I really like this picture! The rule of thirds was followed, the composition is neat! I really dig the PJ’s and binos! The only change I would make would be to expose a little more for the child’s face by either bumping your ISO up to 400 or taking your shutter speed down a notch or two. Otherwise, I really like this picture and I love that you weren’t scared of light!! I love the light on the hair!

I really enjoy the composition with the off-center subject but I feel like he is a little underexposed. I’m sure it is tricky though because his hair is soooo blonde! Maybe he needs to move into the shade a little so you don’t lose the curls. Love how the background is a bit blurred so the focus stays on him.

Like the DOF
would have gone a bit lighter on the subject

I think this is a very good first attempt at shooting in manual. The subject is sharp with good bokeh. The back light on the hair is a nice touch. I think more light on the face would have been good but difficult with the binoculars. Perhaps a light reflector could have helped. Good use of the Rule of Thirds. You are well on your way in manual mode.

Hi Michelle. This is a cute fella. He’s looking at you while you are looking at him. I always use a flash when shooting outdoors even if it looks bright enough. It will eliminate a dark face and dark shadows. But you can put flash on this in PS. I don’t use LR so I can’t help you with that. In PS you can correct exposure or fiddle with levels and curves to bright his face. Good model to work with. Keep shooting.

Very cute! I love the concept. I think he is underexposed. It would help to either decrease the SS (I wouldn’t recommend below 125) increase your appeture or increase ISO. Typically to get good exposure I set my appeture first I love shooting wide open usually f2.8 then I will set my SS (never below 125). I usually leave ISO at 200 but if I’m in a low light situation I will increase. I always meter off the skin too. Meter is set to single subject.

As everyone else so far, I also enjoy the composition and the lines wrapping around the subject. If the subject was a bit lighter, it would be a much stronger picture. My favorite element of this picture is the strong story telling of life with boys.

Hi Michelle

Great shot, I really love the rim lighting on his hair, that looks fantastic! His face is a bit underexposed, perhaps you could have tried using fill flash to brighten his face and take away the shadow. I really like the background too, the dof is nice and shallow and the background doesn’t intrude.

I agreed with the above CC :)
It was a great picture and a fun composition! As i’m a HUGE bokeh fan – i love the bokehs!
I would use a flash on this as a filler light so as to brighten your subject.

I enjoy seeing photos of you children exploring and enjoying them self’s.
The use of back lighting was a good choice.
I think the photo should be cropped.
Try removing some of the lighter portions behind and above the trees.
The use of the curved road/pathway helps to draw your eye into the subject but i think cropping out som eof the left side would help

I like this – it’s fun and interesting. I agree with the above commenters that is needs more light on the subject. Either by exposing for the kiddo a bit more (of course, then the background goes) or maybe repositioning so a bit more light hits the subject. My personal feeling is that the background isn’t as fun and interesting as the kid. So cute! I would have pulled way in and filled the frame with the kid. Again, though, it is very good and shows that the photographer knows how to capture the emotions that matter.

