Home for the Holidays

jeffreaux2

Whew...what a week!!! Don't get me wrong, I love holidays, but it just seems that the older I get, the more of a blur it all becomes. I can't be the only one.

My oldest daughter came home from college earlier this week. She gave me the gift of calling ahead of time and asking if we could go get a few fresh photos of her. Thats what SHE wanted. What I wanted was to try something different than I normally do with flash. She loves the pics, and I learned that for the look I want I really need to get my second flash back from the person I loaned it to, and possibly need to be shooting through an umbrella. The edits here are rough, but just thought I'd share a few of her since many of you have watched me hone my skills with her as my subject over the last year or two.

Ah well....experimentation makes us all the wiser...eh?:D

1



2-


3


4


5


6

divamum

Absolutely love 5 & 6, both of which demonstrate what I've come to think of as your "trademark" style. Beautiful!

Btw, howwould the additional flash and umbrella be used in this context... and what effect were you aiming for that needed them? (As ever, just trying to learn .... )

crockett

Your daughter should be model. Excellent series.

#2 Is fabulous. Just a beautiful shot.

My nits:

#2 I would like to see her left hand laying flat on the ledge so we can see the finger nails. The polished nails are a nice accent and a matching set might give it more oomph.

#3 and #4. To avoid the locked elbow, I've been taught to have the model rotate their finger tips towards the camera lens as far as it feels comfortable to them and this will put a slight bend in their elbow. #3 especially looks a bit awkward. Don't even know if this holds salt but that's what I try to do.

The day the young girls stop wearing those boots portrait photographers will jump for joy . They're quite the thing now.

I assume you want softer shadows on the neck in #4,5 and 6, based on your umbrella comment? Because they are full length poses it isn't that noticable and I don't think it's that big of deal however an umbrella will definately soften them up more if you were just using a bare flash.

Shima

crockett wrote:

Your daughter should be model. Excellent series.

I love your lighting, no matter what you do to it, it always looks "right" and like it was meant to be there. The camera loves your daughter.

Mike J

Take any thing and everything I say with a grain of salt as I'm still finding my way.

The one thing that really stands out to me about the series is that first 5 poses basically have her shoulders and head oriented the same way. Do you or your daughter favor this positioning? I think #6 really stands out for me because it is different.

sweet caroline

These are all great, but the last one is my favorite. She looks the most relaxed and natural in this one. I also like the light and the colors in this one.

Caroline

joshhuntnm

very nice. Well done.

zoomer

She gets prettier every time you post her.
I really like 3 5 and 6.
Really nice shots!!

Elaine

Beautiful as always...your daughter and your shots! I love the comp and her expression in #6. Love the background in #1. Love the light and colors in all.

jeffreaux2

divamum wrote:

Absolutely love 5 & 6, both of which demonstrate what I've come to think of as your "trademark" style. Beautiful!

Btw, howwould the additional flash and umbrella be used in this context... and what effect were you aiming for that needed them? (As ever, just trying to learn .... )

In 4, 5, and 6 I have strayed from my typical lighting style in a big way. Normally, I use the existing light for "key" or primary light....only using the flash for fill. In those three shots...and to a lesser degree in #3....I am using the flash as the key light for my subject....and in 4,5, and 6...intentionally lowering the exposure on the background.

If I had used an additional flash mounted in my hotshoe and fired it at a lower power setting than the one located at camera left it would have helped to lift the shadows on her neck in 4, 5 and 6, and on the wall in 5 and 6. I persononally don't like super hard shadows.

A large shoot through umbrella may have softened the edges of thos shadows so that they werent so bothersome....and possible negated the need for a second flash.

Mitchell

Jeff, these are wonderful photos of your stunning daughter.

The last one is my favorite. My only gripe about the others is that her expression and head position are almost identical in each of the shots. This wouldn't bother anyone if you showed them individual photos, but when you post them as a series, the pose begins to look repetitive.

jeffreaux2

crockett wrote:

Your daughter should be model. Excellent series.

#2 Is fabulous. Just a beautiful shot.

She was nearly competed in a Miss Teen USA pageant last year, but found herself frustrated with the drama of it all. She found it to be "too much" while trying to narrow her choices for college. She is currently enrolled and seeking a Biology degree. She hopes to become a surgeon. She will someday look absolutely fabulous in scrubs and mask!

#2(and #1) utilized only natural light.

My nits:

#2 I would like to see her left hand laying flat on the ledge so we can see the finger nails. The polished nails are a nice accent and a matching set might give it more oomph.

#3 and #4. To avoid the locked elbow, I've been taught to have the model rotate their finger tips towards the camera lens as far as it feels comfortable to them and this will put a slight bend in their elbow. #3 especially looks a bit awkward. Don't even know if this holds salt but that's what I try to do.

While experimenting with the light, I wasn't being my usual anal self about the posing...but was dissapointed(after the fact) in the look of the elbows but mostly in the double jointed look of #6. FWIW, in response to your fix there is also a school of thought that turning hands toward a camera that way...and showing the broad side of a womans hands is a no-no. In either event, a better rule of thumb is.....if it bends....bend it.

The day the young girls stop wearing those boots portrait photographers will jump for joy . They're quite the thing now.

They dont really bother me....as long as I don't have to wear them!:D

I assume you want softer shadows on the neck in #4,5 and 6, based on your umbrella comment? Because they are full length poses it isn't that noticable and I don't think it's that big of deal however an umbrella will definately soften them up more if you were just using a bare flash.

But for a gel the flash was bare. I am after softer ....more subtle shadows. An umbrella is in the works.

jeffreaux2

Shima wrote:

I love your lighting, no matter what you do to it, it always looks "right" and like it was meant to be there. The camera loves your daughter.

Thanks Shima.

jeffreaux2

Mike J wrote:

Take any thing and everything I say with a grain of salt as I'm still finding my way.

The one thing that really stands out to me about the series is that first 5 poses basically have her shoulders and head oriented the same way. Do you or your daughter favor this positioning? I think #6 really stands out for me because it is different.

Hey....welcome to Dgrin and thanks for commenting!

jeffreaux2

sweet caroline wrote:

These are all great, but the last one is my favorite. She looks the most relaxed and natural in this one. I also like the light and the colors in this one.

Caroline

Thanks. I appreciate that.

jeffreaux2

Elaine wrote:

Beautiful as always...your daughter and your shots! I love the comp and her expression in #6. Love the background in #1. Love the light and colors in all.

Thanks Elaine....

Hint.....STE2!

jeffreaux2

Mitchell wrote:

Jeff, these are wonderful photos of your stunning daughter.

The last one is my favorite. My only gripe about the others is that her expression and head position are almost identical in each of the shots. This wouldn't bother anyone if you showed them individual photos, but when you post them as a series, the pose begins to look repetitive.

Thanks Mitchell.

I admit, I didnt monkey much with the angles or posing while playing with lighting angles and exposure values. Thats just me trying to keep things realativly simple for the purpose of my experimentation.

Agnieszka

Awwww, she is back!!! She's stunning as always, I especially love the last one ... should be in a magazine!

neastguy

perfect!!