Samara~Model session (cc please)

JulieLawsonPhotography

This is only two of many. I really think it went pretty well. Of course, you all can be the judge of that. I would like some CC but be gentle about it. lol This is going to turn into a year long thing so I am going to be able to learn from this session and carry over what I could do differently into the next one.

Bounced flash


I had an image in my mind and this is pretty close to it. I wanted dramatic lighting and shadow. ? does it work?

same photo, just black and white

mud390

I'm no pro, in fact I'm far from it, so take this with a grain of salt. I like the first picture. The lighting and pose are good, but her expression says, "I'm not like this at all." I can see what you were going for on the second/third picture, and I think it turned out better in black and white. Overall, I like these very well.

Kris

clemensphoto's

with Mud 390. Love #2 and #3

nikitynick

on the #2/#3 shots, i almost with the shadow was more defined, or not there at all. i like the direction your going with it, im a huge fan of "shadowed" portraits, but because the shadow is across her face but very faint, it almost looks like a mistake, personally I would like to see the photo commit to a shadow or not have one. regardless though the shots look great, the photo on the first one is great as far as the overall composition, but the model seems a bit uncomfortable.

JulieLawsonPhotography

In #1, she really liked that idea, I do agree though that she looks a bit uncomfortable.

#2, This was the best of the few I took like this. The others were more dramatic in the shadowing however the placement of the shadow caused her nose to look huge and it was unflattering. I really appreciate the feeback.

pathfinder

Interesting work here, Julie.

I see you growing and experimenting with new methods. COOL!

Joe McNally writes about using straight flash for sharply defined shadows on faces.

The flash needs to be as far away from the subject as possible so that the light source is very small, and the flash is zoomed out as far as it will go to increase the available light and or shadow as much as possible. The gobo ( shadow producer ) can be much closer than the flash itself.

How far was you flash from your subject? I agree that your shadow is not quite deep enough to create the needed drama. You can dial down your ambient light some to increase the contrast from your gobo'd flash also

I agree that the B&W treatment worked better than the color.

jeffreaux2

Seems as if everyone wants to comment on the second shot....and while I appreciate what you were aiming for there....I also like the first one.

Improvements?

-Letting her shoulders shrug a bit and her back bend would have helped make her more relaxed.

- Turning the palm of her hand more upward and curling her fingers a bit would have been preferable to the flat back of her hand.

-Crossing her feet opposite this would have eliminated the sight of the bottom of her shoe.

- It may be a tad warm....even for my tastes.

It's still a great shot, and I bet she loves it!

JulieLawsonPhotography

pathfinder wrote:

Interesting work here, Julie.

I see you growing and experimenting with new methods. COOL!

Joe McNally writes about using straight flash for sharply defined shadows on faces.

The flash needs to be as far away from the subject as possible so that the light source is very small, and the flash is zoomed out as far as it will go to increase the available light and or shadow as much as possible. The gobo ( shadow producer ) can be much closer than the flash itself.

How far was you flash from your subject? I agree that your shadow is not quite deep enough to create the needed drama. You can dial down your ambient light some to increase the contrast from your gobo'd flash also

I agree that the B&W treatment worked better than the color.

Thanks Pathfinder...I'm trying to grow more and more. I don't think I used flash on this one. I think it was straight window light. In what you are explaining, this is one area where I would need to get hands on training. The more people explain about flash/lights etc.....the more i get a little confused.

Maybe we can get a group together to talk about flashes and such?

I really appreciate the feedback.

JulieLawsonPhotography

jeffreaux2 wrote:

Seems as if everyone wants to comment on the second shot....and while I appreciate what you were aiming for there....I also like the first one.

Improvements?

-Letting her shoulders shrug a bit and her back bend would have helped make her more relaxed.

- Turning the palm of her hand more upward and curling her fingers a bit would have been preferable to the flat back of her hand.

-Crossing her feet opposite this would have eliminated the sight of the bottom of her shoe.

- It may be a tad warm....even for my tastes.

It's still a great shot, and I bet she loves it!

Thank you for the feedback. It's the little details that I sometimes miss, like the hands, feet. When pointed out, it's the lightbulb that goes off and makes me go......"oh! that would make a big difference."

The warmness came from the bounced flash I would imagine? Thanks again Jeff.