Nice job on the composition, and a cute moment!
This photo looks a bit underexposed to me. I would suggest changing to spot metering (check your camera menu or the camera’s manual for how to get to this setting on your particular model) and manually selected focus points if you’re not already using them. Toggle the focus to the child’s face and set your shutter speed based on metering of the skin. I’ve also found that oftentimes, my meter has me under-exposing the photo even if I align to “zero” so use your judgement or, if you have the chance, check the exposure by zooming in on the camera display after you take one shot, and adjust accordingly.
If you use post-processing software such as Lightroom, it is much easier to bring the exposure back down from a too-bright image than to bring it up from a dark one. Just make sure you don’t have it so bright that you lose all of the details of your subject’s face – I like to use the “blinkies” (highlight warnings/clipping warnings) and histogram (if you have a giant stack on the graph that appears to go off the top of the chart, you’ve blown or clipped something – which is fine, assuming it’s the background, not what was important in your photo. I like the blinkies to tell me at a glance if I blew out my pup’s face, etc. as that is usually un-recoverable or at least less recoverable.
And if you’re not already doing so, do yourself a favor and start shooting in RAW format (in your camera’s menu settings). The files are huge, which kept me from changing over for a long time, but so worth it. I can’t tell you the difference – I heard explained that there are I think 256 colors on JPEGs versus like 50,000 in RAW. I have recovered so many photos that I totally blew my settings on due to being in a hurry, etc – and they are fine after editing, since I finally changed to RAW. Better far to nail the exposure every time, but if you can’t or just slip up, why not still be able to recover the shot later?! =) This is one thing that I REALLY wish I’d done when I was first trying to learn manual mode – changing especially the exposure in Lightroom has helped me better understand my camera, and also having RAW files that are recoverable would have made me so much more successful.
More than anything else, I just want to encourage you to shoot, shoot, shoot – in manual mode, every single day, in terrible lighting, and even when you don’t think you can handle taking one more bad photo of your house plant, or your door, or your pet. Even when your photos look terrible, and you don’t think you will ever get it. But also give yourself grace – if you have an important moment or event, and aren’t totally confident in manual mode yet, go ahead and use Aperture Priority or even Auto. It’s not a sin! But do make a commitment to otherwise stick to manual mode and I promise you won’t regret it.
Also, make it a point when you see something you like (or dislike) – on FB, on television, at the doctor’s office, anywhere – what is it that you like (or hate) about this image? Is it the way the light is falling across the subject? Is it that the rock is low in the frame, or the kid’s face is cropped just above the hairline? Making myself express in words, not just thoughts, what I love about or how I would try to improve a shot has made me a much better photographer and able to consider confidently whether or not I’m going to like a shot before I take it.
And – Click It Up a Notch is such an amazing resource and I would never be nearly as happy with my photos as I am now without all of the helpful info here. I strongly suggest setting the Facebook page to notifications so you can see every single time Courtney posts without ever missing it.
Amazing job to you – for making the leap to manual mode, and for being brave enough to share with all of us. Your early attempt looks so much better than mine did. =D

I love the composition!
I would have made the subject a tad bit brighter.
Great depth of field!

What a cute picture! I love the location and the pj’s & binoculars! I would bring it up even to 600iso and curve your RGB to enhance your first impression!

So cute! Good use of the rule of thirds. Like everyone else mentioned, your handsome subject could be a bit brighter. I tend to err on the brighter side in camera. Then if you have an editing program, you can *correct* the overall image without creating extra noise. Very good first attempt, and I’m super impressed that he stayed still long enough for you to capture this shot!

Congrats for going manual; I’m still working up the courage! I love the off-center composition and depth of field… I would try to lighten it up a bit to convey the brightness of this sweet moment, though… And what an adorable subject! Nice work!! :)

What a cutie! I love seeing kids being kids. I like how it’s off centered. I feel that the picture is a little dark. It may need to be lightened a bit. Overall, great way to capture the spirit of a young child!

I like the composition. You took this at the child’s level, he’s slightly on the rule of thirds and the backlight is sweetly displaying his golden locks. I like the underexposed look; I’m guessing the golden locks are the subject of this photo. The only thing I would have done is add a little contrast but otherwise its a sweetly composed photograph.

I love the outfit and the binoculars. What a fun session— so age appropriate. I would have used a smaller number on the aperature maybe f4 if you didn’t want to shoot wide open. Or i would have bumped the ISO slightly to 400. Lovely backlight image though– not blurry or overhazed. He is not in the shade so you jumped right into beautiful light!

Love the off center. Maybe a little underexposed, I would increase ISO.
Love the backlit hair. You have a cutie!
Pam

Great job on the composition! If you don’t have a flash available you can get a piece of white foam poster board to bounce light back to his face. I love the story and the rim lighting! Little ones move so fast, good luck!

What a great first picture in manual! Love the candidness with his pjs hehe. :) I would have maybe tried to turn him towards the light source – his face seems very dark. You could also bump your shutter speed down to allow more light in as well. You could go down to probably 250 if he isn’t runny around crazy. Overall, great composition and cute picture.

