Could you critique, please?

[GreenTea]

I'm bringing this photo because it's the most technically correct one I ever shot (I'm still learning the technical basics). I'd be very grateful for any comments on how to improve the photo from a technical point of view.

Exif: spot light metering, shutter priority, shutter speed 1/1200, aperture f5, ISO 400, EV -0.33, custom WB, focal length 243mm, no flash used.

Note: My half-compact Fuji Finepix S8000fd gives me a lot of problems blurring the background, I still haven't been able to achieve that, though I'd love to. I guess its sensor must be tiny. So I zoomed in to try and get a shallower DoF, which didn't succeed either.

Thank you all in advance!

[kevinbythebeach]

well its very grainy.. perhaps u could have gotten a quick shutter speed with a lower ISO?
other than that I am not sure what the picture is about? is it about the jogger or the landscape behind her? personally..in my opinion the composition of the picture is bad...I am not sure what i am supossed to be looking at...the jogger seems alittle out of focus but its hard to tell how much because she is so grainy....just my opinion... and her feet are missing...

[GreenTea]

Thanks!

My camera produces very noisy photos at ISO 400 already. And if I slow the shutter speed, the photo is blurred due to the jogger's movement...

The intention was to blur the background, but I can't seem to be able to blur it, not even by zooming in. Should I have shot the photo in manual mode and thus be able to open the aperture more, maybe that way I could've lowered the ISO?

The photo is not composed, I was just concentrating on the technical aspects in this case, and using a park bench back as a tripod, so the focus is lower than should've been (it's on the right arm rather than the face).

[kevinbythebeach]

well take a look at this thread....

rallye stage

another person was tryign too blur the background while keeping the subject sharp...you might find some good advice in this that thread...

[Geoff F]

I would say it isn't really an ISO issue as the background is perfect.

Even on spot metering (which can vary a lot between cameras) the background can still have a substantial impact on the resulting photo. The same applies to focusing, and your background looks sharp. Were you focusing on the centre spot? Just aiming the camera and trying to focus/meter as the subject runs past will give this sort of problem.

For images like this I would suggest panning the camera, with the shutter button half depressed, to keep the subject on the centre spot for a second in order to give it chance to decide exactly what it is supposed to be metering and focusing upon. Then click the button while still following the subject.

I think this technique would greatly improve your results and give a better metered clearer and cleaner subject. But whenever the main subject is darker than the background a little bit of positive exposure compensation is always good, unless you are certain that the camera has only metered from the subject.

While I usually prefer Av setting, sometimes the shutter speed is more important, as in this case, so I would have used Tv here. Except if I had taken previous meterings and was working in full manual.

I don't know what your aperture range is but I suspect that you could have opened it up a bit more.

[GreenTea]

Thank you very much, Geoff. I never tried spanning, mainly because I'm a badly coordinated person (motor skills and visio-spatial abilities) but I'll certainly start practising it. I think it's worth it.

[Shutterman]

My sister has this same camera, and she was having a big problem with grain at ISO 400. She took it down to ISO 200 for everyday shooting, and hasn't had much of a problem since. She kept it on manual, but the shutter speed was calculated based on the metering automatically. I'm not sure why. Good luck and I hope you get everything working!
-Trey

[GreenTea]

Yes, it's not the best camera, apart from the wonderful wide angle and the bright, lovely colors typical of Fuji.

[Shutterman]

Well, it's still a camera and with some practice i'm sure you could get some really good pics. Does the camera have a B&W feature on it? I think my sister's does, but i'm not sure if I can remember correctly. B&W is always fun to shoot, and i'm sure you could get a lot of really cool shots of people in action. Just a thought for some fun.

[GreenTea]

Yes, it has a B&W shooting setting. I'm still a beginner, so a camera with external flash and a big sensor to achieve very shallow DOF is a treat I'll give myself as a prize when I finish the advanced level. That'll be when all the technical aspects are second nature to me and I'm well into candid photography and mood photography, which are my goals.

