Critique for H.B.

O.k. I have another brave soul!

O.k.  Here we go.

This is a cute little boy.  The smile is nice and the angle is good. Not bad!

The big problem is that the photograph is blurred. I can't tell if it is camera shake or just out of focus. I think it's camera shake(it is hard to see it until you actually look at it close up, click on the photo for a larger version).What you need to do is have a faster shutter speed.  As a general rule, always shoot at 1/60th of a second or faster(with a regular lens).  This will help with camera shake.  I know that lenses have vibration reduction(image stabilization), and if your lens has that it is probably o.k. to shoot at 1/30th or 1/15th of a second, but be careful when shooting portraits for money. It's really hard to sell a photograph that is blurred.

Here is another something to think about.If you are shooting with a 300mm lens, your shutter  speed need to be faster than if you are shooting with a 40mm lens.  A general rule is to match your shutter speed with the mm of the lens  you are shooting.So, For a 100mm lens set your shutter speed at 1/125 of a second. If you are shooting with a 500mm lens you need to set your shutter speed at 1/500 of a second.  If you are shooting a 300 mm lens, set your shutter speed at 1/250 of a second or somewhere close to that. This will help eliminate camera shake.  

Anyway, thanks H.B. 

Please post comments for H.B. to let her know what you think about her photography.