Monday, March 12, 2012

Photo Feedback

I missed last week's photo feedback opportunity. After submitting for the first time the week prior, I was so happy with the feedback I received I do want to continue, but it just didn't happen last week. Even looking at others' photos and finding the wonderful (the easy part) and the could-be-improved (not so easy) is helpful in trying to become a better photographer.

So, here's my submission. I've been wanting to get a BW shot of the boys in their jeans and no shirt for a while. Enzo was looking to pose for me last Thursday, so I pulled this from my checklist and tried it out.  The day was rainy, but we were getting a decent amount of sun flowing in the kitchen door. We were very limited in terms of space with the oven behind me not allowing for a lot of back up room. I was using my 50mm prime lens, too, hence the close crop.

Not making excuses! Just explaining.. ha ha. I haven't formally checked it off the list because I want to get the same shot of Nico, but also, I'm not sure I'm satisfied with it.  So, go to town... let me know what you think. I really appreciate it.

Shot with my Pentax K5, FA 50 mm 1.4.  f2.8, SS 125, ISO 400.




Mom Tried It

15 comments:

  1. Great Picture, Mom!

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  2. What a gorgeous portrait!! The B&W works really well here. I like his expression (and such cute freckles!!). The absolutely best part is the light - really great capture of the sunlight at your kitchen door! :-) The light and the shadows make a terrific combination.
    I'm thinking of the light part of the side of his body at the lower left - it is maybe a bit too light, it draws too much attention (the focal point should be his face)...?

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  3. Thank you for joining in again. I love this shot. The black and white conversion is the perfect choice. You captured the light beautifully. My suggestion would be to try this shot in a horizontal frame. I know you wanted to capture the jeans, but his face and emotions just shine in this. I think the extra parts take away from it. So a crop from half of the arm up with a little extra space on the right side would be completely awesome. But that is just my taste.
    You did a great job with this shot. I hope you share the shot you take with Nico, too. :)

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    1. Thanks, Kim, and thanks for hosting this. It really is an amazing tool. I've learned so much already.

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  4. I really like the moodiness of this shot. The b/w makes it dramatic. Nice job! Your focus look great and I like the natural expression and simplicity of this shot. I think maybe either cropping in a bit more or reframing to eliminate a bit of his arms/body might make it an even stronger portrait. The light skin pull my eye away from his face a bit. This is a beautiful shot though. Nice work!

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    1. Thank you! I am going to try some of these things and see what happens. So helpful. Thank you.

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  5. I love the focus and expression on his face. The B&W does a great job of working with the light and shadows. I like the soft focus on the jeans, but for some reason, it bugs me with his hand. Maybe his pose could tuck in his fingers more next time? Or as mentioned above, you could crop to more of a landscape shot and eliminate the hand all together. Can't wait to see the photo of the 2nd son!

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    1. Thanks, Julie for your compliments and feedback. I see what you mean about his hand. Definitely confirming for me that I should try this one again. :-)

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  7. this is fantastic! i really struggle getting good b/w shots. what did you edit with? i love the focus and the lighting. honestly, i'm not sure what i would change about the photo. :)

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    1. Thank you so much, Allison. I edit in Photoshop. I always do my BW conversion this way:
      Make an adjustment layer with "Gradient Map" leave it as is. Create another adjustment layer with "Channel Mixer," and set it to 'monochrome' with the check box.
      Then I adjust the 3 color sliders, usually putting red to the right to about 75 and the blue and green down to where the total is somewhere around 100. I look at the numbers, but really just eyeball it until I like it, using them only as a guide.
      I learned this technique from Scott Kelby's PS book and haven't found anything better since, even actions meant to create BW. Let me know if you try it and how it works for you.
      Thanks again for your comments.:-)

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    2. Kel, you are going to have to teach me photoshop! It took me a hour to clone out an offending light tonight. haha. Thanks for sharing.

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Thanks for visiting my blog. I'd love to hear your comments on my photography. I see this as a learning tool, so constructive criticism is welcome.