Senior Portraits, advise me?

Tango

I do read this forum regularly, and really appreciate the effort many put forth in helping out! I've done my best to learn from it...
Anyway, I could use some of that fine advice directed to me personally.(again)
(and thank you in advance!)

Would you point out all the no-no's I have produced with these shots? I would really like to avoid them in the future.
Posing ok? Lighting? Composition? Post processing could have been done better?

1


2


3


4


5


6


7 (on this last one, does the light on her face ruin the shot?)

dogwood

Work on variety You captured nice images but your subject has the same smile and you're shooting her from just about the same angle on every shot posted here.

adbsgicom

Nice images. I like 4 & 6 the best.
It's amazing how much different her face looks between the two.

Tango

dogwood wrote:

Work on variety You captured nice images but your subject has the same smile and you're shooting her from just about the same angle on every shot posted here.

Thanks Pete,

Apparently I selected to only post the one side out of the entire gallery of choices... (it seems I didnt like any of the other angles, they didn't seem to work for me due to the hair style... but maybe thats just my eye...)


expressions are the tough part... how the heck do you all do it so well?
Is that one of those things that come naturally to you? Is there trainning (like a workshop) on how to get great expression out of people?

Lighting and colors are ok then?

Tango

adbsgicom wrote:

Nice images. I like 4 & 6 the best.
It's amazing how much different her face looks between the two.

Thanks Andrew, 4 is a fav for me too.

ian408

Vary the poses a bit and investigate some fill flash.

My two comments are that she's posed almost the same each time and the light on her face isn't always complimentary. I do like shots 4 and 6. Watch the backgrounds too--the garage/barn door is a bit distracting.

Good job Aaron!

jeffreaux2

Well you definately had a pretty young lady for a model!!!.....and it looks like a nice location!!!


1-I like the light (reflected?) onto her face...would like to see her elbow bent just a little more on her left arm. A nice shot though with plenty room arond her for cropping options.

2-The light on her face isn't as strong as in #1 and her elbow fell outside the frame. Id toss it.

3 The light in her face is nice in this one also, but the backlighting seems stronger than in number one....maybe too strong....but worth keeping. Try some darkening around the left and right ends of the frame to pop her off that barn wall. Some subtle vignetting.

4-This is nice. An improvement would be to raise her hands closer to the knee and bend that elbow a bit more. This would also let you crop a little closer under the butt to get rid of the sense that the camera amputated her feet. Keeper.

5-Very nice, maybe a bit too strong of an angle. Might have been better with her head turned a tad more into the camera. On my monitor its very bright. Cut a bit of the overall brightness and then add a vignette. Punch up that black point a bit. A keeper.

6-I like the angle, but her hands should be included. This is the type of pose where folks REALLY need to know what to do with their hands. Hooking thumbs into beltloops or pockets would be okay....but dont stuff the hand in the pocket. Loosen the framing up to mid-thigh for a nice 3/4 length shot. Unfortunately, the flash power is too much (see those harsh tell tale shadows behind her?). Use some negative FEC to back the power off. Try -2 FEC and adjust from there. Sometimes rotating the camera 180 degrees with shoe mounted flash can make the shadows move to be less obvious also. Or....shoot it horizontal and crop verticle later. You have plenty pixels to work with here.

7- Yes...the light....makes it a tosser. Flashh too strong as well.

Tango

ian408 wrote:

Vary the poses a bit and investigate some fill flash.

My two comments are that she's posed almost the same each time and the light on her face isn't always complimentary. I do like shots 4 and 6. Watch the backgrounds too--the garage/barn door is a bit distracting.

Good job Aaron!

Thanks Ian, willdo, it is a goal to get myself off ETTL.... and get a better reflector. Thanks for the comments!

Tango

jeffreaux2 wrote:

Well you definately had a pretty young lady for a model!!!.....and it looks like a nice location!!!


