Andrea At The Piano

Bryce Wilson

Neighbor girl wanted a few shots prior to her first concert so I went to her home. This is what I came up with.

I wanted to try and capture femininity along with the piano and make the image somewhat intimate with the viewer. Any ideas on improvement? Nit pic away!

Thanks

<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/60399337@N06/5965565706/&quot; title="Andrea At The Piano by Bryce Wilson, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6144/5965565706_3d66d51e87_b.jpg&quot; width="800" height="640" alt="Andrea At The Piano"></a>

I'm not wild about the hands in the image below. Tried different ways to have her position fingers etc and nothing really looked natural to me.

<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/60399337@N06/5965010397/&quot; title="Andrea At The Piano by Bryce Wilson, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6128/5965010397_1d797896a9_b.jpg&quot; width="640" height="800" alt="Andrea At The Piano"></a>

Alex81

Not my cup of tea but I'm guessing this was the style she was after. I would've tried taking the best shots possible of her actually playing the piano.

colourbox

Technically they are nice, but the posing looks like "I'm trying hard to squish myself inside this rectangle." Maybe have her sit up straight in a normal playing pose, but shoot down at her from a high angle so that she can look up (which is flattering usually) and have the rose and her hands on the keyboard going across the bottom of the frame?

Z6I

#1 doesn't do much for me for the squishing reason mentioned above. I think #2 works but would be helped by cropping a touch from the top & right (but not much). I would also clone out the pearl earring and the little spots on her right sleeve.

Bryce Wilson

Very good suggestions all, thank you!

I too like the idea of shooting down from above as she played, but the location of their piano in the home (ceiling, walls etc.) made that option difficult at best. I may try to shoot her again and spend more time exploring that option and see if I can get an angle that I like.

Z61, I gave your crop and clone suggestions a try and do indeed like the finished result better than my first attempt. Thanks!

divamum

I've never done any (although I probably have one coming up for a pianist), but the piano shots I see my (piano) colleagues using are often less than satisfactory comps. It's really tricky.

That looks to me like a grand - can you put the lid up to use as the background, step back a little to your left (if possible), she can sit up with the piano quasi behind her and then the piano lid will mask other distractions?

Also, personally I'm not crazy about the nails and rose - I know these are just shots for her own use and more "portraits" than anything, but I find the red jarring rather than a nice "pop of colour". That's entirely personal and subjective, however, so take with LARGE grain of salt - if it's the look you and she wanted, then fair enough.

Did you use some kind of softening or clarity reduction in #2?

divamum

PS I googled around some pianist images and here's some that may interest/be of use for ideas. I can't find one that does my idea above (in fact, they're pretty much the reverse since they shoot through the lid rather than into it). I don't like all of these equally but they do manage to get round some of the composition issues.

unusual approach Without a doubt my favorite of all of these, and the one that looks most like a really high quality photo to me. I assume they're in a 2-piano studio given the background, but it's a really effective shot, IMO. Obviously, more of a "professional pianist" than a teen portrait, but the idea is pretty cool.

The "classic" pianist shot on this musician's page

This also looks like a teen - it's an upright, but it works ok IMO

Another "through the lid" shot

slight different angle

Bryce Wilson

divamum wrote: »

I've never done any (although I probably have one coming up for a pianist), but the piano shots I see my (piano) colleagues using are often less than satisfactory comps. It's really tricky.

That looks to me like a grand - can you put the lid up to use as the background, step back a little to your left (if possible), she can sit up with the piano quasi behind her and then the piano lid will mask other distractions?

Also, personally I'm not crazy about the nails and rose - I know these are just shots for her own use and more "portraits" than anything, but I find the red jarring rather than a nice "pop of colour". That's entirely personal and subjective, however, so take with LARGE grain of salt - if it's the look you and she wanted, then fair enough.

Did you use some kind of softening or clarity reduction in #2?

It is indeed a grand and it's sitting in a room in what I would call a normal size suburban home. Space restrictions created a few challenges. I know she will not mind doing another session and I will give the "lid up" suggestion a shot and see if I can find space for the right angle.

