Newbie pic

Morning all
My first image on the site.
Taken with my FA50-1/500-F4 and K200D.

Being a newbie, still trying to work out the difference between a good and bad shot.
Here goes then. this was the first time out with the FA5O.

regards

Chris

Nice shot and DOF I think (ime a noob to though!) only thing ide say is could do with brightening up a bit to show the eyes maby?

Thanks for the comment

Chris

You've caught a great expression!

I agree with the brightening. Also, (although I like the tight crop) some more room at the chin would be good, so he doesn't look like he's eaten the bottom of the pic!

Hmm interesting comments thanks.
It was shot in raw, so no probs to change it.
Although, I wont be able to change composition, because the shot is not cropped and came straight from camera.
Am I missing something here

regards
Chris

Nice shot, I like the framing very much.

Personally I think it was taken to close, as you say that this is how it has come from the camera.
What I tend to do is shoot it like a normal portrait then crop in when you do the editing. Sometimes you can get 2-3, maybe more, shots from one image.

C&C
~ Shoot further back, crop later
~ Image is not totally sharp, always focus on the eyes
~ It is a tad under exposed, no need to use flash, maybe reflect some light into the shadows.
~ Whiten the eyes very slightly in PS or similar to bring out the whites, set the dodging tool to about 40% and set to highlights.

Regarding the framing, I know you can't do anything about it now but I would have cropped a tad below the lips so that they are all in view. This crop, to me, looks odd.
Try not to use flash to brighten the shadows, outside there is enough natural light so there is no need to add to it. A sheet of white card or paper is enough if you haven't got a reflector.

Hope this helps


Paul

Ditto, Paul.

If only his chin was in the shot, it would be a wonderful portrait. Clippin' the chin' like this is a major mistake, if you don't mind me sayin'.

Paul and Paul, thanks for your comments. As a newcomer, although it is daunting for me to post images,it is crucial if I want to improve .

I welcome the feedback.

Interestingly though, I didn't crop this pic at all.
Should I have used a smaller aperture to get it sharper,or higher ISO at F4????
Regards

Chris