# Lookin for some brutal honesty



## thelittlewhimsy (Jan 17, 2012)

Greetings All!

I'm new to this forum, but not to photography. I put the camera down for a long time, but I've recently gotten my love of the camera back! I took these photos during a rare moment of peace with my little one, and I was hoping for some brutal honest feedback- I can handle it! What can I do better? I appreciate any and all feedback!


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## dxqcanada (Jan 17, 2012)

Hmm, I do not have much to say to improve the images ... except the brown tone, as I prefer a more B&W tonality.
The background on the last image is interfering, especially on the left.
You did very well in capturing the moment.


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## thelittlewhimsy (Jan 17, 2012)

dxqcanada said:


> Hmm, I do not have much to say to improve the images ... except the brown tone, as I prefer a more B&W tonality.
> The background on the last image is interfering, especially on the left.
> You did very well in capturing the moment.



Thanks for the feedback, much appreciated! Totally agree with the background interference- probably could have composed it differently- something to work on   I was also having doubts about the brightness, are the pictures too dark? Are they bright enough?

I connect to them, but I find myself doubting whether they are done well from a technical perspective.


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## dxqcanada (Jan 17, 2012)

The exposure is good. 
You have both the darks and the lights ... with details in both.


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## Derrel (Jan 17, 2012)

I think the contrast is a bit too high in the top photo; his cheek on the window side is blown out and his shirt front is really inky and dark. The upper right quadrant on the second one is quite "hot" as well...it just fades to white. The bottom picture could benefit from a bit of lightening on his face and eyes...I would probably do it by using the Dodge tool, maybe a 20 pixel diameter, soft-edged brush, and just dodge his face and eyes a bit.

The sepia tone--I like it, quite a bit. I love that tone! I like these types of quiet, unposed kid pictures,and when my son was his age, I shot quite a few images of times like this. THey might not mean much to "other people", but as family photos, these types of shots grow more and more valuable with each passing year.


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## manaheim (Jan 17, 2012)

I saw them each and thought "Nice moment, nice emotion, nice exposure, nice treatment".  Given that these aren't of MY kid and I still "felt" them, I can only imagine how special they are to you.  Very nice, if you ask me.


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## thelittlewhimsy (Jan 17, 2012)

Derrel said:


> I think the contrast is a bit too high in the top photo; his cheek on the window side is blown out and his shirt front is really inky and dark. The upper right quadrant on the second one is quite "hot" as well...it just fades to white. The bottom picture could benefit from a bit of lightening on his face and eyes...I would probably do it by using the Dodge tool, maybe a 20 pixel diameter, soft-edged brush, and just dodge his face and eyes a bit.
> 
> The sepia tone--I like it, quite a bit. I love that tone! I like these types of quiet, unposed kid pictures,and when my son was his age, I shot quite a few images of times like this. THey might not mean much to "other people", but as family photos, these types of shots grow more and more valuable with each passing year.



Good call on the dodge tool, I think I'll give that a shot tomorrow, thanks! I might also tinker with the brightness as well! I completely agree with your thoughts on the sentiment of the photos- these seem much more endearing that the usual snapshot I get of him


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## thelittlewhimsy (Jan 17, 2012)

manaheim said:


> I saw them each and thought "Nice moment, nice emotion, nice exposure, nice treatment".  Given that these aren't of MY kid and I still "felt" them, I can only imagine how special they are to you.  Very nice, if you ask me.



Thanks! My goal in this shoot, was just to capture shots that connects with the viewer, and it's really nice to know you felt it!


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## Frequency (Jan 18, 2012)

How beautiful these images are, especially the last one!!!
The second image is very artistically composed; the beauty of this image is the placing him in one corner from where one's attention is drawn towards his quarter hidden eye. If you want me to say something negative too, that is the non-inclusion of his head fully within the frame in the last image

Regards and much love for the kid


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## thelittlewhimsy (Jan 20, 2012)

Frequency said:


> How beautiful these images are, especially the last one!!!
> The second image is very artistically composed; the beauty of this image is the placing him in one corner from where one's attention is drawn towards his quarter hidden eye. If you want me to say something negative too, that is the non-inclusion of his head fully within the frame in the last image
> 
> Regards and much love for the kid



Wow! Thanks Frequency! This just made my day


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## Joey_Ricard (Jan 20, 2012)

Really nice series. Excellent eye for capturing emotion.
The first one if the only one to me that might draw any mention and that is obviously what someone already pointed out - the unbalanced contrast between cheeks, but that is an easy fix in editing with a mask layer.

Again, really nice series.


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## PapaMatt (Jan 20, 2012)

You captured a very special moment in a childs life in a way that moves the heart and soul of all who view these. I am not a PRO but I do know what makes me feel an emotion, you have done well.


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## jwbryson1 (Jan 20, 2012)

Love these images.  Great emotion.  Well done.


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## Postman158 (Jan 24, 2012)

Great pictures! I love them all, but number 1 especially.


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## thelittlewhimsy (Jan 24, 2012)

Thanks everyone! I got these on my canon rebel xti with a 50mm @ 1.8- right off window light. I shot in AV priority mode. After reading through posts on this forum, I'm second guessing my abilities- did I just get lucky? Did I intuitively know what to do? It's been so long since I shot, who knows, but I'm getting back into the re-learning the technicals again- but these pics are definitely what I needed to find my love for taking pictures again


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## EIngerson (Jan 24, 2012)

I wouldn't second guess yourself at all. I'm really loving the framing of all three.


