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Old 26th May 2010, 18:09   #1
stuartpb
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I have a Fuji Finepix S5800 that I bought a few years ago, and only ever use it with settings on full auto. I know I can get better pics with manual settings, but I'm not sure what settings I should be using for outdoor sunny portraits. I know an SLR will give me much better images, but I'm not that into photography (enough to warrant the expense), I just want some good looking snaps of my kids. Here's a pic I took on full auto of my daughter, could anyone recommend settings that would have improved the image? Also, any advice on how to compose portrait shots would be appreciated too.
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Old 26th May 2010, 18:13   #2
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the exposure looks good. The composition could use some improvement, which really doesn't have much to do with the mode setting. One thing to consider in very bright situations like the beach is to turn the flash on. It may seem counter-intuitive but it helps fill in deep shadow areas.
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Old 26th May 2010, 18:15   #3
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Here's an example of using flash on the beach. This was the pop-up flash on my camera:

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Old 26th May 2010, 18:16   #4
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I see what you mean. Thanks, I will definitely try that
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Old 26th May 2010, 19:25   #5
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I bet it's hard to take pictures of your own kids, I find it awfully hard to take any portraits.

Anyway just some things that caught my eye on the first shot;
1. The crooked horizon makes me dizzy
2. The spade gets cut (also empty space on left)
3. What's that stick and red thing on the background?

But as I said, it's just the generic stuff I can comment on, I have no idea on how to get the emotion etc into a portrait.
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Old 26th May 2010, 20:17   #6
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Originally Posted by Jipa View Post
I bet it's hard to take pictures of your own kids, I find it awfully hard to take any portraits.
Nothing's easier than to take loads of pictures of your own kids. Even the best photographers take clunkers now and again. Keep the best ones and learn from the bad ones. The good thing about pictures of your kids is even the less successful ones are worth keeping.
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Old 27th May 2010, 02:25   #7
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Originally Posted by eddie_dane View Post
Nothing's easier than to take loads of pictures of your own kids. Even the best photographers take clunkers now and again. Keep the best ones and learn from the bad ones. The good thing about pictures of your kids is even the less successful ones are worth keeping.
This is very true - in particular the last bit. I've got an external drive for all my photos, and there is an entire section dedicated for my daughter. Although, while it's incredibly easy on some days, others it can be a lesson in patience. If there is a specific shot I'm looking for, nothing is more frustrating than a 2 year old who just wants to play, and who just doesn't understand why daddy is going on about some golden hour. That said, firing off random exposures while I'm waiting for that one shot can yield the odd gem.

Using a flash in extremely bright situations can be a good way to fill in the shadow areas, as Eddie said. But it does help to have a powerful enough flash that can sync with a decent shutter speed while the camera is set to full auto. There should be a setting for semi-auto, with the option to manually turn on the flash. I've used that setting in a pinch with my wife's point-and-shoot.
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