Photoclubalpha

50mm, f/16, 1/80 sec., ISO 800
F56AM bounced

[large view 737x1093]

Nice shot.
I'm sure this beautiful lady is your wife (shhhh, don't tell her that)
I like the composition, but frankly, is it a posed shot?

Yes, that's my little lady! It wasn't a posed shot, more like a "pestered" shot. She's a cutie and the camera loves her nearly as much as I do. Here's another with identical settings. Even at f/16 I'm afraid I missed the focus. The pages of the book are razor sharp but I would have liked to get that detail in her face.



[large view 1093x737]

thats a nice shot Kevin even with the focus problem I don't think that effects it really. that would make a nice print.

Kevin, I agree with Javelin: You have caught her in a nice reading gesture. (If you decide to print it, I think that a reduction of the black left side could perhaps benefit the already good composition.)
Alfonso

I agree with Alfonso.

actully the more I look at this picture the more I like it. it's these types of candid shots that make the best portraits.

Nice shots Kevin

Cheers, Stephen

Thank you for all the feedback, guys! Of course I passed along the compliments, and my wife thanks you all as well. The second image crops pretty well from the left to make an 8x10, and I know just where I'll put it!

After trying 8x10, 5x7 and finally 4x3, I cropped it to 4x3 and uploaded it to my dA account. Full resolution for this image here. For the first image (no book) at full resolution, click here.

Is the Fredrik Pohl novel a set prop or is she actually reading it? that one get's so so reviews, "Beyond the Blue Event Horizon" but hey what would they know. The photo looks fine too me, but if you wanted too try and get the subject and the book equally sharp there is really only one solution, you might have too obtain permission first though, because it involves a CZ135, then you can shoot the same shot or a very similar one, but from much further away, and the book to subject distance becomes a much smaller percentage of the overall subject to camera distance which should then give a fighting chance of both being equally in focus, the only remaining problem (apart from the minor permission detail), is just where to focus as there is a certain amount of DOF in the near side of the focus point as well as behind, maybe the top inside of the book or her right wrist...hard to say..you can experiment...after you nip out and..cough cough errm ah
Greg

She was actually reading it. We both went through that series: Gateway, Beyond the Blue Event Horizon, Heechee Rendezvous, and The Annals of the Heechee. Gateway was extraordinary, I'd recommend it to anyone. 'Event Horizon was very much a "middle book" in the series, but the other books forgot to get better again afterward. They fell into the same trap that many sci-fi series' fall into, in which the main character from the first book becomes the crotchety hero of everything and is always right and awesome. But definitely read Gateway!

As for the advanced lens and focus solutions...I'd LOVE to play with a CZ135, but I have never even seen one! The CZ85 is much more attainable, and more practical as a portrait lens on the a700. I have a hard enough time using the 50/1.7 in my little apartment (I think I was standing on a chair to get these shots).