focus on the 70-200 is faster from my experience and the IS helps a lot to avoid shaky hands (I do have them). It seems by your setting that lighting was very poor there, so I think Broncobear suggestion of using a 580EXII would be a good idea. However in my case I would probably reduce the ISO and speed and use the flash as main and the ambient light as fill.

I find 1600 gives me grainy results even on my 40D; I know a lot of people would argue that if you get good exposure 1600 should give good photos, now the problem is that when I am obliged to use 1600 is because the light is very poor so getting an optimal exposure can get tricky. On an XSi, I would stay at 800 tops.

Just my 2 cents.

SKnight wrote in post #6553436
After looking through them some, I did find one that meets some of what y'all are saying. Still need to drag out the 200 next time.

I like the composition of this one much, much better.

i liked the first one more when it was centered... I think this time its a bit too much to the right... also, I think it could have used a stop more exposure (or you should raise the contrast a bit - S curve etc.)... dunno, just a quick thought