Lady in Black

Marcin WuuMarcin Wuu Registered Users Posts: 87 Big grins
edited May 3, 2011 in People
Um, hello all. I'm new here, so I wanted to show a piece from the stuff I do, which is, portraits. I'd love some feedback, no need to go easy, my hide is pretty tough :)

023hiq.jpg
I'm a lazy portraitist. I only shoot beautiful women.
«1

Comments

  • NeilLNeilL Registered Users Posts: 4,201 Major grins
    edited February 13, 2011
    Welcome to Dgrin!

    I can admire your laziness!

    Some things here which are enjoyable, and some things which don't gel for me. The pout on the subject's face, and the crop, look wrong for the opera house foyer costume-look, and more suited to bare skin glamour, I feel. Related to that, the theatrical feel in the subject I don't feel gels with the undramatic background. Likewise the hair is too casual. DOF is a tiny bit narrow for me. Lighting and skin texture are good.

    Contradictions. Interesting shot.

    Neil
    "Snow. Ice. Slow!" "Half-winter. Half-moon. Half-asleep!"

    http://www.behance.net/brosepix
  • Marcin WuuMarcin Wuu Registered Users Posts: 87 Big grins
    edited February 14, 2011
    Thanks, NeilL... I'm not really into glamour type shots, plus I have a thing for shallow depth of field. And colour is not really my forte... Maybe I just chose bad example from my body of work. Perhaps this one (same model) will cause less ambivalence ;)

    19427176.jpg
    I'm a lazy portraitist. I only shoot beautiful women.
  • NeilLNeilL Registered Users Posts: 4,201 Major grins
    edited February 14, 2011
    Yes. I do like this 2nd one more. Everything gels, and it's a very fine portrait.

    Was this a personal album job, or for professional purposes? What's your philosophy with portraits?

    Neil
    "Snow. Ice. Slow!" "Half-winter. Half-moon. Half-asleep!"

    http://www.behance.net/brosepix
  • QarikQarik Registered Users Posts: 4,959 Major grins
    edited February 14, 2011
    I love both shots. Did you shoot the 1st with tilt shift lens with "vertical" band of focus?
    D700, D600
    14-24 24-70 70-200mm (vr2)
    85 and 50 1.4
    45 PC and sb910 x2
    http://www.danielkimphotography.com
  • Marcin WuuMarcin Wuu Registered Users Posts: 87 Big grins
    edited February 15, 2011
    Thanks. Actually the signature sums my portrait philosophy quite well - I am very particular when it comes to selecting my subjects. I don't do this for money (I'm a printer by trade), so I can allow myself to be picky... I'm also a great big fan of Hurrell, which might become more evident should I show more of my work here on DGrin.
    Qarik - no, they were both shot using 180mm lens on an analog medium format. What you might perceive as the effect of tilted lens is caused by the girls body being not exactly parallel to the plane of focus.
    A simple question that I can't find an answer to in the FAQ section - is it accepted practice on DGrin to have one thread into which all of one's work goes? Having a separate thread for each of my subjects would be a bit hard to control and would create a mess...
    I'm a lazy portraitist. I only shoot beautiful women.
  • NeilLNeilL Registered Users Posts: 4,201 Major grins
    edited February 15, 2011
    Re threads, in my experience timing is the main factor. If you have a number of somehow (subject, theme, style, etc) related images all ready to be posted to the same forum, they usually are posted together in a single thread.

    If you have a series of related images to post that you are going to post not at once but over time, as each image becomes available it is usually added to the already established thread. Same thing if it is a revision of an already posted image, or other related material. But the time interval between first and last additions to the thread is usually short, no more than about a week.

    Unrelated images, even if there are many of them going into one forum, are posted each in its own thread.

    What you have done here in this thread with images of the same subject but in different styles, posted over a short period, is the usual practice at Dgrin.

    Neil
    "Snow. Ice. Slow!" "Half-winter. Half-moon. Half-asleep!"

    http://www.behance.net/brosepix
  • briandelionbriandelion Registered Users Posts: 512 Major grins
    edited February 15, 2011
    One word: mezmerizing!! (did I spell that right?) headscratch.gif
    "Photography is not about the thing photographed.
    It is about how that thing looks photographed." Garry Winogrand

