Boyfriend as model...

thegreenegg

This is my boyfriend, Ben. He's my favorite person to work with. He's not shy of the camera like some of my friends and he puts up with some of my indecision on where to shot and from what angle. Good practice. Here's two shots I liked from the last time he was over.
Comments welcome,
Ashley

thegreenegg

And one in color...

bfjr

The color one
from one Ben to another

digismile

I like the lighting and overall capture of the first photo. It has a warm, friendly feeling to it.
What I would do to have improved it would be:
- Ensure a sharp focus on the eyes, particularly the closest eye. You can see the sharpest focus is the hair on the left.
- crop a bit of the excess black on top and give it a tighter crop.
- I don't mind the slightly overblown cheek, but maybe it could be slightly better exposed.

That being said, I still think its a very nice photo Some of my favorite photos of my friends/family aren't technically perfect, but they are still great photos of that person. I would frame this one for sure.

The second photo has better focus. The main thing I don't like is the shadow on the nose. Your light source appears to be above and to the left. You could try reflecting a bit of light on the opposite side of your light source to soften the harsh shadow (but maybe this is what you were going for!).

You're lucky to have such a willing participant! When my better half sees a camera, she runs for cover:D . I guess that's why we have so many pictures of Buddy the Wonder Dog. He models for treats

Regards,
Brad

binghott

my girlfriend isn't too shy of the camera either, it's the best thing. i mean, it's nice to take pictures of a willing subject, but it's so much better when you have an emotional connection to it like that. that being said, i really like the sharp contrast in the first one even if it is a little blown out.

is it me or did you do a lot of skin retouching in the second pic? it looks very soft to me.

hopefully we'll see much more!

thegreenegg

Binghott,
Tis true I over retouched or something... once I find a new tool I go over board the first couple tries and then start to settle down. It's most the fact that I go way to close with my camera when I shouldn't. Thanks I'll work on that next time... and the picture of your gf was really nice, by the way- I don't think I commented. Must process pictures now... had a nice walk today and I think some turned out okay.
Ashley

Nee7x7

Hi Ashley,

Not a comment so much, but maybe a suggestion for you. If you get too close to your subject (as you mentioned you'll often do) the wider angle of the lens being that close up can distort a person's face and make it look a bit egg shaped with the nose out of proportion to the face. I'd suggest moving further away and zooming in a bit to get a truer perspective.

That said...good for you for having such a willing model! All my family members are reluctant and generally unwilling models. My 4 year old grandson makes faces now whenever I try to take pictures of him, so count yourself lucky!

Cheers,
~Nee