Remember:
-Read How to Critique a Photo
-Make a critique sandwich – something positive, something you would have done differently, something positive
-My rule: no improvement tip = deleted comment
-This will benefit the person leaving the photo critique just as much if not more than the person receiving the critique.
-If you would like to have an image critiqued be sure to read How to submit an image for critique.
Thanks to Liz for submitting the following image.
Settings: ISO 400 | f/4 | SS 1/640
A precious snapshot of a kid loving bubbles, what more could you ask for? If there was one thing I would change (and I know you can’t really control the bubbles!) it would be to not have the bubble right over his eye and maybe to change your DOF so that you get a few more of the bubbles in focus. Then maybe shift the frame a bit so he’s pointing into the center instead of “looking” out of the frame. This shot would also be adorable with his eyes open looking at you. Great color and I think the downward angle on this shot is perfect!
Jennifer,
Thank you so much for taking time to critique my photo. All your ideas are so helpful. Luckily , we are always blowing bubbles around here. So I will have another chance to take more pics. Liz
This is why we are photographers. Capturing life as it happens! This is just beautiful and I would honestly change nothing. I love the contrasting colors between his jacket and the grass, and the clarity of the bubbles is perfect. This photo just brings me joy!
Sara,
Thank you so much. I am in the middle of a 365 project and this was one of my photos for the day. “Life as it happens” is really the best photography to create especially when it comes to kids. Liz
What a fun image! I love everything that’s going on here, and his little face just completes it. If I was going to offer any kind of CC I’d just say that it would be great to see this from a perspective that was lower. Maybe more on his eye level. Other than that, it’s just fun :)
Christina,
Thank you so much for this feedback. I agree…need to get on his level. It creates such an inviting image. Liz
Love the image ! Its a great candid moment that are not easy to get, especially with children, soo kudos!! His face really tells a story. The only CC is the dang bubble so close to his eye, which you can’t control where they land. And I do love that its off center, off center images just seem more fun, less structured (which this image is fun, so it fits) but that’s my personal opinion.
Jenn,
Thanks for your feedback. I agree the bubbles on his eyes are a bit distracting. Can’t wait to get the bubbles back out again for another try. Liz
This is great! The only thing I would change would be to have him a little more to the right and to zoom out just a tad. Really though, this is perfect the way it is! I can feel his happiness just by looking at the pic! Great Job!
LIndsey,
I ALWAYS tend to get too close especially with this 50mm lens. Hoping to purchase a 35mm soon. But in the meantime…I need to take a step back. Thanks for sharing your ideas. Liz
Love this photo, captures the innocence of childhood :) There’s only one thing that I would change, and that would be to get down at this child’s level.
Robin….Thanks for your feedback. I do believe I am going to get the bubbles back out and try this again. Love your advise. Liz
This image made me smile :-) You captured a little boy enjoying bubbles. The bubbles where blown at him from up top so that’s the angle you got too. He’s squinting because bubbles are coming at his face, which he clearly enjoys! I love that he’s off center and you captured the other bubbles behind him. Great vignette use as we’ll! It’s a framer :-)
Thank you!!! He is such a sweet sweet boy and we have such fun together. This photo will remind me of this precious years. Liz
I love everyday moments like this when there is no posing, just pure in the moment of childhood! Cannot see one thing I would change. I say this picture is like magic!
Leilani,
Thank you so much. Sometimes you just have to grab the shot anyway you can!! Life just keeps on happening so fast with these little ones. Liz
I like the snap shot.
If it was planned I would have used red shirt and a step ladder so He would be facing up at me.
Camera shooting facing south.
Florencia,
Ladder!! I love this idea. In fact I have a step ladder and tomorrow I am going to take it out. Such a simple way to get a whole new perspective. It will also give me more space with my 50mm 1.4 lens. Presently I am shopping for a 35mm prime lens…this is a cheaper solution! You’re the best. Liz
I agree with many of the comments about being a bit more on the level of the child. This way you would be able to see things from the perspective of the child, as if the POV of the camera was another child looking on enjoying the bubbles as well. This may also help with the depth and possibly some back lighting to help separate him from the background.
I love the contrast in colors from the yellow jacket and the green grass in the back, but it seems like the saturation is turned down. I would of liked to see more of the vividness in the color.
Lastly, I know this is something that may have been hard to do but it would of been even better to see the eyes of the child. Since they are closed it’s like he’s closed off. Our eyes are drawn to others eyes. There is something there that breathes life (or the absence of life) into the subject.
All in all great shot! Keep on with it!
Thank you Jon. I love all your ideas. So much to learn when it comes to photography. I am working on composition each day as I tackle my 365 project. Getting on his level would have created a different photo for sure. Thanks for your support. Liz
So cute. I love images of kids. I don’t pose mine either. I love that you captured his emotion. I would love to see a little more of his face in focus. I’d probably clone out the logo on his jacket, as it is distracting. You will look back on this one later and smile.
Tammy….It’s funny that you mentioned the logo on his jacket. I tried to clone it out with LR5 but my skill in this area is still pretty poor! You have motivated me to try again. Practice practice practice!! Thanks for taking the time to look at my photo. Liz
You captured the joy on the child face very well. If i was to change something, out would have been to have him looking up at you, so you could have caught the joy in his eyes. I love the angle from which this was shot!
Thank you Debbie. He is fun to be with. I am so glad I found this website. Capturing these images really makes my day. Liz
Unlike a lot of commenters, I love the angle! His head thrown back in pure joy would not be captured so effectively at his level.
If the depth of field were a little wider then more bubles would be in focus but I don’t feel that is necessary to convey the feelings of the image.
