HSTEELE Loc: wisconsin

I have recently started taking family photos of my friends families.. and i some day hope to take maternity and newborn photos.. here are a few of my latest pictures. please be honest

family photo


soy beans


my son Rustin

Jwilliams0469 Loc: Topeka, Ks.

Alright!

1.) Looks great with the composition, color and details, however in a artistic framing like this I would have had the family lay down as it should have been the very last shot taken as they would get dirty doing so. I would have turned the frame sideways from it's direction now and had them fit all inside the frame with (dad?) holding the frame from the left side. The (mothers) backside being out of the frame along with the (fathers) is throwing it off. Also, the photograph seems to be under exposed a bit. Normally you'd see a single or couple holding a frame for this type of shot but I like how you differed it up a bit. With this type of event the frame should be completely filled with no one's body parts outside of it. The father could as said before stand outside the frame as if he is holding it up to show off his family, just an idea as the frame used isn't big enough to fit all in photograph inside its self.

2.) I love it, but it's a bit soft for my taste.

3.) Again focus is soft but the composition is great.

What you should work on?
Focus and artistic framing...

Thanks for sharing and happy shooting! Remember, always practice and stay creative, I like creative photography!

MWAC Loc: Somewhere East Of Crazy

I like the idea of #1, but I agree it isn't a tad underexposed. I also am not liking the halo effect around the picture frame, it seems like you masked back in photoshop and didn't get close enough to the frame. I wish the faces where brighter, they seem a little to dark. I really like the idea of this, the concept is great. The posing works.

#2 I can't really make out the soy beans, they are underexposed and lacking detail.

#3 The focus is soft as already mentioned, I wish you would have taken off his socks, kids always have dirty socks but they are really distracting in this photo. He needs to have some light in his eyes, I struggle with this so it's the pot calling the kettle black here. :) Cute photo, super cute kid, with a little corrections it would be a great photo.

HSTEELE Loc: wisconsin

Thank you both for your opinions! I do really appreciate it! I hope to learn bt trial and error. Im not a pro and will never call myself one.. Im just taking my hobby and running with it! I do have PS5 extended.. though i do not know how to use it.

#2 & #3. were not touched in PS besides the brush. As for #1. I agree with it looking a little off with the parents sticking out, as for the mask? im not sure how i did it.. im still learning photoshop by playing around with it!..

I would like to share maybe 1 or 2 more photos here. .1 shot is the same family, different pose with the frame.. i am not a big fan of this photo, but i thought the pose was cute :)

Jwilliams0469 Loc: Topeka, Ks.

This one is great! I like the way this one is set up! Great job on it...

JimH Loc: Western South Jersey, USA

Your son's not Rustin as much as the car hood he's sitting on.

Sorry, couldn't resist.

sinatraman Loc: Vero Beach Florida, Earth,alpha quaudrant

i really like your composition and creativity. your first photo is a great photographic pun on the concept of framing the subject matter. i like the dirty socks on the photo of the future bubba, and old rusting pick ups are always a big plus for me (must appeal to my inner redneck side even though im a michiganian.) as for the soft focus, maybe its my eyes or maybe its my monitor i just don't see it. did you use auto or manual focus? I almost always shoot auto focus (except for macro or when auto focus isn't locking on somethind) the computer in the camera can select proper focus and faster than my eye/hand comoniation.

HSTEELE Loc: wisconsin

When taking photos I usually use auto focus and in the sports mode. ive tried using my manual setting and shooting in RAW but it doesnt appeal to me? maybe its because i know nothing about RAW. haha. The photo of my son Rustin on the rusty Ford was just a point and shoot photo that happened to turn out well in my opinion. i wish his eyes were brighter and as for the socks..i didnt think about taking them off till afterwards. i like that theyre dirty though and not brand new white..

johnrennie Loc: North Florida

You’re concepts are great, you just need to add some fill-light. You can get a cheap reflector and bounce some light on your subjects, or eventually invest in an off-camera strobe or speedlite. I bet you have got some really creative idea’s bouncing around in your head and I look forward to seeing more of your work.

Eventually, you’ll need to learn how to shoot in manual so that you can better control your light placement, exposure and depth of field effects. It has nothing to do with shooting in RAW. I was a hard-core RAW shooter for years and just recently switched to shooting in JPEG. The RAW/JPEG argument is a thread in itself, but that’s just the format you choose to use, and something you can get into down the road. Shooting manual means that you control your ISO, Shutter Speed and Aperture opening, the most important components of exposure. Get a grasp of these controls and how they relate to one another and your photography will improve ten-fold.

In my opinion, I bet you have pro-potential, just learn the technical stuff now.

HSTEELE Loc: wisconsin

Thank you Thank you! I value your opinion! I have looked into a diffuser and a reflector and I do have many ideas for photos in my head. I love photography.. sometimes its annoying because i'll see something and dont have a camera.. haha. I have played around in the manual setting a little bit, i have figured out with bright light i have to turn down my iso setting and in dim light it seems to help if i up the iso setting.. but thats about it. I try using my A-dep setting but i never get what i picture in my head.
can you or anyone suggest a a forum or web page where i might be able to learn a little more about ISO, Shutter Speed and Aperture opening??

