My brother C&C welcomed

[KimC]

My brother turned 49 yesterday. One more year to the big 50! Caught this picture of him which I really like. C&C welcomed.

[Shadowman]

Nicely captured.

[rpcrowe]

You captured a great smile! Perhaps the use of a little fill flash might have opened the shadows around his eyes...

[KimC]

Nicely captured.

Thank you John.

[KimC]

You captured a great smile! Perhaps the use of a little fill flash might have opened the shadows around his eyes...

Thank you Richard. I am a newbie and I haven't started to explore lighting yet. I am eager to learn, but am having a hard time finding someone to give me lessons. Have looked into courses at the university but most are online and I have a hard time learning that way. I prefer to learn by doing :-) If you have any ideas related to finding someone, let me know. Thank you.

[Shadowman]

Thank you Richard. I am a newbie and I haven't started to explore lighting yet. I am eager to learn, but am having a hard time finding someone to give me lessons. Have looked into courses at the university but most are online and I have a hard time learning that way. I prefer to learn by doing :-) If you have any ideas related to finding someone, let me know. Thank you.

Are there any nearby camera stores, they usually have beginner courses?

[Mike Buckley]

You did a great job capturing his personality. Regarding composition, I always object to things "growing out of" a person's head.

[chauncey]

Kim, it would be a whole lot easier to reshoot the image but, next time, don't just take a quick snapshot.
Pause a few minutes and consider what you already know, but didn't use.

[KimC]

Are there any nearby camera stores, they usually have beginner courses?

No John. They have all gone out of business. Have a note into a college professor to see if he can help. Thanks for your idea.

[rpcrowe]

Kim, I am not sure what camera you are using but, I found this mini tutorial on using the built-in flash...

http://photographylife.com/how-to-ge...r-pop-up-flash

I use hotshoe flash so I cannot really help you on the pop-up flash.

If you can afford one, a hotshoe flash is a great accessory which can immediately improve a persons imagery. Not knowing your camera, I cannot recommend a specific hotshoe flash.

If you shoot Canon and want one of the cheapest flashes possible, you can get a used Canon 420EX for $75 USD or less on eBay. It's not the very best flash but it can do a very decent job in limited situations. One of the failings of the 420EX is that it doesn't have manual control. However, it does have high speed sync capability which is quite important in fill flash situations. It is also the lightest of the Canon full size hotshoe flashes...
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Canon-Speedl...item2a41ba8af7
I used one for years and still own it....

You can add a Joe Demb Flash Diffuser Pro for some very nice effects.
www.dembflashproducts.com

[KimC]

Kim, I am not sure what camera you are using but, I found this mini tutorial on using the built-in flash...

http://photographylife.com/how-to-ge...r-pop-up-flash


I use hotshoe flash so I cannot really help you on the pop-up flash.

If you can afford one, a hotshoe flash is a great accessory which can immediately improve a persons imagery. Not knowing your camera, I cannot recommend a specific hotshoe flash.

If you shoot Canon and want one of the cheapest flashes possible, you can get a used Canon 420EX for $75 USD or less on eBay. It's not the very best flash but it can do a very decent job in limited situations. One of the failings of the 420EX is that it doesn't have manual control. However, it does have high speed sync capability which is quite important in fill flash situations. It is also the lightest of the Canon full size hotshoe flashes...
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Canon-Speedl...item2a41ba8af7
I used one for years and still own it....

You can add a Joe Demb Flash Diffuser Pro for some very nice effects.
www.dembflashproducts.com

Thank you. I have a Nikon D3300. I will look at this today.

[bnnrcn]

Nice shot Kim

[truonda]

You have good reasons to like this picture. Nice capture!

[KimC]

Thank you Binnur and Daniel. I thought I might have gotten away with the chimney behind his head, since you can see the whole fireplace, but I guess the emotional side of the image, blurred my judgement. It's all about learning, and I am definitely learning a lot from the comments shared with me, and the amazing images you all post ...that's what I strive for...someday :-)

[Mike Buckley]

Kim: Not knowing your post-processing skills or the software you are using, with a reasonably good cloning tool such as the one in LR5 (much improved over LR4), the task of removing the fireplace would be only of average difficulty thanks to the otherwise very plain background.

[csa mt]

Kim, to me the chimney is not objectionable, as you can see the fire. This gives it even a more relaxing "warming" atmosphere for a very nice picture of your brother. Had the rest of the fireplace not been visible, and just the chimney; then yes, I would find it objectionable.

Good job, remember; we never stop learning; and this forum is filled with people that bend over backwards to assist us wanting to learn more!

[KimC]

Kim, to me the chimney is not objectionable, as you can see the fire. This gives it even a more relaxing "warming" atmosphere for a very nice picture of your brother. Had the rest of the fireplace not been visible, and just the chimney; then yes, I would find it objectionable.

Good job, remember; we never stop learning; and this forum is filled with people that bend over backwards to assist us wanting to learn more!

Thank you for sharing your perspective.

Absolutley! If we are living we should be learning. In a short period of time, I look at things so differently thanks to all of you.