A friend..

Okay this was my first photo shoot with a friend that were doing some cross advertisement for each other. I was using a Canon Rebel XS with the standard lens as well as the Canon EF 50mm f/1.2L with a Canon Speedlight 580EX II. Let me know what I need to work on and criticize helps out for next time.

I photoshopped one for her zumba class front page with her name.

Byte size: ZERO | Content warning: NOT AN IMAGE

Byte size: ZERO | Content warning: NOT AN IMAGE

Byte size: ZERO | Content warning: NOT AN IMAGE

Byte size: ZERO | Content warning: NOT AN IMAGE

Byte size: ZERO | Content warning: NOT AN IMAGE

Any suggestions?

The first one is nice, but that green leaf in the top left is very distracting, I would just crop it out.

For the second one, when you have parallel lines, especially when they are in a grid, square it up with the camera, so that they are all pretty close to straight, if not perfectly straight. This is much easier to do with a tripod, but is achievable handheld.

The third and fourth images have distracting shadows, get that 580 off the camera!

Overall the first and last are the strongest images. However, I can't really make a connection between the model and the location.

BTW, nice website, but where's the portfolio section?

I think the last shot is better than the rest as it has good illumination without any distracting shadows, sharply focused and pops cleanly.

mltn wrote in post #11023171
BTW, nice website, but where's the portfolio section?

Thanks the look took a while to get and its still under construction. the flash wasn't so helpful to me in the shoot the thing is I'm all new to the digital canons so I getting use to it all I'm practice more later. and what is shooting raw means?

RAW is the uncompressed format of shooting, whereas .jpg images are compressed and you have little latitude to pull back overblown highlights, or lighten dark shadows.

give this a read:

http://www.pcworld.com …ooting_in_raw_p​art_1.html

Also are you familiar with this website:

The Strobist

The lighting and composition are much more important than whether you are shooting in RAW or .JPG, because all the post production in the world won't save a bad picture.

Thanks I'm get reading for the night and pratice some more tommorow and show and tell thanks alot Mltn

In the first one the straight flash pointed directly at her has left hot spots on her face. Also the leaf on the left side is very distracting.

The third is a little underexposed and the lights on the left side are distracting, consider upping the exposure and cropping a little tighter.

In the 4th one, the shadows from the flash being pointed directly at her make unkind shadows behind her. Need to bounce the flash or get it off camera.

I like the last one, looks natural and there are no hot spots or flash shadows.

to add to good advice from others, try not to put your subject smack in the middle of the frame.

A question about the hotspots and the flash would a flash diffuser be better?

Maximilian87 wrote in post #11026233
A question about the hotspots and the flash would a flash diffuser be better?

Hmm maybe, diffusers such as umbrellas and softboxes can of course soften the light, but the distance of the light from the subject can also be a factor in how soft the light is, don't forget that.

Have you read through this site yet though:

http://strobist.blogsp​ot.com

Seriously if you haven't done that yet, do it now. It will already have the answer to questions you have now, as well as questions you didn't even know you were asking.