    Avatar credit: photograph by Duane Michals- picture of me, 'Smash Palace' album
  • HackboneHackbone Registered Users Posts: 4,027 Major grins
    edited February 15, 2011
    I do like the butterfly lighting and the models expression. Nice job on both and attempting the Hurrell lighting.
    Charles
    www.cameraone.biz
  • QarikQarik Registered Users Posts: 4,959 Major grins
    edited February 15, 2011
    Marcin Wuu wrote: »
    Thanks. Actually the signature sums my portrait philosophy quite well - I am very particular when it comes to selecting my subjects. I don't do this for money (I'm a printer by trade), so I can allow myself to be picky... I'm also a great big fan of Hurrell, which might become more evident should I show more of my work here on DGrin.
    Qarik - no, they were both shot using 180mm lens on an analog medium format. What you might perceive as the effect of tilted lens is caused by the girls body being not exactly parallel to the plane of focus.
    A simple question that I can't find an answer to in the FAQ section - is it accepted practice on DGrin to have one thread into which all of one's work goes? Having a separate thread for each of my subjects would be a bit hard to control and would create a mess...

    ahh..the reason I asked was becasue of the necklace..the left side is out of focus nu the right side is more in focus..though it seems the at some point they would be in the same plane even if she were angled towards teh camera. Anyway they both rock.
    D700, D600
    14-24 24-70 70-200mm (vr2)
    85 and 50 1.4
    45 PC and sb910 x2
    http://www.danielkimphotography.com
  • Darren Troy CDarren Troy C Registered Users Posts: 1,927 Major grins
    edited February 16, 2011
    Love the 2nd shot.
    http://DarrenTroyCphotography.com/
  • jdryan3jdryan3 Registered Users Posts: 1,353 Major grins
    edited February 17, 2011
    I like the shallow DOF in both, and think #2 is a great shot
    "Don't ask me what I think of you, I might not give the answer that you want me to. Oh well."
    -Fleetwood Mac
  • Marcin WuuMarcin Wuu Registered Users Posts: 87 Big grins
    edited February 19, 2011
    Allright so maybe ill make this thread a c&c request for my headshots :-)

    Here's another one, this one i called "Hitwoman" ;-)

    033oq.jpg

    I'm mostly interested in your feelings - less so about the technical aspects, but if you find something that's really off on the technical note, go ahead.
    I'm a lazy portraitist. I only shoot beautiful women.
  • HackboneHackbone Registered Users Posts: 4,027 Major grins
    edited February 19, 2011
    I really like your technique, very nice. Not too sure about "Hitwoman", more like "Pouty Girl". I like what the butterfly lighting has done to her eyes and brow. Odd catchlight sooooo low.
    Charles
    www.cameraone.biz
  • FreezframeFreezframe Registered Users Posts: 246 Major grins
    edited February 19, 2011
    I myself like them all!
    I think you've done a great job here! They are most impressive in the way that they do not over power (the lighting) anywhere within the subject. I was going to ask if you had your lighting gridded but then there would have had shown shadow from the hair. Any ways the lighting is very affective because it pours over the subject evenly. Picture #1 if you were looking for a graceful effect - I believe you done a great job. #2 I'm trying to think of a word that will fit and the only word I can come up with is Retro - Similar to a gallery shot large in size. #3 I like your name Hit woman! I immediately thought of "Capone s girl"!

    Brady
    Dad/Photograher:ivar
  • Marcin WuuMarcin Wuu Registered Users Posts: 87 Big grins
    edited February 19, 2011
    Thankyou :) The catchlight is caused by the reflector i used to break up the shadows. Key light is way too high to reflect in the eyes. I don't (or rarely) use any light modifier at all, other than a standard 7" reflector on the head plus a bouncing 42" reflector. And I love hard, butterfly type lighting. Here's another in the same style:

    To be Like Audrey

    072pq.jpg
    I'm a lazy portraitist. I only shoot beautiful women.
  • heatherfeatherheatherfeather Registered Users Posts: 2,738 Major grins
    edited February 19, 2011
    Marcin Wuu wrote: »
    To be Like Audrey

    [IMG][/img]

    Wow, Audrey is exactly who I thought of when I saw this photo. Gorgeous work! Gorgeous model.iloveyou.gif
    Heather
    my website
    facebook
  • r3t1awr3ydr3t1awr3yd Registered Users Posts: 1,000 Major grins
    edited February 19, 2011
    heatherfeather wrote: »
    Wow, Audrey is exactly who I thought of when I saw this photo. Gorgeous work! Gorgeous model.iloveyou.gif
    +10000

