I'm pretty happy with this shot.

I had the wrong lens, the shutter speed was set for the baseball game behind him and didn't need to be this high, he was just about at my minimum focus distance, and his face was in the shadow of his cap, but I'm not really unhappy with the outcome.

Any critique or advice is appreciated, as always. Still (and always) learning.

[DW58]

A nice shot. Great eye contact. Skin tone looks good. Nice detail and color. Only thing I might change is to shoot it vertically and show the entire ball cap. My two cents.

[Heinrich Lohmann]

That IS a nice shot, you have reason to be happy with it.

[troika]

Thank you both. He was maybe 20ft in front of me and I had a 100-300mm lens on crop sensor with the shutter speed set for action, so it was just a lark. If I had set this shot up, I would have used a different lens, different settings and probably made my son crazy, which means it would have almost definitely not turned out as well.

[DW58]

Thank you both. He was maybe 20ft in front of me and I had a 100-300mm lens on crop sensor with the shutter speed set for action, so it was just a lark. If I had set this shot up, I would have used a different lens, different settings and probably made my son crazy, which means it would have almost definitely not turned out as well.

I've probably taken more than my fair share of spur of the moment shots without the lens, lighting, exposure settings etc that might have made it just a little better. You posted a very nice image of your son. If you had not included "Any critique or advice is appreciated, as always. Still (and always) learning." I wouldn't have added anything other than that.

[troika]

I actually do value the critique. It would de-value the image for me, but I am sincerely interested in understanding how to be a better photographer. So, always appreciated!

Looking at my gear and settings...I did everything wrong!

[DW58]

Looking at my gear and settings...I did everything wrong!

No you didn't.

[aslyfox]

I am no expert, just a learner, but I will agree with the others

there will be times, if you are like me, an opportunity will present itself where you are " wrong footed ": wrong lens, wrong shutter speed, wrong ISO etc, etc, etc, and so forth and so on

in those cases you have the option of trying or not

if you don't try, you won't get the photo

if you try you might

I think you got the photo

I would say good job

if I didn't know better because you told us, I could see him as a pitcher looking in, slightly over a shoulder, at the catcher for a sign prior to a pitch

[DW58]

if I didn't know better because you told us, I could see him as a pitcher looking in, slightly over a shoulder, at the catcher for a sign prior to a pitch

Good catch. He does look like a pitcher.

[troika]

...

if I didn't know better because you told us, I could see him as a pitcher looking in, slightly over a shoulder, at the catcher for a sign prior to a pitch

I hadn't thought of that, but I can definitely see it now. I think it's the dad-bias of knowing what that look actually means "Pop, enough with the camera. I just want to watch the game!"

[henrikpedersen33]

I'm pretty happy with this shot.

I had the wrong lens, the shutter speed was set for the baseball game behind him and didn't need to be this high, he was just about at my minimum focus distance, and his face was in the shadow of his cap, but I'm not really unhappy with the outcome.

Any critique or advice is appreciated, as always. Still (and always) learning.

.. and yet you managed to get a wonderful shot of your son. Congrats ...

[ChristianRock]

That came out pretty good, I wish this lens wasn't so rare.

[troika]

I paid $120 for this lens 3 or 4 years ago and it thrills and delights me still.

[Kerrowdown]

Son in the Sun

Nothing wrong with at all.... the golden rule is "the image is everything".

This means take the image as it's presented, no matter what the circumstances and settings are... everything else can sorted later or at least tweaked a bit.

Remember the famous phrase and photojournalist’s maxim, attributed to the photographer Arthur Fellig, a press photographer known as ‘Weegee‘... “f8 and be there”.