Good eye on the softening! Although not normally a fan of "fingers and hands" in my portraits, I thought that because of their relationship to the playing of the piano, they really should be included somehow. I felt that a bit of softening and reduction of detail, would make the fingers and hands a little more attractive. I applied an inverted high pass filter with soft light and then painted out much of her face and a bit of her hair. Does that work for you, or not?

divamum

For me the softening is a little much, but again it depends on the style you're aiming for. This has a "1980's dreamy girl graduate" kind of look - if that's what she wants, then you nailed it, but that's just not a look I particularly care for. Again, YMMV - this is an entirely subjective and personal call!!

Snowgirl

And, if you do another with the lid down (and super shiny) you could sstand in the curve of the piano placing you at a slight and upward angle from the seated girl, lay the rose across the piano in front of her perhaps?

divamum

snowgirl wrote: »

and, if you do another with the lid down (and super shiny) you could sstand in the curve of the piano placing you at a slight and upward angle from the seated girl, lay the rose across the piano in front of her perhaps?

+1

Bilsen

To go a bit of a different way, how about pulling back a bit, have her run her left arm full out along the piano top, looking down at the keys closest to you so you see her face and hold a chord with her right hand? With the right expression she'll communicate her love of the instrument as well as the softness of the music.

Of course, I don't get out much.

Bryce Wilson

JohnGalt_ny wrote: »

To go a bit of a different way, how about pulling back a bit, have her run her left arm full out along the piano top, looking down at the keys closest to you so you see her face and hold a chord with her right hand? With the right expression she'll communicate her love of the instrument as well as the softness of the music.

Of course, I don't get out much.<img src="https://us.v-cdn.net/6029383/emoji/mwink.gif&quot; border="0" alt="" >

Kinda, sorta, like this?

<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/60399337@N06/5968044022/&quot; title="Andrea At The Piano by Bryce Wilson, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6137/5968044022_0dde13dd4e_b.jpg&quot; width="500" height="700" alt="Andrea At The Piano"></a>

Bryce Wilson

divamum wrote: »

For me the softening is a little much, but again it depends on the style you're aiming for. This has a "1980's dreamy girl graduate" kind of look - if that's what she wants, then you nailed it, but that's just not a look I particularly care for. Again, YMMV - this is an entirely subjective and personal call!!

Ya know, you're most likely right about the 80's look. I blame it on Hugh Hefner. I spent a fair amount of time studying Ken Marcus's work in the pages of Hugh's flagship product during the late 70's and early 80's. He didn't have photoshop and had to create his own filters at the camera to achieve that look. Guess it made a big impression on me. I still like that look 30 years later. Guess I'll have to become more contemporary to keep up with things.

Bryce Wilson

Snowgirl wrote: »

And, if you do another with the lid down (and super shiny) you could sstand in the curve of the piano placing you at a slight and upward angle from the seated girl, lay the rose across the piano in front of her perhaps?

I will give that a try, thanks.

divamum

Bryce Wilson wrote: »

Kinda, sorta, like this?

I'd lose the tilt (unless it's in-camera) but one in a similar position/angle with eyes to camera would be super! Is that one from the same session, or did you reshoot?

Ya know, you're most likely right about the 80's look. I blame it on Hugh Hefner. I spent a fair amount of time studying Ken Marcus's work in the pages of Hugh's flagship product during the late 70's and early 80's. He didn't have photoshop and had to create his own filters at the camera to achieve that look. Guess it made a big impression on me. I still like that look 30 years later. Guess I'll have to become more contemporary to keep up with things.

HA!!!

Bryce Wilson

divamum wrote: »

<img src="https://us.v-cdn.net/6029383/emoji/thumb.gif&quot; border="0" alt="" >

I'd lose the tilt (unless it's in-camera) but one in a similar position/angle with eyes to camera would be super! Is that one from the same session, or did you reshoot?

Same shoot, just hadn't gotten around to "working" them... Here's another along the same vein as I think you are looking for.

<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/60399337@N06/5968513932/&quot; title="Andrea At The Piano by Bryce Wilson, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6006/5968513932_684ac128a9_b.jpg&quot; width="500" height="700" alt="Andrea At The Piano"></a>

Bilsen

Bryce,

That one is close to my thought. I'd keep it the same but run her left arm along the top of the piano almost like holding it with that arm while caressing it w her right hand on the keys.

Her expression is exactly what I had in mind.