Newbie needs feedback pls :)

[jase1125]

Just decided to get into the world of photography. Having a photographer take fantasic family pics at the Fort Worth Botanical gardens started something I didn't expect

Please give me feedback on this photo I took of my son. This was in the shade as it was a very bright day with harsh lighting.

Canon T2i
EF-S 15-85 f/3.5-5.6 USM lens
1/400, f/5.0, ISO 100, 40mm focal length, -0.3 exposure, shot in Raw with minimal post processing.

[danchez]

assuming your subject is the boy, he appears under exposed. Also, look up the rule of thirds. Always pay attention to your background, what to include, what to exclude.

[Sonny]

Hi Jason,

First of all let me welcome you to the forum. I like the fact you jump right in with two feet and posted a photo right away. That's a great way to learn.

I'll start with a few basic tips

• Pay attention to your background. Your photo has many distracting elements that take away from the subject, namely you son.
• Crop tight. This will help you eliminate background clutter and draw more attention to the subject.
• Learn the Rule of Thirds. This will help better your photo composition.

[jase1125]

Thanks Dan & Sonny. I was just reading about the rule of thirds earlier today. I will use that next time to help with the composition. For whatever reason, my eye tends to like photos slightly underexposed. The more I read, the more I learn that isn't good if you intend of have any details in the shadows.

Thanks for taking the time to provide feedback!

[reader0428]

Looks like you will have lots of opportunity to practice with an adorable model! I wish my little guy was so cooperative! :)

[snydersnapshots]

Cute picture, and I too applaud your decision to jump right in!

I took the liberty of doing a crop on your picture. Typically you want the subject looking into the wider space of the photo, i.e. in this case, your son on the right side, looking into the "empty" space. With him laid out on the wagon like that, that's a little hard to do. Also, my wife thought the rocks on the wall added a bit with the color.

Having said all that, I'll be the first to admit that I am NO expert--there are a lot--probably most--on here with more experience and better editing skills. I just thought I'd throw my two cents worth in with an example of a crop. I was going to play in Photoshop Elements and try to blur the background, but the previously mentioned wife decided I had better things to do.

Nice job. We look forward to seeing more from you!

[Tom]

I would crop that oppositely. Bring the right up to the far edge of the door frame. That will eliminate most of the ugly background. The wagon is pretty cool, so just bring the left edge in slightly so you can't see the vertical part of the wagon.

[texxter]

Welcome and thanks for sharing this nice portrait of your son!

A few simple ideas that will make your pictures better in a heartbeat:

(1) Get closer
(2) Look all around the frame for unwanted elements before pressing the shutter
(3) Pick your background carefully and don't place your subject very close to it, you can leave space to blur the background so that the subject is better defined as such
(4) Don't take just one or two pics - explore your subject, moving the subject and/or yourself & the camera to different positions. In the example above it seems like you had a flat vertical green background as part of the bed, that would have made a good background for a kid - colorful!
(5) Avoid placing your subject in the middle of the frame (in most cases)
(6) Get in the habit of "seeing" the light, by paying attention to light wherever you go.

Good luck!

[jase1125]

Thanks everyone for the excellent suggestions! I appreciate you taking the time to educate me on how to improve.

[jase1125]

Here is another shot I did the same day with a 50mm 1.4 prime lens

Canon EOS T2i, 50mm f/1.4 prime lens, 1/1250 sec, f/2.5, ISO-100

[Dobick]

An excellent way to get better at seeing the possible problem areas of a photo is to describe what you think is wrong with the photo as well.

For instance in the shot with the two kids, if you move just about a foot or so to the left, you will still have them inside the frame of the door (nice compositional element leading your eye to the boys) but would avoid having the plant encroach on the blond boys face.

Also in this instance with as strong as the door frame is as an element of the photo, you might have been better served to have this in a portrait orientation.

Again Paco's suggestion of get closer would pay huge dividends for this photo.

Without a doubt you will make some great memories with such a wiling subject to shoot for years to come!