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  • Welcome to the new site. Here's a thread about the update where you can post your feedback, ask questions or spot those nasty bugs!

my first photo post...

i posted an intro in the introduce yourself section, and have since mustered up the courage to post a few shots here in the risk it section. i did a series of shots of my mom a couple of weeks ago. being my mom i really wanted something special, but didnt have much to work with. the sun was against us, as my little ones had to be napping when we went out for our shoot, and i could venture too far as again the kiddos were in teh house sleeping.

the only equipment i have at the time is my kodak z612. i use it on manual mode as much as i possibly can. i dont remember my settings and am not sure how to find out what they were, if someone can tell me where to look for the exif data i will gladly do so. im still learning about things like apeture and f-stops, so mostly i play with the settings and take a billion pics untill it seems to look right to me... (a new camera is in store in a few months for me!! yay!)

when taking these shots i wanted to do something similar to a senior shoot, to show her youth and vibrance, yet mature and feminine. i thought i captured most of what i wanted to in the shots.

i know some places are a bit over exposed (some are way over exposed...) but again the sun and im not sure how to deal with that quite yet...

ok enough rambling, here they are...

1.
mom3_edited-1.jpg


2.
mom5_edited-1.jpg


3..
mom4edit_edited-1.jpg


4.
mom2_edited-1.jpg


im not sure why they posted so large, if someone knows how to post them so they are smaller so you can see the whole thing on the screen please let me know and i will change it.

i also know my focus is a bit off on a couple, practice makes perfect right?

please tell me what you think.
 

Kathy Rappaport

pro member
Practice and read...be a sponge

So while you are learning you get more latitude here. But the only way you really learn is by practicing.

You said these are overexposed and out of focus. So we will stop there. I am not familiar with your camera, so I will tell you that you must learn to focus and expose properly. Without that - which is critical to photography - you do not have a photograph to finish. Take your camera out and put it on automatic ans see what it will set for then go to manual mode and shoot the same frame.

Shutter speed and aperture allow the light into the camera. You must learn to control those to for exposure. In yout camera there is a light meter (hopefully) that when you shoot manually will tell you if you are in the rigth range of settings to get proper exposure. There are some great old posts here I will find for you and link in about settings on the camera.

Here is a link to a great thread for beginners.

http://www.openphotographyforums.com/forums/showthread.php?p=544&mode=linear&highlight=Sunny#post544
 
thank you so much Kathy, the more i am learning the more i am finding my camera does not do what i wish it did! (that is why i am pushing to get a new one... the one i currently use is a point and shoot, with lots of features, but not as many as a dslr... for example i dont believe i can shoot in raw mode, only jpeg, and the manual focus is real difficult because rather than having a dial, similar to binoculars is the only reference i can make, it is more digital, i have to set it to manual and use my right and left buttons to change it... makes it hard to get it right... oh well though)

im also not sure about teh light meter, will find that out today though.

i would appreciate the links and also the idea of going from auto to manual to help learn the right settings.

thank you!
 

Rachel Foster

New member
Hi, Kasandra.

I love portraits, too. If I might be so bold as to make two suggestions: I prefer to avoid the flashy effects and let the person take center stage. (That's my preference and we all have our own approaches.) The only other things I might add is the poses look a little studied, artificial. The model can be posed, but it has to look natural.

Keep shooting!
 

Charlotte Thompson

Well-known member
Kasandra

hi and while I am NOT a technical type I am an imppresionist type- I am not familiar with your camera either so I will try to give you my ideas for maybe a reshoot with this lovely being
I found her spirit captured best in #2 she seems more relaxed-softer image
I think you must always try to find what is the true beauty of your subject and though I am NOT a fan of the set pose I think #2 looks least like that- maybe a black and white head shot while say talking to her-capture her expressions with questions find some that you like and try the softer black and white for the mature woman-I find it helps to give a sense of taking a few years off-trust me LOL I know this! I am mature and I dont like it when the picture looks older than I am- but that's very female dont you think-
just something to think about- I am looking forward to seeing more!! glad we have another female around here-

Charlotte-
 

Asher Kelman

OPF Owner/Editor-in-Chief
Getting Exposure Right when the Sky is Bright and Dynamic Range of the Scene is High!

.....the only equipment i have at the time is my kodak z612. i use it on manual mode as much as i possibly can. i dont remember my settings and am not sure how to find out what they were, if someone can tell me where to look for the exif data i will gladly do so. im still learning about things like apeture and f-stops, so mostly i play with the settings and take a billion pics untill it seems to look right to me... (a new camera is in store in a few months for me!! yay!)
This particular camera, the Kodak Z612 has an excellent lens and a phenomenal zoom range. You have a first class machine to learn on!

Z612_lgv1_480x320.jpg
Picture Source Kodak

f/2.8-f/4.8 12X (35 mm-420 mm) all glass SCHNEIDER-KREUZNACH VARIOGON Optical Zoom Lens featuring image stabilization.

