Pondering

[mj702002]

Very Nice Addition to the site!!! :D

This was taken on November 14, 2010 as the sun was coming up. It was a 'quick' shot so I could get him before he turned around - If it was something I could have planned I would have moved to the left to include the sun peeking over the mountain, but as it is I feel it leaves a bit of mystery as to what he could be looking at or thinking about that has his attention.

The exif:
exposure- 1/4 sec at f/9
focal length- 70mm
ISO- 100
used a tripod

In photoshop cloned out a trail from an airplane that was in the blue part of the sky, a touch of sharpening and a little brightness (have noticed and have been told when I upload photos here they are a bit darker than what I see and what is on other sites) and resized for here.

[rasmussen4]

Hey MJ, I have to say, this is a very well put together scene! The almost silhouette reveals enough detail to keep the viewer's interest, and the colors surrounding the boy really just make things pop. At first I was going to say that I thought it was a little too oversharpened, but honestly after looking for awhile I think you're just right on the line. It's a personal perspective thing, but I actually like that the lines around him are well delineated, and it helps to give a bit of a halo, and separates him from the rest of the scene. The mid-range f-stop on this assured that he and his surroundings were nice and sharp, but the far distant landscape has a soft blur to it, good choice.

The thing that really sets this up visually, though, is your application of the rule of thirds. Keeping the boy in the left corner like this worked very well (though I might have shifted him just a bit more to the left, lining his head right up with that imaginary rule of thirds grid line), and you left the open area on the right which is the direction he's looking. This is definitely something you want to duplicate in future portraits. Always leave the side of the frame that the viewer is looking at open, so that there's a something or somewhere for the subject to look. Also, your horizon line in the background is in the upper 1/3 of the frame, which again fits the rule of thirds. Kudos on both accounts!

Finally, when it comes to human subjects, you'll win a viewer over with a kid every time. There's just something about animals and kids, they grab a viewer's attention like nothing else. Happens even in contests, actually, judges feel the same way! :)

Bang up job on this one, love how the processing turned out!

~ greg

[mj702002]

Hey Greg - Thanks a bunch! I really wish I had had the time to compose better for this one, as I didn't want to disturb him and a few seconds later he was turned around looking at me.

[rasmussen4]

I totally understand about just grabbing the moment when you can. My 4-year old is a fast little mover, so I grab whatever, whenever! Also, in fast moments like this, it's better to shoot a slightly wider angle than you actually want to crop, as this will give you more wiggle room when cropping later. It's just helpful when you've got to grab the shot fast.