I ♥ Faces - Week 34 - Before & After

This week at I ♥ Faces we are looking at our progress as photographers and editors.So here goes (don't forget you can click on each of them to see them even bigger!);

These were taken the day after I got my new 'bridge' camera in March (2009) - a Canon S3 IS. There was an 
immediate leap in the quality of my photos thanks to the better camera, but still a LONG way to go! I was pretty chuffed with these at the time, but now I look at them so much more critically!

Overexposed and not too focused either (cute face) - too central also.

chopped his head off! Although the focus & the light are better and there's even a bit of bokeh :D

more chopping off heads and out of focus, but better composition otherwise :(

Look at this beautiful shot I missed!

best one of the day - I love the composition and the look on his face, but it is 'dull' and out of focus :(

A month later my shooting was indoors - what a challenge!

but my editing was improving - thanks to Picnik!

My understanding of what a picture needed was improving too and I shot on manual the whole day - first time! I love this one. The background is a bit busy, but it was a very busy place that day!

I love my edit it of this one too...

But I'm not there yet...


Slowly my pictures began to look more like this;

this,

and this... on a regular basis;

I began to get braver and shot more than one person;

By June my shots were becoming more pleasing - better clarity, better focus, more interesting all round :D

but I still was missing some I wish I didn't :( ...

with some editing I could probably do a decent job of fixing this now, but I wish it was better SOOC.


And then in July I got to take a baby-shoot and this was one of my best shots ...

edited it looks like this;

and the Mum & Dad have had it blown up to canvas and hung on their wall! How thrilled am I!!


More consistently now, these are the kinds of shots I am getting SOOC and I like what I see;

I know I still have a long way to go, but I feel the need for my proper DSLR more and more each day. Meanwhile I still have lots to learn and lots of improvements to make, but I am very pleased with my progress so far. I still miss too many shots. I still 'just can't get it' some days, but I understand a little more each day and it makes me very happy.


This has been an interesting post to do, but it's now 4.30am over here in the UK, and I have to pack us all up for holiday tomorrow, so forgive me if I don't trawl your posts. Maybe I will when I get back again - albeit a bit late.


If you want to see any more of my 'progress' then don't forget you can check out my 365inpictures blog - it's not quite 365, but still it does show my journey so far :D


Please DO leave your comments - good and bad - and any tips for me :D

And then go and have a look at how well everyone else is doing

 over at I ♥ Faces this week.

POST-SCRIPT: In the cold light of day I've decided to post a year-by year of REALLY old photos - pre bridge camera, just to show you what a difference it and iheartfaces has made - too press the point a little! ;)

Year 2000 (blurry, dark, out of focus...)

2001  (too central, messy background, amputee, out of focus...)

2002 (cute, but she has legs growing from her head - too central too)

2003 (too distant, out of focus, messy background :( )

2004 (amputees and out of focus ;( )

2005 (too central, over exposed, messy busy background!)

2006 (the random good one, but still too central)

2007 (messy messy background!)

2008 (if only I moved that wash basket!)

2009 (pre bridge - post iheartfaces!)

It's been a long road - so far!!