Thank you Penelope. It is fun to see how happy he is and in a way his head tossed back really conveys this. Liz
Very sweet. My suggestion is in the edit, the overall image seems a little flat to me, like it needs a little punch. But the moment is priceless!
Rebecca,
Thanks for your feedback. I am fairly new to LR5 so this advice is so helpful to me. I guess I get nervous that I will overdo it in the post processing phase. I will try and give this a punch tonight!! Liz
What a wonderful moment in time you captured! The sheer joy on his face makes me smile and he colors are beautiful!! Only critique I would make is trying to get him to open those eyes, or get on his level.
Beautiful and thanks for sharing.
Lauren,
I completely agree. Wish I had gotten down on his level. Next time, as we are always blowing bubbles around here!!! Thanks for your feedback. Liz
I love the image and the moment captured. Lifestyle photography is by far my fave and I love this.
The only thing I would of changed was to close your aperture just a little more. I’d of loved to of seen a bit more sharpness on the lower portion of his face.
Even with this critique I still think it’s perfect. I love the angle. I love the joyful emotion.
Great job! :)
Linz,
It’s so fun to play with aperture. I tend to stay between 2.8 and 4.0 on my 50mm 1.4 lens. In the future I will try a more closed approach. Thanks for sharing your idea. Liz
I just can’t get over how cute this image is. I love everything about it. His raincoat is a cute accent to the bubbles, so I personally like the yellow against green. I wonder what it would have looked like capturing him looking at a bubble? Great job!
Libby….I completely agree. If he had been looking at me that really would have made a different moment to capture. Thanks for helping me with my photography. Liz
A joyful image! While keeping consistent to your own style, I would try to have the colors stay honest and real but reflect the emotion of the image. I agree that the colors look flat and grey, especially his face and eyes, which are the feature of the image. I would kick up the contrast just a notch using a tone curve in LR. For shooting, I’d try next time f/7.1 for DOF to get some detail of the bubbles with distraction of the grass (I’ve been experimenting with the exact same thing this week). Another nice option if he’s moving around a lot is to see if you can play a game with him to have him lie in the grass – your light looks soft and even, and that is dreamy on grass, giving you great contrast, plus it’s way easier to focus on them if you can get them to lie down, plus it gives you good texture to set off the smoothness of his face, making the emotion pop (reducing other variables like where the bubbles go, how fast they’re moving, etc). Good eye, keep up the good work!
Thank you Emily!! Your suggestions are just wonderful. Thanks for taking so much time to respond to my photo. These ideas are critical to advancing my skill set. Liz
Liz,
So glad I was of help!
Just be careful with nose hair.
Eyes looking at you, :D
He looks like he is having so much fun! First, I love the negative space and how the subject is slightly off center. If I were to offer any CC it would be to brighten the image buy increasing the exposure and increase the DOF to get more of those bubbles in focus. Adorable shot otherwise!
I love his expression :))
I agree with the others that say that the picture seems a little bit flat. I would add some contrast, I use Photoshop, not LR, but if you want to know how I do it in Photoshop, just say :).
Also the bubble on his eye bothers me a little bit, but as I am no good at cloning, I can’t suggest a way to remove it :(
Otherwise, I really love the moment you’ve captured. I can’t wait until my son grows up so we can take such fun shots :))
Oh! Goodness!! What a great photo! The one thing I see is the focus: my eye goes right to his forehead and not on his closed eyes – maybe bending to his leavel would help catching focus on his eyes. I know it’s super hard to do at times because kids move and when your in the moment you just shot. I love his expression
This is a beautiful image! You truly captured the fun of playing with bubbles. :-) I do agree with getting down on his level and trying to capture one with his eyes open or even squinting tight as the bubbles pop. A shallower DOF would create a dreamier look… I’m all about shallow DOF :-). Great job and there is a lot of good advice in these comments!
I love candid photos. I think this is a great shot and I really like the perspective. I would have used a bit higher/larger aperture to get increase the depth of field so a little more of his face is in focus. An image with his eyes open and looking at the camera would have been sweet too. I would darken his eyelash line while editing to define his eyes. Lovely colors, I like the contrast of the yellow and green.
Beautiful,I love taking pictures with bubbles…..
Such a sweet photo! Your focus is great – he is sharp, AND you even got some focused bubbles! (I can never seem to get bubbles in focus). To me, there seems to be a bit much space on the right side – perhaps because he is facing to the left. Maybe a portrait crop/orientation would be something to try, JUST to see how it looks. Of course, it’s all a personal preference. What a wonderful image. So fun!
Absolutely adorable photo. His smile says it all. I actually like that his eyes are closed. I get the feeling that he is in his own little world, with the bubbles raining down on him, popping and splashing on his head and face. The only thing I might do differently, is edit out a few of the splashes in his hair and some of the bubbles on the ground to the right, so that I can focus more on his face and great smile. Wonderful photo!
I LOVE capturing bubbles! And the fact that you were able to catch them on his head is awesome! I personally love the angle because his head is thrown back. My only suggestion would have been to back up a little more and maybe try a portrait orientation (him on the left 1/3 and the bubbles trailing behind him in the right 2/3 of picture). Great shot!
Such a sweet pic! I love the bubbles in his hair! He surely did not want the bubbles getting in his eyes and the photo clearly tells that part of the story, I don’t mind the bubble in front of his eye, to me that is part of the story. I feel the vignette is a little strong in the corners and it would “brighten” up the shot if they were removed. I crop this way often on my portraits and like it done this way on yours! Keep up the good work and keep it fun! Good job!