This was taken of my daughter while playing outside with her ball. Now I have been reading a bunch of things about how you shouldn't center the object and how where your placement of the object should be. So now my question is, does this picture apply to that too? Meaning, was it good to take a straight on shot or should it been more to the side or what would you all have done different... Oh and be gentle, remember right now I am not using a great camera. Thanks Leigh

I think positioning your daughter in the middle was just the right choice in this case. Converging lines of the pathway lead the viewer right to the main subject, making her the center of attention. That is not to say that you shouldn't experiment with different angles. In the end the right composition is the one YOU think looks good. Nice job catching that ball in mid-air too. My suggestion would be to crouch next time to get down to your subject's level which usually makes for a more personal picture. Also use your flash in harsh sunlight to get rid of those shadows on the face, and make it more evenly illuminated. Finally, I would crop out the somewhat distracting background at the top of the picture. Hope it's not too much critique, because overall this image is very lovely :-)

One more thing: when you post your images you may want to convert them to JPEG format, instead of posting BMP, it will dramatically reduce file size, thus speeding up page download.

Hi Leigh... a1000 has basically said all that I would have said. The only other advice I can add is: Try to get in closer. It is always possible to crop the image afterwards but, especially with digital you loose a lot of quality. Getting in close and down at the same level is usually always a good thing with 'Child' photography. The same thing can also apply to pets. But... Rules can also be broken. Very nice by the way. Colm...

a1000, Thanks for the advice, I will definately try to do some more experimenting with the camera, you have realize that right now I am limited on the picture taking thing because my camera is not a great camera, it does not have a flash for it and the pictures have been looking real grainy. About the posting them as jpg, I always save my pictures as jpg, if you look in the properties of that picture up there it is a jpg. So not understanding what you are saying about that... Colm, Thanks for the advice, I am still trying to get the hang of everything I have read. And learning a lot...Glad I found this forum. Leigh

I think it was Edward Weston that said: "If it doesn't look good, you didn't get close enough." When taking portraits, get close. Use a mild telephoto, and fill the frame. If there's any extroneous material, it should tell a story.