[wayylander]

hi this is my first post on here. this was taken when my daughter went to a scool ball. just want some tips to help me improve my photography.





camera sony a200 with kit lens and onboard flash f5.6 1/30sec

[Toad]

Hi Wayylander:

Welcome to Shuttertalk.

When I am doing portraits of people, I always try to shoot from eye level or higher. I find that women (and men) look better in my opinion from that perspective. I always feel that when someone looks down on me, there is a sense that the person is superior to the viewer, and this hurts the sense of intimacy that you want to develop with the viewer.

For men, I try to shoot at eye level - this removes any issues with bald spots and a sense that the man is in an inferior pose with respect to the viewer. For women, I tend to shoot from *slightly* above the eye level. This highlights the eyes, hair, jewelry, and shoulders of the model.

With your shot, I would also work to get a more dramatic lighting scheme in place. The lighting on your daughter's face is very flat - if you had the light coming more from one side than the other, it would add much more drama/mystery to the scene and accentuate her dramatic look.

Anyway - just my $.02. Once again, welcome to Shuttertalk.

[shuttertalk]

Hey Wayylander, and welcome to ST!

Good tips from Toad ... I notice that you're using a DSLR which is a great step in the right direction. The reason I say this is because I hate using the onboard flash for portraits (well actually pretty much everything) as they produce a really flat look. Bouncing with a flashgun is much better, but if you can't get around that then maybe next to a window (assuming it's daylight) is next best.

But your daughter looks very comfortable and naturally posed so well done.