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## The_Traveler (Jan 25, 2012)

thelittlewhimsy said:


> After reading through posts on this forum, I'm second guessing my abilities- did I just get lucky? Did I intuitively know what to do? It's been so long since I shot, who knows, but I'm getting back into the re-learning the technicals again- but these pics are definitely what I needed to find my love for taking pictures again



I take out workshops on street photography and go through the technicals, show people some shots, talk about 'seeing' the pictures before the happen and when it comes down to shooting, some people have  'it' and just need a little shove to send them off, most people don't have 'it', won't ever get 'it' and will just be clicking the shutter their entire life. So, if you got 'it', it will show, no need to worry.


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## manaheim (Jan 25, 2012)

thelittlewhimsy said:
			
		

> Thanks everyone! I got these on my canon rebel xti with a 50mm @ 1.8- right off window light. I shot in AV priority mode. After reading through posts on this forum, I'm second guessing my abilities- did I just get lucky? Did I intuitively know what to do? It's been so long since I shot, who knows, but I'm getting back into the re-learning the technicals again- but these pics are definitely what I needed to find my love for taking pictures again



Don't let TPF rattle you.  This place is a double edged sword.  People without a clue speak just as loudly as those with one.  It's hard to judge who is who.  You'll notice I'm not placing myself in either category here.  I'm honestly still not sure which bucket I belong in.


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## The_Traveler (Jan 25, 2012)

manaheim said:


> Don't let TPF rattle you.  This place is a double edged sword.  People without a clue speak just as loudly as those with one.  It's hard to judge who is who.  You'll notice I'm not placing myself in either category here.  I'm honestly still not sure which bucket I belong in.



I know, I know
Call on me, pleeeeez
:lmao:


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## unpopular (Jan 25, 2012)

They are all very nice, and any knit picking here is just that:

1: Too contrasty. You have blown hilights and plugged shadows. I am not crazy about the framing, and I wish I could see more of the pen to get an idea of what the child id doing. Excellent capture of that peaceful intent play you get at this age, and seem to loose in a couple years.

2: I really don't like the blown hilights in this one, but DOF is great. It appears that the hot hilights were created in post, which makes the transition from the child's profile to the background harsh and uninviting.

3: Shadows very plugged up, to the point that the neck and chin blend into the torso. I am very much not a fan of the background here; seems "boxed in" rather than framed. Blown hilights in the arm and hair, but not terrible. If data is present, perhaps mask in the hilights in the wrist area.


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## manaheim (Jan 25, 2012)

The_Traveler said:


> manaheim said:
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> > Don't let TPF rattle you.  This place is a double edged sword.  People without a clue speak just as loudly as those with one.  It's hard to judge who is who.  You'll notice I'm not placing myself in either category here.  I'm honestly still not sure which bucket I belong in.
> ...



  The floor recognizes The (Potentially Abusive) Traveller...


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## The_Traveler (Jan 25, 2012)

manaheim said:


> The_Traveler said:
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"Raymond Shaw is the kindest, bravest, warmest, most wonderful human being I've ever known in my life. "
                                                          (Manchurian Candidate -  1962)


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## thelittlewhimsy (Jan 26, 2012)

EIngerson said:


> I wouldn't second guess yourself at all. I'm really loving the framing of all three.



Thanks Eric, really nice words!


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## thelittlewhimsy (Jan 26, 2012)

The_Traveler said:


> thelittlewhimsy said:
> 
> 
> > After reading through posts on this forum, I'm second guessing my abilities- did I just get lucky? Did I intuitively know what to do? It's been so long since I shot, who knows, but I'm getting back into the re-learning the technicals again- but these pics are definitely what I needed to find my love for taking pictures again
> ...



Definitely! There's certainly something to be said about quality over quantity, right? My goal this year to consistently produce shots that connect, not just shoot to shoot. I think in the only time and practice, and patience will tell


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## thelittlewhimsy (Jan 26, 2012)

manaheim said:


> thelittlewhimsy said:
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Ha- you too? I wouldn't even dare label myself at this point either.


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## thelittlewhimsy (Jan 26, 2012)

unpopular said:


> They are all very nice, and any knit picking here is just that:
> 
> 1: Too contrasty. You have blown hilights and plugged shadows. I am not crazy about the framing, and I wish I could see more of the pen to get an idea of what the child id doing. Excellent capture of that peaceful intent play you get at this age, and seem to loose in a couple years.
> 
> ...



Thanks for the C&C! My only disagreement is probably the framing (except on the 3rd- my bad) but otherwise, my framing was intentionally on him and his emotion. 

Thinking about it, I did my initial adjustments in camera raw, and I'm wondering if I screwed something up in post production..... I'm gonna go back, re-process the raw file, and post it back for your thoughts!


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## thelittlewhimsy (Jan 26, 2012)

Are these any better? I realized today that when I initially processed them in ACR, I didn't bump down the +50 contrast that always comes up, so I bumped that down, and used recovery


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## MTVision (Jan 26, 2012)

thelittlewhimsy said:
			
		

> Are these any better? I realized today that when I initially processed them in ACR, I didn't bump down the +50 contrast that always comes up, so I bumped that down, and used recovery



I'm on my phone - so no comments in the image. But in ACR - if you want all the sliders to be at 0 when you open an image you can do it. Just set everything to 0 (or whatever you want) then go to the preset tab, click on the little corner thingie so the drop down menu comes up. Choose save new camera raw defaults. That way you can choose exactly what you want everything to be depending on the image.


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## thelittlewhimsy (Jan 28, 2012)

MTVision said:


> thelittlewhimsy said:
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Good to know, I'm so doing this!


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