and here is my edited version ... also known as extra crispy.
i'm happy with the simplicity of it ... but i don't feel like i have a firm grasp on skin color (it feels grey to me) and the pop of color (that true oceanic blue) that i want to see within her eyes ... i love how the bokeh turned out ... but i'm also in desperate need of figuring out where exactly to focus my picture (where exactly to focus ...) and not partake in the cutting off of heads ... it's apparently my specialty. also i have a need to get away from my automatic settings ... help!
(i use the picnik.com site for editing ... but i'm thinking of investing in photoshop ... eventually ...)
my exif information ... Nikon D50
Exposure: 0.001 sec (1/1000)
Aperture: f/5.6
Focal Length: 200 mm
Focal Length: 201.6 mm
Exposure Bias: 0 EV
Flash: No Flash
thanks for the feedback!
10 comments:
Sorry, I am no help here. Point and shoot all the way. But I like it! Is that helpful?
Ooooh, yummy bokeh in the background!! I love the way 200mm lenses blur that background!
regarding focus ... I always try to focus on one eye (usually the one closest to me). I use the autofocus points on my camera (the ones I manually choose - be sure and check your camera manual to read up about these!!).
regarding moving beyond automatic settings ... I think a great place to start is shooting in aperture priority mode. Pioneer Woman wrote an awesome 3(?) part tutorial on aperture a while back. If you search her site, you will find it. For me, experimenting with AV (aperture priority) and autofocus points took my burgeoning photography passion to a whole new level. Try it and see if you like it! :-)
regarding your edit ... I also really like the simplicity of it. I'm completely unfamiliar with picnik, but if there's options for lightening and adding warmth and adding contrast, I would do all those things.
Such a darling girl - I love her sweet little pigtail!
as far as the focus is concerned...what you should try to do is focus then re-frame the shot.
for instance: you'll press your shutter half-way down and focus the shot on her eye (even if it's cutting something out that you want to be in the shot), then without releasing your finger from the shutter, simply re-align the picture to frame how you want. The focus point will stay on the same plain as her eyes, so it will still have the eyes in focus, even if they are somewhere to the side in the shot. does that make sense?
as far as skin color, it can be tricky. you don't want it too yellow and you don't want it too pink. there's a very complex equation for "correct" skin color settings in RGB, but there's no way i could explain that on this comment :)
good luck
i am clueless! i just got the d60 a few days ago and am beyond overwhelmed! i have no clue what to do!
so don't be surprised if i click back over for answers and help!
Well I will start off with saying that your daughter is a doll.
Ok, now to business :). I think overall this is a good picture but with a few things, it would be a great picture.
As far as focus goes, sometimes I'll move the camera off the subject then back to the subject, press half way. I also like to focus on an eye if possible if not, part of the face. Every camera is different even with other D50's.
I think that Lightroom would help you with the skin tones very easily. It's a cinch to adjust colors and levels, pow, 15 seconds later it's a different picture.
In picnik, you can go under exposure and then advanced. Then you can adjust the highlights, shadows, brightenss and so forth. I would also go under CREATE and ADVANCED, then you have access to the curves. Adjust the curves accordingly to your taste.
I love the bokeh in the picture, so you can't go wrong with that. Nice job and good luck.
B Dad
I forgot to say , Happy Mother's Day.
B Dad
I am no pro but I was interested to see what advice more advanced photographers would give you re:skin tone/colour. This is something I struggle with too. Do you feel you've had your question answered?
By the way, can someone please tell me what a bokeh is?
Mum-me you are so cute :). Bokeh is a word that describes the out-of-focus background of a picture. It is achieved through a large f/stop (small number). Different lenses create different bokeh and some will even rate that bokeh as to whether it is good or bad. In this picture the green behind her is smooth and even creating a wonderful background for that sweet profile.
Her skin does look a little grey to me. That means that the original is underexposed. You had a lot more room to lighten than you think :).
http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y286/NanasMama/corabeforeedit.jpg
This is an edit using only the curves plugin for PSE5. I lightened her up and added a tiny bit of contrast. That's it. And actually, there is probably a bit more room before you run into over exposure.
This is a lovely shot. I really like the composition. The chopped head doesn't bother me at all. Do you toggle your focus points? I would recommend that over focus/recompose. You can do a quick search and find LOTS to read about both options :).
I hope this helps!
AJ
Your daughter is adorable and you captured her beautifully. I don't know anything about picnik(or however you spell it. I would agree that the picture is a touch on the cool side...but it isn't that bad. Next time try shooting in Aperture priority....it is a great stepping stone to help you get away from the icky auto mode. I would also advise you to start messing around with your white balance. I know all cameras are different...and I didn't pay attention to what type of camera that you have but many cameras have the option of changing your white balance to reflect the situation that you are in. For instance if you are shooting in shade then you move your white balance to the shade setting, and if you're shooting in direct sunlight, then you move it the setting to direct sunlight. It would definitely help you out with your skin tones. Your bokeh is awesome. As a whole I'd say well done. Oh and one more thing....don't be afraid of cropping off heads. I love cropping out heads....it can make for a much more interesting and appealing photo. I would advise you to spend some time checking out some other photography blogs and notice the different angles and tight crops. You'll be pleasantly surprised that you cutting off tops of heads isn't such a bad thing after all. Hope this helps :)
I take about 20 pictures and usually come up with MAYBE one decent one so I'm no help. I like the blurry background in that picture, it makes her stand out more.
I'm off to get sidetracked by picnik.com. We have the D40 and I'm in love with my camera.
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