I see no reason to get a new camera unless you need larger files for printing. Then a canon Xti or Xsi would be a great idea or a similar Nikon DSLR.

when taking these shots i wanted to do something similar to a senior shoot, to show her youth and vibrance, yet mature and feminine. i thought i captured most of what i wanted to in the shots.

You have done well!

Kasandra Rossiter;60670i know some places are a bit over exposed (some are way over exposed...) but again the sun and im not sure how to deal with that quite yet...[/quote said:
Don't worry about that.

In a professional portrait shoot, one has to nail the exposure. To cut down the sky brightness you might add a graduated neutral density filter. The darker area on the top will cut down the brightness of the sky, but couldn't have been used in this case. You could have set the exposure for the sky to be perfect and used flash to light your subject. The larger and closer your flash or reflector the better the softness of the light for flattering portraits. Your picture is is plenty sharp (that lens is superior to many on digicams) and the exposure is almost perfect! so you did well in

  • Composition
  • Exposure
  • Color

I edited your picture for local saturation, contrast (using curves layers) and sharpening.

mom3_original.jpg


© Kasandra Rossiter

mom3_AK.jpg


© Kasandra Rossiter Edited by A.K.

You may or may not prefer my version, but for sure, there's little wrong with the shot. It does not reach professional levels but it's above most snapshots.
 

Asher Kelman

OPF Owner/Editor-in-Chief
Kassandra,

Thinking about the picture before tripping the shutter only starts the creative process. So one can examine a number of changes afterwards to bring about the feelings and clarity you would like. So let me go several steps further. The wood is so overwhelming that one might consider cropping. The color may, or may not be helpful. It's for you to think about, so here are the Color and B&W versions.

mom3_AK_crop.jpg


mom3_AK_crop_BandW.jpg


Asher
 
thank you so much for all the great advice... ive got so much reeling through my head right now im going to try to hit on all of it...

1. the poses... actually i didnt ask her to pose any way at all. i asked her where she wanted to be.. and the tree was her idea... i do agree that it does look a little posed, but then i know my mom, and most of what she does is kind of rigid- if you know what i mean... so for her, those are actually pretty relaxed..

2. the flashy effect was something i was just playing with and thought it was playful and brought out some of the ummm how do i word it...? fun-loving nature? maybe is the word im going for... personally i like a little framing around the edge of a shot, but nothing quite as flashy as i posted... going out on a limb i suppose you could say.

3. thank you so much asher for the complement on my camera... my husband actually got it for me as a surprise gift a while back and he picked it out himself... the new camera, well im feeling the need to go with a dslr, and actually the xsi is what i have been looking at...

4. when setting the exsposure for the bright sky, is the flash thats on the camera enough, or are you talking about a seperate flash source?

5. im not very good in ps yet, and dont exactly know what you mean by "local saturation" or "curves layers". i am using photoshop elements, and know how to change the saturation by using the guided feature, but that is just a slide bar to increase or decrease saturation of the entire image, or i can use a selection tool (which is tricky for me yet) and just change it in that selection... any further info on this is much appreciated!

ok i played with my ps, and found the curves layers thing, and here is what i came up with after playing with the curves...
momedit.jpg

how'd i do?

6. i do like your versions asher, and can see that the color is much deeper in your edit. i also like the black and white as well...

you have been so much help, thank you!

oh one more thing, do i need to resize the whole file and re- up load it to photobucket to get it to post in a bit smaller size on this forum?
 

Asher Kelman

OPF Owner/Editor-in-Chief
Keeping the available light for the sky and b,g, and flash for near subject.

Take a picture such that the sky is perfectly exposed. Switch to manual and insert those settings then add a small amount of flash until the subject has enough light. I presume the flash can be controlled up and down? Else you can get someone to direct light to your subject with a reflector.

Asher
 

Rachel Foster

New member
Kasandra, the secret is to find your own portrait style. Accept those comments that furthers that and jettison the rest.

My style is no background, emphasis on lighting and lines. That's me and the bias I post from. If it's not you, trying to do that will look wrong no matter how technically good you get. So, again, find your own style. If you look at Charlotte Thompson's work you'll see a very unique style, but one that works for her.

Good luck in your journey!
 
i have looked at a lot of charlottes work, what is posted here anyhow, and i have fallen in love with her portraits. does it sound corny to say that the emotion she draws out of me when i look at one of her photos is what i want to draw out of others? i just havent figured out quite how to capture that yet!!! i will not give up however...
 

Charlotte Thompson

Well-known member
Kasandra

I did a bit of a color job- I know I might get some flack because of the brightness but I think this brings a softness to your beautiful mothers face- it's the shot I liked so much #2
I do this kind of thing often not just with adults but children as well-hope you enjoy-


momedit.jpg
 
i like that charlotte, how did you get teh edges to be so soft? ive got a soft focus filter on my ps, but can hardly tell the difference when i apply it, and it covers the whole image rather than the edging like you did...

i really do like it tho, i do see the brightness, but im looking beyond that...

thank you
 
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