As a newbie photographer, one of my goals this year is to work on snapping shots in low-light settings. This pic was taken this evening in our basement, dimmed lighting and the glow of the tv screen.
1/80, F4.8, ISO 2000.
I was trying to capture a "home-y" kind of feel, but something about the image is bugging me. Any tips on what I could do better next time? Different angle, different technique, etc? It was originally done in colour but I thought b&w would better mask the ISO graininess and add to the quiet feel of the picture.
I quite like the shot. I love the b/w and think you nailed it there. I'm not going to offer you technical advise. From a visual standpoint what I like best are: the silhouette of the child is perfect, love that you included the drape as it shows the viewer that we're seeing inside something. I find the fact that we can't see the entire image just beyond the child, a bit bothersome. For me, if that were placed in a postition where we could see what is being seen, it mighta' changed things a bit. Afterall, there's a layer of curiousity that draws the viewer into this shot beyond the child... what is HE watching?
The toy in the background - remove it.
Fill the frame - The top right seems to have a boxed in feel.
Rule of thirds - Move the child to the left a little and have more of the story in the image.
Watch the background. - I dont think it works. I would have a higher F stop to blur the background and getting close to the subject will also help
I agree with everything Brendan said...I personally might have tried the shot directly to the side of him to get the nice light the tv would cast on his face.
Hi Andra, I know the D90 quite well, it was my go-to body before I got my D600 (and I still use my D90 at times).
ISO 2000 is *way* too high for the D90... it maxes out at 640, and then only with lots of light.
The best accessory you can add to your D90 is Lightroom; it's what allowed me to max out the capabilities of my beloved D90 and reach for the D600.
I love the POV that you have here, it brings the viewer back to their childhood forts. The TV's a little hot, but Lightroom (and any other editor) can fix that. I agree with @eyesofbetsie, adding a rimlight around the child's face (but from this same perspective) would have connected the background with the foreground. Definitely not an easy lighting situation, but the existing suggestion of a rim light begs for more.
Adding some clarity/contrast/brightness to the bowl of popcorn would help, too... always remember the rule of thirds applies to more than just composition. If you have 3 elements of interest, the shot usually takes care of itself. Child, popcorn,..? (I think the TV 'model' would do the trick if you tamed the exposure).
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The toy in the background - remove it.
Fill the frame - The top right seems to have a boxed in feel.
Rule of thirds - Move the child to the left a little and have more of the story in the image.
Watch the background. - I dont think it works. I would have a higher F stop to blur the background and getting close to the subject will also help
ISO 2000 is *way* too high for the D90... it maxes out at 640, and then only with lots of light.
The best accessory you can add to your D90 is Lightroom; it's what allowed me to max out the capabilities of my beloved D90 and reach for the D600.
I love the POV that you have here, it brings the viewer back to their childhood forts. The TV's a little hot, but Lightroom (and any other editor) can fix that. I agree with @eyesofbetsie, adding a rimlight around the child's face (but from this same perspective) would have connected the background with the foreground. Definitely not an easy lighting situation, but the existing suggestion of a rim light begs for more.
Adding some clarity/contrast/brightness to the bowl of popcorn would help, too... always remember the rule of thirds applies to more than just composition. If you have 3 elements of interest, the shot usually takes care of itself. Child, popcorn,..? (I think the TV 'model' would do the trick if you tamed the exposure).