Maciejewski Loc: NJ

I saw the picture frame thing the other day in my friends engagement photos. I am a big fan. It's clever and different. Good Job!!!

RonaldLewis Loc: Chicago, Illinois

The first picture is really nice. I would have added a little fill flash to get some shadow out of the faces. I love the fact that they are holding the frame. I think this adds a personal touch to the picture. On the second picture with your son I would focus on his eyes. This is why you have to decide where the focus point is and not let the camera decide. This is why I manually select the focus point which I normally select the middle rectangle and then I can press the shutter button half way down and recompose. I love the picture though because of the expression on his face. You might be able to go into an editing program and sharpen his face up a bit but a great portrait. I just looked at your profile and noticed that you are a mom. I was almost sure of that because no one can capture those beautiful expressions on their children's faces like mom. My daughter has taken some outstanding pictures of my 5 grandchildren. Keep shooting. Those are some great images. Never get discouraged. As long as I have had a camera in my hand I have never taken a picture that I think could not have been improved.

johnrennie Loc: North Florida

[quote=HSTEELE]
can you or anyone suggest a a forum or web page where i might be able to learn a little more about ISO, Shutter Speed and Aperture opening??


There are a ton of resources out there, here’s a basic one:
http://www.dpchallenge.com/tutorial.php?TUTORIAL_ID=45

There is an author named Scott Kelby who puts out some great stuff on photography fundamentals and post-editing techniques. He’s really easy to follow and he knows his stuff! If you purchase one of his books, do so on Amazon, it’s a lot cheaper than Barnes and Noble:
http://www.amazon.com/Scott-Kelby/e/B000APPRO4/ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_2?qid=1318960390&sr=8-2

You have a good eye and a natural awareness of composition. That’s the stuff that’s tough to learn, everything else is VERY learnable. The thing that separates amatures from pro’s is that pro’s are able to capture good images consistently. They are able to be consistent through knowledge of the technical components of photography and knowing their camera… Rebel’s are great beginner camera’s and simple to use. As you gain a clearer understanding of all the technical stuff you’ll eventually out-grow it an upgrade to a D series which will give you more functionality, and they’re easier to control which will make you a better and faster shooter. You don’t need to worry about that now.

Do you know how to use your camera’s light meter? That’s the first step in shooting manually. You’d be surprised how many people do not know how to use it, so don’t be embarrassed if you don’t.

Here’s a quick description of the primary functions:

Aperture – controls depth of field, lower setting like f2.8 will create the ‘blurred’ background effect. Higher settings, (above f11) will increase the depth of field, making the fore and background more clear. Portrait photographers especially fashion photogs like to shoot at ‘wide open’ f-stops (like f2.8) to get that blurred effect.

Shutter speed – a couple of basic uses. Higher speeds like 1/800 will ‘freeze frame’. Imagine a waterfall, if you want to capture the droplets of water suspended in air, you would shoot at 1/800 or higher. If you want to blur the water in order to show motion you would shoot at a lower setting like 1/60. You should never hand-hold anything below 1/60 because you will blur your image inadvertently due to camera shake. Anything below 1/60 should be on a tripod.

Shutter speed also controls ambient light. Imagine shooting a flower. If you want the background ambient light to be darker, you shoot at a higher setting like 1/250. If you want the background ambient light to be lighter, you shoot at 1/80 or below. If your subject is moving try to keep that shutter above 1/125, depending on how fast the subject moves. Butterflies – no less than 1/500, preferably 1/1000 or higher.

Now… there’s gonna be a range you have to work with as shutter speed and aperture work cohesively. If you want to shoot at a higher aperture like f11, you’re gonna have to slow down your shutter. If you want to shoot at a higher shutter speed, then you’ll have to compensate by opening your aperture. There is no ‘go-to’ setting because all of this is dependent on the available light source… so what if you want to use settings outside the range that is available to you? That’s where ISO comes in. You bump your ISO up from 100 to say 400 to increase your range. ISO controls your light sensor. So why don’t we just shoot at higher ISO’s so that we are not limited? Because you sacrifice graininess. ISO’s above 400 will create grain and digital artifacts on your image. Any images shot above 400 will require post editing procedures to smooth them out.

Rule of thumb is to shoot at the lowest ISO you can. I love Photoshop, been using it since 1992, but I try to get every image as close as possible when I take the picture and only use Photoshop to compensate for when I couldn’t get it ‘just right'.

A lot of street photographers shoot at higher ISO’s on purpose because they like that grainy look. They are an exception to the rule.

These are the guidelines for out-door, available-light photography. When you purchase additional lighting or shoot in-studio using off-camera strobes, the rules change. But tackle that when the time comes!

The best way to learn all this stuff is to just shoot a lot, critique your own work and shoot with other, more advanced photographers when you can. It’s amazing how much we can learn from each other!

Good shooting!

johnrennie Loc: North Florida

You mentioned doing a newborn shoot soon, here are a couple of cute concepts I captured last year.