1-I like the light (reflected?) onto her face...would like to see her elbow bent just a little more on her left arm. A nice shot though with plenty room arond her for cropping options.

2-The light on her face isn't as strong as in #1 and her elbow fell outside the frame. Id toss it.

3 The light in her face is nice in this one also, but the backlighting seems stronger than in number one....maybe too strong....but worth keeping. Try some darkening around the left and right ends of the frame to pop her off that barn wall. Some subtle vignetting.

4-This is nice. An improvement would be to raise her hands closer to the knee and bend that elbow a bit more. This would also let you crop a little closer under the butt to get rid of the sense that the camera amputated her feet. Keeper.

5-Very nice, maybe a bit too strong of an angle. Might have been better with her head turned a tad more into the camera. On my monitor its very bright. Cut a bit of the overall brightness and then add a vignette. Punch up that black point a bit. A keeper.

6-I like the angle, but her hands should be included. This is the type of pose where folks REALLY need to know what to do with their hands. Hooking thumbs into beltloops or pockets would be okay....but dont stuff the hand in the pocket. Loosen the framing up to mid-thigh for a nice 3/4 length shot. Unfortunately, the flash power is too much (see those harsh tell tale shadows behind her?). Use some negative FEC to back the power off. Try -2 FEC and adjust from there. Sometimes rotating the camera 180 degrees with shoe mounted flash can make the shadows move to be less obvious also. Or....shoot it horizontal and crop verticle later. You have plenty pixels to work with here.

7- Yes...the light....makes it a tosser. Flashh too strong as well.

Blossoms make any location great huh? Too bad they only last a couple of days here....!

1. yes gold reflector and using ettl most of the time in most of this session...
(#6 no reflector). I will note more arm bending needed.

2. I was hoping I did this one right with the elbow... dang it! dang it! dang it!

3. Willco on the extra processing! now let me ask? is the cropping ok at the waist?

4. got it, thanks!

5. got it, thanks!

6. Will work on that! this is the second time you have caught me on that dang shadow.... I remembered you telling me to watch out for that while shooting this shot, but I could not remember how to avoid it! ugh! Just so I understand, the FEC is the same as the Exposure Bais setting right?

7. Ok, I have many with sun hitting directly like this one... crap! dang it!

but here is one out from that spot..., and with better flash (how is the hand in this composition? I'm totally clueless on this one and I'm not sure why I asked her to hold the branch, I guess I thought it would look good??)




Thanks a Million Jeff, when is your next workshop?:D

jeffreaux2

#3- crop at waist will suffice here.

FEC= Flash Exposure Compensation- In ETTL mode on the Canon 580EX press the button inside the wheel then turn dial to right for more power/left for less. It is like Exposure compensation, but it doesnt affect overall exposure....only how much the flash contributes. Using this, ETTL works a treat for fill.

Sun?....find open shade or overcast weather.

The added shot is nice. Flash is still a bit strong for my tastes......the hand is a gamble.....be carefull there, it can come off forced and a bit cheesy....sometimes.

Hey....anyone that can shoot sand or rocks and make others wanna be there can figure this out. Keep at it!

Swartzy

Some of this may have been mentioned but following are my suggestions Aaron:

First...follow me....."I will never, ever, shoot a senior next to a tree"

The second are railroad tracks.....all levity aside (well not the tree one)

The idea in portrait shooting is conveying the subjects personality, their likes, their interests and their strongest photographic features. Next in line with those thoughts are capturing looks unique to the individual and to your style.

Hands on the hips, head leaned down can work IF it is captured at the right POV but not often. Hands together leads the viewer to a "defensive" position as if the subject weren't confident....and it generally shows in the subject's expression.

All of these examples have her facing camera left at pretty much the same POV (vantage point). Get high, get low, move in, move out...shoot using the sun as a hair light....it's very similar to landscaping....you try every angle in the book to get the shot. Mix your flash with ambient. Flash outdoors need not look flashed but will provide with just a tad of fill and catchlight in the eyes. Do some radical things as well. Shoot into the sun, get low and get your subject to have fun...run, jump, give a little Hollywood...get them to laugh...loosen them up.

