First Outdoor Photoshoot

[AutumnEdragonfly]

Pictures were taken at a local garden park with my Canon Rebel
EF-S18-55IS

[AutumnEdragonfly]

Just Curious, are my photos that bad that no one wants to comment? Or they are just that good no one knows what to say?

[KenJulio]

IMO and take it with a grain of salt. :)

1 - cute pose...but it seems flat, meaning there's no pop which makes them stand out from the background. I'm not saying they blend into the background, but the lighting is flat. I'm assuming you're using ambient light?

2 - Pop flash used? The sun shining through the trees creating the hotspot is distracting to me.

3 - It seems out of focus or she was moving and it's motion blur.

[AutumnEdragonfly]

Thanks Kenjulio for your comments :) I really appreciate it!!! the light i was using was the natural light of where i was taking the photos. If i remember right, since these were taken last Saturday, I think the flash did pop up on some.

[KenJulio]

Kimberley has some excellent photos of seniors using natural light. Knowing how to manage light will do wonders for images. Even those who have been shooting do have issues using natural light or trying to achieve the look of natural light using off camera flashes.

Practice Practice Practice!

[TheFantasticG]

Originally Posted by KenJulio

IMO and take it with a grain of salt. :)

1 - cute pose...but it seems flat, meaning there's no pop which makes them stand out from the background. I'm not saying they blend into the background, but the lighting is flat. I'm assuming you're using ambient light?

2 - Pop flash used? The sun shining through the trees creating the hotspot is distracting to me.

3 - It seems out of focus or she was moving and it's motion blur.

+1 to Ken. They just aren't sharp enough. If these were portraits I took of insects, I wouldn't be able to use them. There's also not enough seperation between subjects and background. Some rule-of-thirds couldn't hurt either. As well as some portrait orientation of the camera. Then again, I just take pictures of insects... so..

[kenw]

If I may offer some constructive input, I think #1, #2 could benefit from a vertical orientation to fill the frame and shift the visual flow to compliment the pose. Play with these to see if it works.

Keep after it, we're all still learning.

[arich]

Also, if your pop-up flash is activating by itself then you're shooting on Auto mode, it will be worth your time to learn to shoot in manual mode

[texkam]

Cute snapshots. Good advice from above. To go to the next level explore the benefits of vertical framing, shooting in manual, shooting in raw and understanding fill flash.

[KenJulio]

Christine - I'll add, I was watching a webinar by Jasmine Starr and she mentioned the way she got better was that she practiced on inanimate objects such as a chair when shooting outside of "P".

[AutumnEdragonfly]

Thank you all for your comments. I really do appreciate it. :) I will keep practicing....