I like hoe he subject isn’t centered. He is a little dark maybe slowing shutter speed even for a child you don’t need it that fast F-stop was perfect for a portrait like this and blurs the backround great while the child is in great focus.

Everyone else has covered the suggestions I would have made, so I will just say that this photo is hilarious – I love it!

Oh, golly! That composition is too cute. Precious!
I would knock your ISO up a bit to at least 400 and maybe the aperture to f/4. Those are pretty comfortable spots and I usually start from there and tweak.
It’s such a cute shot and way to go for stepping out of the AUTO box!

Love how you got the sunlight coming through his hair! The photo looks a bit underexposed though. Great expression!

A great subject to shoot your first picture in manual mode. I recognized the rule of three, character is off to the side. And, with the back ground blurred it gives the idea of exploration… of course paired with the binoculars and spidey jammies. As others have mentioned the subject is a bit dark, could have used some light to the subject, and still left he silhouetted high lite of the blonde curly locks. In closing, it’s a great start, good luck exploring.

I just love the humor in this photo! It makes me smile! What a cutie! I like the backlight on the hair and wonder if exposing more for the face and body area would have blown that out more, so that’s something I would have addressed on the computer, I think, not in camera. The subject looks a little cool to me, so I might have warmed that up. But, oh my gosh, what a great shot! It makes me want to get some binoculars out for my daughter to play with so I can try to get something like this of her!

What a great candid moment to catch- these types of photos are my favorite! My only recommendation is just adjusting your shutter speed a little to brighten the shot up. It looks like you’re off to a great start in the world of manual mode!

Hooray! Congrats on going for manual! Once you get the hang of it, I’m sure you won’t go back. Great job for a first try! I think one of the previous commenters already mentioned how to check how your camera is metering. When your subject is backlit like this, when your camera meters in “matrix” mode (or at least that’s what it’s called on my Nikon) it samples light from all over the image and the light from behind tricks the camera so that’s why your subject is underexposed. If you set your metering to “spot” and make sure that spot is your subject’s face, that will make sure the camera is getting the right exposure for his face and not the bright light behind him. Also making sure your focus is single point focus helps too. I LOVE backlight photos though, so experiment some more and keep at it! I love the shot – one of those perfect life’s moments captured! Good use of the rule of thirds as well. Depending on what you want from the shot, if you had rotated yourself a bit to the right so he was at an angle looking off with the binoculars that might have been fun too but I know there’s no way I’d get my kids to do that. They’d want to be facing me/the camera like this little guy. :) Fantastic bokeh for your first try too! Way to go taking the manual plunge!

Ya that’s the only thing I would change, maybe you could have turned him around and had him facing the sun so his face would have been lit up

Well done for going manual, it seems tricky at first but once you nail it, you never look back :). I love the composition and that you can see the curve of the lawn behind the boy. Lovely idea of pjs and binoculars :) I understand what the photographer wanted to achieve with the light going through the hair but the face is a little underexposed. A flash to fill in the shadows or the reflector would help, otherwise a nice picture, love the DOF too.

I love the backlighting, probably would crop a tad and/ or do a little edge burning in post. He is a bit underexposed also. Love the creativeness though!

I love the backlighting is your child’s hair!! Also, nice positioning with rule of thirds. To me, the background was a little busy, but I like the DOF. Also, if you used a flash to fill in the dark shadows or maybe a reflector. Other than that, very nice job!

I can’t Thank You All Enough!!! Courtney, for such an informative and encouraging site to learn about photography in such a kind way…..love the sandwich idea! To Everyone else that took the time out of their day to share, advise and encourage, you made my day! I feel like I just went to a party and met a bunch of new friends! And all of these new friends are in love with photography like me and are gracious enough to share their wisdom. I must confess my little friend used the binoculars on me to mimic me taking pictures…..I just got lucky and took the picture, the concept was all His!
I am excited to try: spot metering, single point focus, flash, a reflector, learning to read my histogram, RAW and the doors it opens to color, editing in Lightroom (I’ve only started downloading my pictures there) and learning the balance of ISO | Aperture | SS……and so the Manual | RAW | Adventure Begins……Thank You for such a great send off!

