Christmas Photos - Would You Pay For These?

Here are some photos I snapped on Christmas Day.

I received a new Canon Speedlight (430 ex) and was eager to use it (not all of these photos used flash, though).

I'm still a hobby photographer, trying to slowly transition into photography as a side income. My question - if you hired me, would you be happy with these photos?

Also, if you have any specific critiques on these photos individually that would be great. Thanks!

1

With the exception of #5 they appear to be exactly what they are - family snapshots. Composition looks to be as it occurred rather than carefully thought out. Backgrounds are cluttered.

#5 shows promise. Good smiles, eye contact with the camera, looks to be sharp (not sure about the lady though - soft?), and just a bit over exposed. Background is cluttered with the lamp shade and monitor.

If this was a payed shoot all those things would have been thought out beforehand and taken care of. Even in event photography the photographer works to control the back ground.

I would get the camera out of auto/semi auto and put it in manual mode. Meter the scene with the camera and control the flash with FEC.

A bit blown out in some spots. They are pretty good, but I think you should practice more before you start to charge.

I always and continually seem to have problems with exact sharpness.

Images 1, 3, 4, 5, and 6 were taken with a flash at 1/200 with the simple thought that this would produce a sharper image being that these subjects (especially the kids) were always in motion.

I had the camera in shutter priority mode for most of these as I was experimenting my flash. Is the key to razer sharp images of people (like these ones) an aperture level of f8 or f11?

I've tried to use 1 of the 9 focusng points on my camera to hone in on the eyes so that they are always in focus, however, am having a hard time doing this quick enough to be effective while also composing the scene properly. How does a person get past this hump?

Practice.

Or a different focus system. AI Servo? Shift the focus button off the shutter button?

In a word:

No.

In more words:

Most people can get the same, similar, or close enough with their P&S.

cdifoto wrote in post #11545177
In a word:

No.

In more words:

Most people can get the same, similar, or close enough with their P&S.

I agree. Look at the work of good wedding photographers when shooting the event, but excluding the formals. Without getting anyone to pose, or modifying the background, they always manage to get great photos. deconstruct how they managed to "see" what the photo captured. Pay attention the effect of their lens choice, their DOF, the angle of the camera, the lines within the photo, the background chosen, and most importantly, the lighting. For the photos that you like, try and figure out why you like them.

No.

#5 is the one reasonably good photo of the entire lot. The rest you missed the areas of critical focus or they are just too cluttered.

In addition to getting it technically correct, most paid professionals (I'm not talking about the craigslist cheepos) spend a lot of time in post processing to "finish" the pictures. The good professionals have a unique style that stands out. They take a lot of time to study and practice to achieve good results. So don't expect to just pick up a DSLR and all of a sudden become a paid professional.

That being said, there are fundamental technical and compositional problems in your photos as well as some awkward cropping. Some technical problems include some fundamental basics like white balance, focus, and lighting. Compositionally nothing really stands out they are all centered with no flow or separation of subject and there is some awkward cropping done.

Titus213 wrote in post #11545157
Shift the focus button off the shutter button?

If you haven't already, do this now. This made a huge difference in my photography, and the way my mind worked to understand and visualize a shot.

BrandonSi wrote in post #11546924
If you haven't already, do this now. This made a huge difference in my photography, and the way my mind worked to understand and visualize a shot.

The location of the shutter button has NOTHING to do with one's ability to understand and visualize a composition. The only thing changing it from default does is let you stay in AI Servo all the time.

Witht the exception of 2 no i would not. They look a bit snapshotty.

Thanks for the comments all, I sincerely appreciate your feedback.

While criticism can be harsh, it's always the best way to improve.

I am now about 8 months into the study of photography and, while i've learned a lot, I also have a signficant amount more to learn before taking this 'hobby' to the next level. That being said, I feel i've improved since i've started and will continue working on the craft at the hope of one day being a 'stud' in the photography industry.

A couple of questions following up on comments:

- Critical focusing...I struggle with this a great deal. I'm having a hard time finding a balance between focusing on the eyes, recomposing, and pulling the shutter button in the split second time that a photographer has to do so. How do you get past this hump? Especially with kids that are moving around? Is it simplest to use a mid-range aperture (f8) and fire away? Is this focusing easier to do with back button auto focusing which, to this point, I haven't been practicing?

- Seeing things as a photographer - I feel that i'm becoming fairly advanced at seeing through the eyes of a photographer with landscape and object photography, though am just now trying to start the process of learning portrait/people photography with my new flash. Any tips/suggestions/books that you can fire my way with this?