1st time out

[CichlidCher]

These are the first pics I've posted to APF. I am a true amateur, but want to learn. I got a Nikon CoolPix 7600 for Christmas. This is the first pic I shot [without reading manual] - of my 1 year-old granddaughter Samantha. She's a beautiful subject and I'd definitely like to improve technique regarding photographing people. In the first one all I did was crop the image. In the second I used my trial version of PhotoShop [1st time using] and played with the photo a little. I'd like to figure out how to get rid on the cat-carrier that is in the background.
1. http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c165/imcaf/Family/Samantha-original-cropped.jpg
2. http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c165/imcaf/Family/Samantha-photoshop.jpg
Hopefully I've done all this right. Have at it!

[hir0]

not too shabby. i like the subdued coloring in the surroundings. the image looks a little oversharpened for my taste, but you've done a pretty good job at drawing focus to Samantha - but the blur tool is a little overboard.

[CichlidCher]

Thanks hir0..I didn't realize the sharpness of the 2nd pic until it was posted. I agree with you on the blur. Guess I was just tring to get that pet carrier out-of-focus. On the background color muting of 2nd pic, what do you think of leaving a little color of the poinsettia & package?

[CichlidCher]

Worked on again - less blur [do I need to use any?], clone tool to get rid of pet carrier [need practice with that], kept the softness of the subject. Comments?

http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c165/imcaf/Family/Samantha-photoshop2.jpg

[hir0]

looks better. IMO the blur around the edges just doesn't look natural. Nice job removing the kennel tho :)
hope you don't mind - i took a quick stab at your photo. I didn't bother with the kennel though. since i'm pressed for time.

http://home.hawaii.rr.com/michihiro/Samantha-redone.jpg

[alanhill]

Nice work CC. It's an attractive shot to start with and you have improved it.
I wish my first attempts with Photoshop had been as good. Digital photography gives you a lot of freedom to try things out and experiment. Of course you will have some successes and some failures (even very experienced photographers get both :-)). The more photos you take and process, the faster you will learn.
If I could suggest the first lesson - check the foreground and background as soon as you turn the camera on. It's much easier to move the pet-carrier before you shoot than to clone it out afterwards.
Keep shooting ;)

Alan

[Ibn]

Pretty busy picture in general. From just my personal taste, I'd probably either leave it in color or just do selective color on your daughter.

[paradise]

CC , I agree with Alan. If you want to improve, one of the first steps is to approach it as a photographer would, isntead of doing it as a casual shooter. Look around, find an angle or a zoom that highlights the subject but removes the extra stuff, or remove the stuff. The less work you do the better.

The girl is adorable (I have two myself, 3 and 7), the scraps of paper and the other stuff that does not belong in the "holiday" motiff is a bit distracting. Try to imagine the shot before doing it , it's not that difficult if you train yourself. And, practice, practice, practice. Delete anything you are not happy with completely, and keep going. Be self-critical.

[CichlidCher]

Thank you all for your comments. And for the record, it's my granddaughter! In general, have found it very difficult to get the little ones to stay still long enough to compose a shot [same with most of my fish!], but I plan to keep trying. Sometimes I feel like I'm getting too old to learn all the technical stuff, but...what the heck. I enjoy photography, love working at the computer, and am artistic in many other ways - so I'm hoping this gets better too. Thanks again!