I love this photo! Great way to follow the rule of thirds! The boy is a little under exposed, that could be easily fixed in Lightroom or Photoshop, especially is you shoot in RAW. Spot metering would help too. The bokah is fabulous! Keep up the great work!

I love the halo of light in this kiddo’s hair. It helps separate him from the background and gives the picture a 3-D feel. I might have gone just one more stop down on the aperture, to blur the background just a smidgen more and really punctuate the distance between him and the background. I do like the composition – good use of thirds and the rest of the photo is simple so as not to distract. Nice work!

First of all I want to say that I admire your braveness, posting your first picture in manual! Great job! I look back at my first pics, and cringe. I love the composition, the background setting, and I especially love how his hair is lit up! My only thing would be to brighten him up a bit, which seems to be what everyone else has also noted. Great job shooting in full sun, too. It took me a long time before I was comfortable shooting in full sun. You are off to an amazing start!

I myself just started manual mode in March and I feel the composition and candid look of this child says alot about how well you are doing for your first attempt. I think brightening it up a bit is needed, but otherwise spot on. Great work!!

That bokeh is fabulous! A little exposure comp. should be a quick and easy fix for the low lighting situation. Apart from that, I really see nothing wrong with the photo. The child is very sharp, and the picture has a playful feel about it. The highlights are also nice, but it seems strange because he is a little underexposed and his hair is so bright!

Wow! First attempt at manual? That’s amazing. As others have said, a cute subject, sharp focus; all around a fun image! I would say your subject is a tad underexposed (perhaps you metered for his hair, not his skin?). To get it right in camera next time, perhaps lower your shutter speed or open your aperture. You are definitely on the right track!

First things first, I had to come back to this because this is your FIRST attempt at manual mode??? Holy WOW! Great job! The halo-ing of his hair is just fantastic! I am on the same page as the others who have said you’ve underexposed for him (or overexposed if you had wanted a silhouette). Check the back of your camera and find the setting that looks like a box or brackets with something in the middle (a dot, a circle etc). When you select that it will tell you how your light meter is looking to get a ‘correct’ exposure. My guess is you are on ‘evaluative’ metering, because the light in the entire frame is pretty balanced, but it meant an underexposed subject. Tricky thing to figure out – start with your manual! But don’t get discouraged, photography is quite a journey and you are light years ahead of others on the path! You have a great eye for light (back to that HAIR!!) and the composition with the rule of thirds and the addition of the binoculars is spot on! Keep clicking!!!

This is a really good first attempt at manual. Good bokeh and use of rule of thirds. I would have exposed for his face a little more, though this is hard with the light in his hair, which I happen to just love! Oh, and I really love the PJs!!

I love his backlit hair! You caught that light perfectly… I think the image in full is slightly under exposed… I absolutely LOVE that you caught him playing in action. Those are my favorite types of shots!

I agree with most. Brighten up the subject just a tad. :)

DOF is very nice. I would suggest to brighten up exposure a little bit on your subject. But cute idea overall.

I think this picture is SO FUN! I like how you captured the light in the hair and how you utilized the rules of thirds. The only thing it looks like this photo needs is a little lightening up. The overall feel of the photo is dark and shadowed. Other than that, I think this captures such a wonderful memory, your blurred background looks great and I love that you are working on capturing things in manual mode. I am also working on that mode and learning to capture it better as well. Keep trying things out! You already have the creativity and the talent to capture a feeling so just need practice on those settings! Good luck!

I like how you used the rule of thirds in the picture. The only thing that I would change is the light exposure. It seems to be under exposed. Maybe you could have a greater aperture to let more light in which could brighten up the picture. Overall, I think it’s a great shot for using manual mode for the first time!