Christian Photographers Community

My son in Florida - Trip to Trinity Baptist College

What a good looking young man!  You did a good job.  Keep up the good work!

Good Job

The composition is really good, but his face is a bit too dark.  And the most important point of portrait photography is the face.

"Spot Metering", if your camera has it, is helpful for backlit shots like this one.  Or you can ignore the meter and overexpose it a bit.  The sky would bit a bit too bright, but his face would be nicely exposed.

And then there is post-processing, using the software that came with the camera or something like Photoshop.



Kevin in Japan

I agree the Composition is good but the face is too dark. another way to get a photo like that without blowing the highlights would be to add some fill flash or a  reflector.

Quote from: HolyGhosted on December 11, 2008, 12:57:05 PM
I agree the Composition is good but the face is too dark. another way to get a photo like that without blowing the highlights would be to add some fill flash or a  reflector.

Very good advice, HG'd!

I still say he is a good looking young man, and for a first attempt , Well Done!

Quote from: JudyB on December 11, 2008, 04:48:50 PM
I still say he is a good looking young man, and for a first attempt , Well Done!

I am sorry I was not trying to sound negative or dispute the good points of the photo. Just pointing out setting your camera to force flash or using a reflector and keep in mind a reflector can be anything from a white piece of foam board from the craft store for a dollar or two  or using a silver windshield reflector from your local automotive department that can usually be found well under $20.00 and are of good size and collapsible. Photography is all about capturing light so the sooner we learn how to use the light we have and tricks on getting light to work the way we need for the photo we want the quicker our photography improves.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             

I agree, the lighting isn't quite perfect, but the expression, posture, and especially, the way his face and legs are made dimensional by the light, are quite good.   A little tweaking in post-processing could make this one sing.

I hope you don't mind.   I adjusted the curves on contrast and lightness, and burned in the sky a little to compensate.   If I was more ambitious, I'd select the foreground and change only that.   But the weeds make it a bit tedious.   Still, I think it shows what can be done.