    I IMMEDIATELY thought of hepburn. WOW. clap.gif
    Hi! I'm Wally: website | blog | facebook | IG | scotchNsniff
    Nikon addict. D610, Tok 11-16, Sig 24-35, Nik 24-70/70-200vr
  • Albert DicksonAlbert Dickson Registered Users Posts: 520 Major grins
    edited February 20, 2011
    Keep them coming. Lovely work. I do find the depth of field in #1 a tiny bit short for my taste but so what.
    Albert D.
    Albert@WhetstoneImagery.com
    http://Albert-Dickson.com
  • AgnieszkaAgnieszka Registered Users, Retired Mod Posts: 3,263 Major grins
    edited February 20, 2011
    Uhm, that's gorgeous! Keep them coming! :D
    Angie blog | website | facebook page | google+
  • SenecaSeneca Registered Users Posts: 1,661 Major grins
    edited February 20, 2011
    Neil I love the shot. I would have had her hands somewhere on her face. Maybe not a straight on shot...have her turn a little. Otherwise...beautiful capture.
  • Marcin WuuMarcin Wuu Registered Users Posts: 87 Big grins
    edited February 21, 2011
    thanks :)
    As for the hands, um... there won't be a hands on face version I'm afraid. I really don't like portraits with hands anywhere near the face - in my experience they fall into one of the three categories: "girl with a toothache", "girl smelling her armpit whilst trying to tear her ear off", and my personal favourite "girl trying to break her neck, ninja style". Thanks, but no thanks. Hands off the face on my photos ;)

    All right, how about this one:

    20016118.jpg
    I'm a lazy portraitist. I only shoot beautiful women.
  • NeilLNeilL Registered Users Posts: 4,201 Major grins
    edited February 21, 2011
    "No hands" has a venerable tradition!eek7.gif

    Re the latest image above, my general feeling is that it has a ways to go. I think the very blurred ears turn the subject into a part furry toy. If they were in deep shadow such an extreme narrow DOF might be less odd. I don't think it's very attractive as is. Over this series, the emphasis on swollen lips begins to feel a bit fetishistic, they begin to seem the whole point of the images.

    Nevertheless, I have enjoyed some of these images and learned something from them.

    Neil
    "Snow. Ice. Slow!" "Half-winter. Half-moon. Half-asleep!"

    http://www.behance.net/brosepix
  • Marcin WuuMarcin Wuu Registered Users Posts: 87 Big grins
    edited February 22, 2011
    :)
    well, as i already stated, shallow dof is my personal preference. Same goes to my subjects - i am selecting models based on their looks and nothing else. So I suppose my personal preference for a specific beauty type shines through these images. Interesting note about the mouth, though... I have to put some thought into it.

    well, anyways, here's another one, maybe youll find it more to your liking (shallow dof warning :) ):

    dsc09310p.jpg
    I'm a lazy portraitist. I only shoot beautiful women.
  • VayCayMomVayCayMom Registered Users Posts: 1,870 Major grins
    edited February 24, 2011
    heatherfeather wrote: »
    Wow, Audrey is exactly who I thought of when I saw this photo. Gorgeous work! Gorgeous model.iloveyou.gif

    me too!!
    Trudy
    www.CottageInk.smugmug.com

    NIKON D700
  • Tim KamppinenTim Kamppinen Registered Users Posts: 816 Major grins
    edited February 24, 2011
    These are all great. I love the shallow DOF and the Hurrell-esque lighting. Have you ever tried shooting hotlights (or strobes I guess) with a fresnel lens? I've heard it said that that's the key for this type of lighting but honestly I don't see how it would make a huge difference over a standard reflector like you're using here.
    http://www.timkphotography.com
    http://blog.timkphotography.com
  • mr peasmr peas Registered Users Posts: 1,369 Major grins
    edited February 24, 2011
    I like the way you capture your subject's eyes. Me like lots.
  • Marcin WuuMarcin Wuu Registered Users Posts: 87 Big grins
    edited February 27, 2011
    Thanks :)

    How about this one:


    dsc09830edit.jpg

    I called it "Giraffa Camelopardalis", guess why ;)
    I'm a lazy portraitist. I only shoot beautiful women.
  • HackboneHackbone Registered Users Posts: 4,027 Major grins
    edited February 27, 2011
    Hurrell went for more deeper shadows. The fresnel lens allowed him to focus the light and get a sharp edge shadow.
    1199969057_EaM8o-XL.gif
    Charles
    www.cameraone.biz
  • Marcin WuuMarcin Wuu Registered Users Posts: 87 Big grins
    edited February 27, 2011
    I'm not really trying to become Hurrell, you know ;) there's a thin line between inspiration and plagiarism - I know, I'm walking it right now :)
    I'm a lazy portraitist. I only shoot beautiful women.
  • HackboneHackbone Registered Users Posts: 4,027 Major grins
    edited February 27, 2011
    Marcin, no your not. Your taking wonderful, creative photography that brings a smile to your subjects face. Please keep it going. These are wonderful examples of Professional Photography.
    Charles
    www.cameraone.biz
Sign In or Register to comment.