C&C again....

Hi all,

I'm a newb and this is my second post in this section. I've had my camera for 1 month and I just want any c&c to improve my new hobby. These 2 shots were taken from a 7d 50mm f1.4.

Thanks.

#2 got something...Nice shot - as if she just jumped off the back of the ute ( = utility vehicle for the non Australians... ). The first one is too soft and should be cropped farther to the right - with more space for her to look at you...

I agree #2 is better. A ramp, like those used for a handicapped person off the tailgate would have created an interesting image

In both cases, you have your subject looking out the narrowest side of the image. It's better to have her looking into the center.

While others extol the virtues of the f/1.4 lens, the narrow depth of field places great demands on the photographer's sensitivity to where the focus is. In both shots, the hat fibers on her forehead are in focus, but her eyes are not. The cardinal rule of any kind of photography is that if there are eyes in it, they must be the point of focus.

I side with Joe on this one..the eyes need to be clear.I like the first.similar to the other one you posted of her.

joedlh wrote in post #9504688
In both cases, you have your subject looking out the narrowest side of the image. It's better to have her looking into the center.

While others extol the virtues of the f/1.4 lens, the narrow depth of field places great demands on the photographer's sensitivity to where the focus is. In both shots, the hat fibers on her forehead are in focus, but her eyes are not. The cardinal rule of any kind of photography is that if there are eyes in it, they must be the point of focus.

Flo wrote in post #9504701
I side with Joe on this one..the eyes need to be clear.I like the first.similar to the other one you posted of her.

thanks for the input. i'll make sure to focus on the eyes and get the pic when she's looking towards the center.

For portraiture such as the first shot, I rarely open the lens any more than f2.8. Usually I will only open up a fast lens to the max aperture if I am trying to separate a person or thing from what's behind and in front of it and usually when the subject is at least ten feet away. This is not a hard and fast rule, just one I keep in mind for myself. Many portrait photographers find that between f4 and f5.6 is about right for a medium or medium close portrait.

Now all of that is assuming you are just wanting to shoot a standard portrait. There are many reasons when you might want to veer away from that standard. I sometimes do that myself when I only want the eyes to be in focus and the rest of the face to be blurred. It creates a very intimate and, some might say, claustrophobic feeling. Problems arise when your subject's eyes are not exactly parallel with the lens and one eye is in focus and the other slightly soft...mostly this is distracting and not a desired effect.

Like I always say, learn the rules and, when they become second nature, transfer your thinking from your head to your heart. When you do break the rules, you will be doing so deliberately and with a specific purpose. Stick to your vision and let that be your guide but always listen to what your peers have to say. Sometimes what they advise you for one shot may be knowledge you can use in a future shoot so always remain open to criticism.

Most of all, don't get too caught up in the technical details. You have a lifetime to learn all that stuff but photography must remain something that is ultimately fun and drives your passion. Get too bogged down in the technique and you will lose your own voice.

Well spoken.^

joedlh wrote in post #9504688
In both cases, you have your subject looking out the narrowest side of the image. It's better to have her looking into the center.

Can be subjective. As a rule yes. However, like disjecta stated "When you do break the rules, you will be doing so deliberately and with a specific purpose". Now I don't know if you had a "specific purpose" when shooting this but in #2 she appears to be in motion and moving away from the the back of the truck...I saw the truck as part of the subject and her moving beyond what we could see in the frame. I personally like the composition. It is true - the focus could be improved.

Flo wrote in post #9504947
Well spoken.^

^ ditto

disjecta wrote in post #9504915
For portraiture such as the first shot, I rarely open the lens any more than f2.8. Usually I will only open up a fast lens to the max aperture if I am trying to separate a person or thing from what's behind and in front of it and usually when the subject is at least ten feet away. This is not a hard and fast rule, just one I keep in mind for myself. Many portrait photographers find that between f4 and f5.6 is about right for a medium or medium close portrait.

Now all of that is assuming you are just wanting to shoot a standard portrait. There are many reasons when you might want to veer away from that standard. I sometimes do that myself when I only want the eyes to be in focus and the rest of the face to be blurred. It creates a very intimate and, some might say, claustrophobic feeling. Problems arise when your subject's eyes are not exactly parallel with the lens and one eye is in focus and the other slightly soft...mostly this is distracting and not a desired effect.

Like I always say, learn the rules and, when they become second nature, transfer your thinking from your head to your heart. When you do break the rules, you will be doing so deliberately and with a specific purpose. Stick to your vision and let that be your guide but always listen to what your peers have to say. Sometimes what they advise you for one shot may be knowledge you can use in a future shoot so always remain open to criticism.

Most of all, don't get too caught up in the technical details. You have a lifetime to learn all that stuff but photography must remain something that is ultimately fun and drives your passion. Get too bogged down in the technique and you will lose your own voice.

thank you for the c&c.

Some very good c&c allready, first one could be tweaked with a layer to sharpen the eyes a touch (mask around them just to sharpen the eyes and highlights in them) and yes would be a better crop looking into the centre of the frame, but the second shot is great as it is, I ride a bike too, dont know if the crutches are due to a bike accident, but its an emotional shot to my eye, the harley jacket implies a bike crash and the framing moving away from the truck but still enough frame on the left to give the motion and direction some room to work, nice