Priceless Expressions

[STiZzle2010]

I took my son out for a quick shoot in front of our house after his new haircut and I caught a couple of priceless expressions lol. I figured I would share a few as I am always looking for some CC.

All shot with a Nikon D5500, Tamron 70-200mm 2.8 VC, and edited in CS6.

f/2.8, 1/1250th, ISO 100, 200mm
JMH_0119-Edit by Hebee's Visions, on Flickr

f/2.8, 1/640th, ISO 100, 145mm
JMH_0175-Edit by Hebee's Visions, on Flickr

Finally after several tries, I got a good one.

f/2.8, 1/400th, ISO 100, 200mm
JMH_0162-Edit by Hebee's Visions, on Flickr

Thanks for looking!

[Rebel]

Great shots Josh, the last one is the best for me.

Maybe a tighter crop would work well on the first 2?

[Shadowman]

Rockstar in the making. Nice captures.

[Mike Buckley]

It's not just the expressions; it's also the body language. Well done all around. I wonder if your family appreciates how fortunate they are to have such nice photography to document the child over the years.

[STiZzle2010]

Thanks everyone! I've fallen in love with photography and I enjoy capturing my little man as much as I can. My wife loves that we have all of these photos and I'm happy to see myself improving since first picking up my camera a year ago.

[rpcrowe]

As Mike wrote, these will be treasured family memories throughout the years...

Many-many moons ago, right after I married Judy, she asked my mother for a picture of me as a child. My mother sent her one that just happened to be shot on the day Judy was born (I was four years old). Judy was totally thrilled...

[Dave Humphries]

They are indeed a nice record Josh,

I commend you taking them, an opportunity I failed to take with mine when young (with film costs, etc.), but am rectifying now with Grand-daughter.

Really, the only issue I see with the first two is the composition, which as Matt suggests, could be solved with a PP crop.

Well done, Dave

[STiZzle2010]

Thanks everyone! I'm still working on composition. Seems to be my biggest challenge right now.

[Dave Humphries]

Hi Josh,

~ I'm still working on composition. Seems to be my biggest challenge right now.

If it helps;

#1 would have been ideal if his right foot had been where his left foot is - in other words, if he was one sidestep to our right as we look now, in the gap between the gate and the background.

#2 he's going from right to left, but is too near the left edge of frame - this is what's known as "the subject is leaving the frame", so a tighter crop here, losing some above his head and 'behind' him, our right, would do the trick.

Shooting mobile kids isn't easy, they don't always go where you'd like them to, or where you think they are going to end up, so don't be too hard on yourself. (especially with #1)

The lens looks good and the isolation of subject from background is working nicely for you.

All the best, Dave

[STiZzle2010]

This has helped immensely Dave, thank you! I'll continue to work on my technique.

[bnnrcn]

Lovely shots

[Manfred M]

You are lucky that your son does not mind the camera. Every time I pulled mine out when my daughters were that age they would see me and run away or make a very unattractive face in an attempt to ruin the shot.

I would definitely agree with what the others have written, the first two shots could use some cropping. If you want to leave some of the background in the first one, you likely could get away with it, but all that sidewalk in the image is not needed and takes away from the composition.

In these types of shots, getting closer often results in a stronger image.

[IzzieK]

Others had already given their opinions so I won't join in that. On the other hand, I prefer very much your #1 shot -- You should had titled that at "Kiai" (a word frequently heard in Karate meaning "join") All of them are beautiful expressions...and he looks more handsomer now that ever before, a real man. I hope you kept some of hair for the album.

[chauncey]

I agree with the others...they are nice images.
I would heed the backgrounds as the white fence does tend to pull the eyes from the subject.

[Rob Ekins]

Thanks everyone! I've fallen in love with photography and I enjoy capturing my little man as much as I can. My wife loves that we have all of these photos and I'm happy to see myself improving since first picking up my camera a year ago.

Wow, keep at it these are great!

[STiZzle2010]

Awesome feedback and thank you everyone for your comments! I tried using the rule of thirds but I always have a hard time determining what is acceptable for negative space. Does anyone have any links to share for help with composition? I've done a lot of research on my own but I feel like I've exhausted everything and most of what I've seen doesn't provide me with enough detail. I would probably benefit from a photography class but after just purchasing a Tamron 24-70mm 2.8 as well as a 70-200mm 2.8, I cannot afford it right now. Composition is my biggest hurdle and I NEED to get past it lol.

[Rob Ekins]

Does anyone have any links to share for help with composition? I've done a lot of research on my own but I feel like I've exhausted everything and most of what I've seen doesn't provide me with enough detail.

Josh,
Good mental space to be in...use that frustration to your advantage, find some shots that you love and pick them apart, then go and emulate them, you will learn more doing that than watching a gazzillion YouTube vids.

[Manfred M]

Awesome feedback and thank you everyone for your comments! I tried using the rule of thirds but I always have a hard time determining what is acceptable for negative space. Does anyone have any links to share for help with composition? I've done a lot of research on my own but I feel like I've exhausted everything and most of what I've seen doesn't provide me with enough detail. I would probably benefit from a photography class but after just purchasing a Tamron 24-70mm 2.8 as well as a 70-200mm 2.8, I cannot afford it right now. Composition is my biggest hurdle and I NEED to get past it lol.

Josh - don't let the "Rule of Thirds" rule your compositional approach. You can just as easily ruin a good shot by slavishly following that rule as to using it.

I felt that I wanted to get a more formal background to composition, so I took a Photographic Composition course at the local community college last winter. This was the same course as the people who were enrolled in the two year photography program (diploma) at the college were taking. The prof had been teaching the course for over 20 years.

His comment was that at least 80% of student work he saw over those years used the "Rule of Thirds" and there were probably more mediocre images that resulted than good ones. A lot of students seemed to feel that their compositions got better by following the "rule". He urged the class to analyse their work and not use a compositional rule or technique when it did not apply. One of his sayings I quote quite often was "the Rules of Composition work, except when they don't". He also said quite often that the Rule of Thirds would often give better results when applied loosely rather than when it was followed too exactly.

I found a far more important concept that the famed photojournalist / war photographer, Robert Capa, expressed so well; "if your image isn't good enough, you're not close enough". I would suggest that following Cappa's suggestion would improve your first two images far more than following the Rule of Thirds.