Composition - Truncation

[LensBaby]

Ok this was a composition photo, and I used truncation. I always thought that body parts were not supposed to be cut off. (Now I am not allowed to use ANY flash, or anything above a 200 ISO. We are to learn without FLASH, and with LOWLIGHT. This is SOC. I did have to resize to fit on here though.

[dkippen]

Sue - I love the pink and blue combination as well as how this fills the frame. Nice job.

[jerryph]

"Truncation" or the more popular term called "croppng", is always acceptable, however the trick is never to do it at the joints (knees, elbows ankles). Doing it at the joint gives the feel of looking at an amputation, and this is a negative feel to the picture. Cropping a part of the shoulder or arm also looks awkward. I've learned to take my pictures with "breathing room" and crop in post process to what I feel adds to he impact of a picture.

As far as low light situations, I am starting to feel very comfortable in these situations without my flashes because there are times where you just cannot use them effectively. Tripods, monopods and my 2 personal favorites, increased ISO and/or a fast lens on a camera held in my hands, are all good alternate techniques to consider.

That small area of strong pink at the top of the picture is slightly distracting and could have been cropped out so that the lacy part of the tutu flares into the legs that end in the pretty ballerina slippers.

Your composition is very good, I like how the bokeh starts at about the 3/4-way back towards the ankles. The choice of a F/5.6 aperture was near perfect.

The 1/25th at ISO 100 and F/5.6 tells me it wasn't all that dark, however... so I would not really call this one a very low light situation... more kinda in the middle of the road.

1/25th shutter speed... did you use a tripod or hand-held? If hand-held and especially without leaning against anything, congratulations, it was excellent technique. :)

I like pictures that tell a story, and yours brings up all kinds of nice stories in my mind.

Nicely done. :D

[LensBaby]

Jerry...right now in the courses we are NOT permitted to use ANY flash, or anything above a 200 iso...everything has to be in manual, and NO cropping by PP only in the camera. This was a funny situation though, because my house has almost NO lighting, so I had to set my backdrop up in my dining room, and open my door, and put my tripod on the stair, and shoot in my house. I had no other choice, but to do this, to get the shot that I wanted. I tried everything. I bought a new carbon fiber tripod, and I am loving it.

[jerryph]

Doesn't detract from the pic one bit, Sue, its still an awesome photo.

How much did you pay for your carbon fiber tripod, if I may ask? Those things do not come cheap. :)

[LensBaby]

It is a Velbon, and I paid a little over 200.00 but it was on sale Best buy has them on sale here. It is 299.00 at B&H photo. (well it was last week) I cannot tell you how great this thing is. I always wondered what it was about my tripod, that I hated using it!!!! It was because it was JUNK! It pinched me everytime I opened it up. I am addicted to this one.