Playing @ Portraits

[Alan KE]

<h3 data-ft="{"type":"msg"}" class="UIIntentionalStory_Message"]<span class="UIStory_Message"]<span style="font-weight: normal;"]Playing at Portraits, please give me any feedback, hints,Tips &amp; Tricks you may have so i can improve. i am trying to do as much as i can without a flash.</h3>


cheers


Al


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[Sean Setters]

Try including some more info like the type of lens used, the aperture, ISO, focal length, &amp; shutterspeed used for each shot. It might help us in advising you on your next attempt.


As for what I can see here, I personally like portrait #2 the best. However, the subject is not ideally positioned in any of the frames, in my opinion. Research the rule-of-thirds; that will help. The last picture would have been better if her face had been turned toward the light source, not away from it.

[EdN]

A fill-in flash would have helped in the photos, especially the last one, to bring out the skin tones in the nice natural lighting.

[Alan KE]

thanks Sean, EdN,


The Lens is a 24-105L. i was playing with the camera set to AV and kept the Aperture at f/4 and the ISO was 100. When setting the focal length i pre zoomed to lens to either 50mm or 105mm and positioned myself rather than zooming in and out.


I ended up with quite a few shots where there was too much shadow across the face, but the last one in this series makes me smile so i kept it.


EdN, i dont have a flash at the moment but thank you for taking the time to reply.


Sean, Thank you and i will do some more research and practice some more and return to the forums soon.


cheers


Alan

[jimr]

I usually like to have something personnel to the subject in the pictures. That tends to make the connect form the subject more meaningful. Right now the photo is of the individual but it tells me nothing about the individual. IE: If she likes sports have them at a stadium back drop or with their gear or maybe they like the persona of a leather jack...


Personally I like the 4th one - it seems to have life in the photo.

[Chuck Lee]

1) As Sean said, study the rule of thirds. The images, except maybe the B&amp;W one are compositionally challenged.Go Here ("#mce_temp_url#)( http://www.kodak.com/eknec/PageQuerier.jhtml?pq-path=39&amp;pq-locale=en_US&amp;_requestid=4953 ("http://www.kodak.com/eknec/PageQuerier.jhtml?pq-path=39&amp;pq-locale=en_US&amp;_requestid=4953)) I had a script error added hyperlink.


2) If you put your subject in the shade be careful of brightly lit background objects. The grass is way over the top in a lot of these. Other objects will get blown out. Most of the time it is a good idea to wait until later in the day when the sun is not so "hot" on surrounding objects. If you can't avoid shooting at "high noon" find an area of shade that encompasses the background as well. You want your subject to be isolated. In low key, the background is dark while the subject is illuminated. In high key the background is very bright to white so that the only thing you do see is the subject. Don't trust your eyes. Use the built in light meter of your camera to test how much variation there is in a scene. In Av mode you would see your subjects face at 1/250th but the grass just off to the right may meter at 1/2000th. That's a 4 stop difference andquite a variation in light intensity.


3) If you want to use natural light onlythen invest in a(some) good reflector(s). California Sun-Bounce comes to mind. There are a myriad of other reflectors to choose from. Let the sun backlight the subject and use the reflector to illuminate the camera side. You can bounce sunlight from an angle and get very nice natural light outdoor portraits.


4) Try to place your subject in a position where the light is "flattering". When the face is in the shadows, especially the eyes, the viewer has a very hard time connecting with the subject.


5) Show only your best. I can take up to 20-30 of the same subject but you may only get to see one or two. It varies...not a hard and fast rule. We have digital cameras so many things can be tried when shooting a particular subject.


6) Keep shooting and thanks for sharing your work.

[Alan KE]

Jimr thx that is a very good point about the subject and background relationship i will see if i can incorporate this in the future. i like the forth one as well. we where walking back from the location and i got a good vibe about that spot.


Chuck, thank you for that detailed response. i want to go out and take some more shots now, but it will have to wait until tomorrow.


thank you all for the motivating feedback!


Alan

[Maleko]

like the 4th one best. Maybe it would be better without the bag shes holding??

[Alan KE]

she loves that bag! [:)]


but seriously, of course you are probably right. i wonder what emotion is created from the use of props. the bag suggests a dependency, a comfort blanket of sorts. no bag could have given some attitude to the image... i liked the contrast between background and model, i am just getting into thinking beyond the obvious point and shoot, and you guys certainly give me a lot of food for thought.


Thanks for the feedback Maleko.


Al

[Alan KE]

ok so, rule of thirds... i have done some reading and i have found two techniques it seems. the images on the left are incorrectly composed and the ones of the right i think i have cropped to be correctly composed based on the two different techniques.


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Now that i have been looking at the images in a little more detail i understand how the grass looks "way over the top" i am guessing that to counter this after the fact i need to do some dodge and burn work to balance things out.

[Chuck Lee]

Excellent Alan,


Your taking the necessary steps toward good composition. That's a great way of analyzing those shots.


Suggestion: Now try both of them using the same rules in portrait, rather than landscape.


As far as dodging and burning, take your time and experiment. Theselook tough to adjust IMHO. (I'm sure there are some PS gurus that could teach me a few things)


In the first shot, In Portrait, her mouth or sholder could possible follow the secondary line.


In the second shot, I'd try to get rid of the building in the background by cropping so that the 2/3 line is at her hose or mouth.

[Alan KE]

cheers for the feedback ChuckLee!

[Chuck Lee]

Your Welcome. BTW...that was "nose" not "hose".....LOL [:D]

[Alan KE]

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There you go chuck,


Thanks for the guidance. i am not sure about following this rule 100% of the time but i think on the whole it makes all the shots look much better.


Al

[wusstigphoto]

That last set of 4 are outstanding (now [:D] )


I really like the BW shot and think using the golden spiral on it wouldlook great... if you have time, give it a go and re-post.

[Fred Doane]

Al,

As they say rules are made to be broken. The rule of thirds works most of the time but don't be afraid to break the rules if the shot will look better cropped a different way. The great thing about photography is there is no 100% right or wrong.Everyones going to have a different opinion on a shot, just keep shooting.

Fred~

[Chuck Lee]

i am not sure about following this rule 100% of the time but i think on the whole it makes all the shots look much better


You're right. Every once in a while you'll want to break the rules. It's knowing when and how to give drama and effect to a photo.


What you've submitted here is very nice. I'm sure you're seeing the difference between these and the first ones you submitted.


I really like the lighting in #2, though she could be a bit more centered.


I realy like the composition of #3. The tension that's created between the tree and her leaning slightly away from it looks great. I would bring her just a tad higher in the crop with her left eye just above the line. I'd warm up the white balance on this one one just a tad. On my monitor it looks colder than the other three. In both #2 and #3 her eyes are a bit dark and this is where just a flicker of fill flash or relflected lightwould have iced the cake so to speak. Look at here eye's in #4. Even though her face is slightly darker than the surrounding elements there are no "brow shadows" and you can see into here eyes. She feels close and freindly whereas she feels more distant in #2 and 3.


IMHO, When shooting protraiture, the eyes are the most important part of the human face.


Good Job Alan, your getting there. Always remember you are your best critic.

[Alan KE]

thanks Chuck et al for the feedback and guidance it has been invaluable. i am going to keep practicing my composition and will post again when i have some new shots. I am a Brit living in Sweden right now and we are quickly heading into the colder weather with interesting lighting.


i think i am going to see what i can find on the web around creating emotions from photo composition as i find that very interesting and also look into color casts and adjustments.


new purchase wise i think i will save up for a flash.