Summer carnival queen.

Hi all,
I normally shoot wildlife and scenery but when my daughter was asked to be one of the queens assistants at our local summer carnival and I was roped into taking photo's for the family.
I used my 40d 17-85 is
Light was pretty good but variable between bright sun and cloud.
Thanks for viewing.

1 Exposure:0.033 sec (1/30)Aperture:f/8.0Focal Length:59 mmISO Speed:100

3Exposure: 0.01 sec (1/100)
Aperture: f/7.1
Focal Length: 144 mm
ISO Speed: 400

The Queen being crowned

#1 is fantastic, great processing!

Thanks no 1 was the pick of the day.

Another shot of the queen
Exposure: 0.017 sec (1/60)
Aperture: f/8.0
Focal Length: 28 mm
ISO Speed: 100

Phil,
The first one is fantastic and looks like she's headed to a ball at the castle. I would like to see a bit more fill flash on the rest (except the one w/ the 2 girls). Very nice series. You should be very proud of these.

Very nice series Phil and lovely young ladies. The first 2 images (closeup of the young lady in the red gown) would have been better with a shallower depth of field to blur the background. A reflector or fill-flash would have also brighten her eyes a bit more. Overall these are all very nice images. Great work!

Thanks for the comment I appreciate it.
I tried using flash a few times but it was over exposing and i havent read the manual for my flash yet saying that i havent read my camera manual either!

This was my first serious people shoot and i've much to learn.
Thanks again for the comment.

Thank you for the comment.

I agree about the depth of field, it was my first time using the 17-85 and was trying to keep a sharp image at around f8, the images seemed to soften a bit wider open. I did'nt notice the darkness to her eyes to be honest (she does have lovely brown eyes) but i think they would look better with a bit more sparkle.

Thanks again for the comment i appreciate it.

Phil-

Nice looking shots...I would agree that some fill flash is necessary in some of these.

My question is this: why such a slow shutter speed? Image Stabilization is useful, especially in extreme conditions, but it looked like you had some room to play. ISO 200 is just as clean as 100, and you gain a full stop. Or a more open-aperture for a narrower DOF? Just some thoughts

Overall, some great looking shots, and cute little girl!

Thanks for your thoughts.

It was a big learning curve, first time shooting people and several parents expecting some good shots of their kids.
Also my first time shooting in Manual, i usually use av for wildlife .
I was concerned about the sharpness of this lens so tried to play safe with around f8 and iso 100.
Also i'd got my speedlite 430 attached but dont know how to use it:o
I am please with the results i got for my 1st people shoot and i know that there is plenty room for improvement but i am inspired by what might be achievable with a bit more practice.

thanks again for your comments.