Keep practicing most of all. You know a good shot when you see it.....keep looking through the viewfinder till it hits you.

Tango

jeffreaux2 wrote:

#3- crop at waist will suffice here.

FEC= Flash Exposure Compensation- In ETTL mode on the Canon 580EX press the button inside the wheel then turn dial to right for more power/left for less. It is like Exposure compensation, but it doesnt affect overall exposure....only how much the flash contributes. Using this, ETTL works a treat for fill.

Sun?....find open shade or overcast weather.

The added shot is nice. Flash is still a bit strong for my tastes......the hand is a gamble.....be carefull there, it can come off forced and a bit cheesy....sometimes.

Hey....anyone that can shoot sand or rocks and make others wanna be there can figure this out. Keep at it!

Thank you for the advice, and thanks for clearing me up about FEC, I understand now... (oh so much to learn...)
(note to self: replace 430exII with a 580exII:D )

btw, I can take the expo down a little too (TGF : RAW)

Tango

Swartzy wrote:

Some of this may have been mentioned but following are my suggestions Aaron:

First...follow me....."I will never, ever, shoot a senior next to a tree"

The second are railroad tracks.....all levity aside (well not the tree one)

The idea in portrait shooting is conveying the subjects personality, their likes, their interests and their strongest photographic features. Next in line with those thoughts are capturing looks unique to the individual and to your style.

Hands on the hips, head leaned down can work IF it is captured at the right POV but not often. Hands together leads the viewer to a "defensive" position as if the subject weren't confident....and it generally shows in the subject's expression.

All of these examples have her facing camera left at pretty much the same POV (vantage point). Get high, get low, move in, move out...shoot using the sun as a hair light....it's very similar to landscaping....you try every angle in the book to get the shot. Mix your flash with ambient. Flash outdoors need not look flashed but will provide with just a tad of fill and catchlight in the eyes. Do some radical things as well. Shoot into the sun, get low and get your subject to have fun...run, jump, give a little Hollywood...get them to laugh...loosen them up.

Keep practicing most of all. You know a good shot when you see it.....keep looking through the viewfinder till it hits you.

I'm hearing you loud & clear and I will try! Practicing will be a little more difficult since I dont have as much oppurtunity as I wished...but again I will try all these points you have made... I just dont feel natural at it as you people shooters do.... Rocks, Sand, Water & Clouds I understand:D

One thing I do not understand about your comments?? No trees and RR tracks??...(we dont even have RR tracks anywhere anyway)....But no trees? huh?

Swartzy

What I mean by no trees is that so many shots of seniors are next to an oak tree....a typical, no variety and entirely too predicable. Choosing alternate settings/props/bgs will afford a much more interesting look. Remember, those kids are always looking at FB, Myspace, and crusing the web not to mention all their friends photos. In order to set yourself apart from the "norm", one has to be creative and generate images that no one else has...or better stated, the look no one else has. As an example, the blossoms is a good one and so would the garage door without the tree. Some dynamic lighting from a different angle and comp your subject in the frame in such a way that will beg the viewer to look again and again.

Alternative processing aids in those unique looks. Of course we need those "beautified" shots that mom & grandma want on the mantle...but the kids want grunge, desaturated, funky color, heavy vignettes and wild style. That's where we have fun with them, making them feel like the rock star for the session and they'll loosen up, have fun and be stoked to tell all their friends what an awesome photog you are...how great their session was.

Sorry for the extra words....I get carried away at times....:D:D

Tango

I now understand ya Swartzy, thanks for pointers and guidance. (it is going to heart)
However, I must confess that I think your expecting way to much from me....;-)
Honestly I doubt I will ever evolve past just shooting friends & family, I just want to do it better when those times come around.......