People Noob Needs Advice

Hello all, I am a long time lurker, rarity poster, but I wanted to post some a shot or two I took a few months ago and get opinions/critiques. I have just started getting into shooting people/portraits; it's a hell of a lot harder than shooting buildings or landscape! The color is from my XT with the 18-55 kit lens on; the black and white is a scan from my 35MM Rebel K2.

Obviously I would appreciate and general thoughts, on composition, lighting etc. But if anyone would like to give advice on what I should tweak in light room I would greatly appreciate it!

Thank you in advance!

Between these two shoot i prefer the second because is more light even if on both shoot the head remain on the dark (a bit of flash, in these cases would help).

The background don't say much despite on the second shoot is less annoying. Eventually you can save the building on the right but the background on the left no.

If you decentralize your subject from the shoot i think could even improve.
While i think the pose of the model was better on the second shoot (if you see her hands was both visible).

For play with the dof, so you could remove from the root the problem of annoying background, you should think about buying a 50 mm f/1.8 (a pice of gold lens) if you like shooting people/portraits.

Note:

More harder then shooting landscape, sure, more harder then shooting building, i think no, is a royal pain in the ass shoot buildings for distortions and the line.

alessandro2009 wrote in post #10142868
you should think about buying a 50 mm f/1.8 (a pice of gold lens) if you like shooting people/portraits.

Haha forgot my 50 MM shot:

background is too distracting in the first two,

the second one is a tad bit off center

pretty smile.

Any ideas on lighting?

Lighting? Shooting in full sun has it's challenges. On the first one, move so her face is fully in the shade, the up your exposure compensation a stop or so to properly expose her face. This will also brighten the background, but by moving, you'd be mostly looking at the buildings, and not the mix of building/pole. Looks like the second shot is pretty much that..but you brightened her face in photoshop instead of the camera, but that's the goal. With a messy background like that I'd be sure to shoot as open as your lens allows. The third is great.I like the off-center, but I'd have her head tilted the other way, INTO the shot, not out of it. Full sun has it's effects here also, with shadows on eye sockets/etc. In that case, a reflector under her would have helped some.

Thank you sir, that is awesome advice. I now have a strobist set up so I can put some fill flash, I will work on procuring a reflector!