[Shutterman]

Well it sounds like you have quite a plan!! I played with my Canon Powershot for about 5 years, and then got an SLR as a hand-me-down and started learning with that. I'm just not upgrading to digital, but i'm really excited and i'm having a lot of fun. Good luck with all your goals and enjoy the prize when you give it to yourself And practicing with b&w is a fun challege for yourself, I learned a lot with it!

[Wirefox]

Well the candid bit has scuppered my idea....fill flash (if your camera is able). Dave H would be able to offer some good advice here. My old Fuji S7000 was grainy in low light conditions but this is confusing since as someone else pointed out the background looks OK. I think Geoff is near the mark. As well as the feet, the tree throws out the balance of rhe composition.

Steve

PS I have no experience of this but I suspect you will need to have some answers prepared for when your collar is felt for photographing lone female joggers

[GreenTea]

no worries, I'm a lone female jogger myself, and a grey, middle-aged one at that. :-)

[Dave Humphries]

Hi Greentea, (we must extract a name one day )

In my experience, the only answer to the small sensor noise is Neat Image. I have Home+ (8 bit only and the PS Elements plug in (which is how I use it).
That said, others will have their own favourite programs or plug-ins.

One tip for using such products, always run them before you crop a picture, or you may crop off the only suitable area for it to sample from.


I generally considered 400ISO (like this) the max. advisable with such a camera.
I tended to shoot at either 400 or 100 and often I would Neat Image the 100ISO shots too!

Now I have the Nikon (much bigger sensor), it's probably a couple of stops better, maybe 3, but Neat Image is still useful.

Panning would definitely be the answer to the original question, as would anticipating a little on shutter timing, so as not to have got the runner so far through the frame and overlapping the tree.
On that anticipation aspect, bear in mind these cameras have an electronic viewfinder, so even peering in the hole at the back is really just like watching the rear screen and subject to the sensor + display delays added together, so for certain situations, you may want to hang a little wider, frame up roughly and look over the top of the camera to time the shutter release.

Hope that helps,

[GreenTea]

Shutterman,

OH NO, you've started me now on a new obsession - B&W Photography! I've been reading on the web now and can't wait to start trying. Looks like it suits my goals perfectly, as I'm focused on textures and patterns and face gestures. However, I mostly shoot in Jerusalem, where the backdrop is ancient Jerusalem stone (very meaningful color) and the people's clothes colors represent their diverse beliefs (black gowns, white gowns, black and white or red and white head gear, etc. etc. etc.) so my B&W photography will have to develop in a different genre, probably in the mood photography...

Hi Dave,

You may call me Greentea :-)

I agree with your comments. I learned about the existence of shutter lag and panning from this thread.

I'm surprised that with an SLR camera you have only ISO 800 or so before getting a noise problem?

[Shutterman]

Greentea,

Haha, it really is a lot of fun! And photography in Jerusalem.. wow. I wish I could do that, and i'm interested in seeing some of your pictures when you get them! Let me know how that B&W goes for you, and i'm glad it'll suit your needs

Respectfully,

Trey

[Dave Humphries]

You may call me Greentea :-)

Or Peppermint????

I'm not a tea expert so I shall have to resort to reading the blend names off the packets in the supermarket now!

[GreenTea]

You're not a tea expert? But you're British! :-)

Anyone, my favorite tea is Lapsang Souchong.

[Dave Humphries]

You're not a tea expert? But you're British! :-)

I know, I know - I drink mainly coffee, but since it's usually instant, or out of bean-to-cup machine, I doubt I even qualify as an honorary American

Your favourite tea sounds more like a politician's name to me.

[GreenTea]

Dave, you're cracking me up here! LOLOLOL I'm trying to practise my DOF!

You may be right. Lapsang Souchoung is smoked red tea from China, discovered by chance due to highly political circumstances indeed.