A Very Willing Subject

briandelion

My wife’s young friend of the family recently visited for the week. She was a very willing subject and kept asking if I would take pictures of her (highly unusual in this house). Of course I obliged. She was a lot of fun to work with.
These are some from the first bunch- straight out casual. There are some full-length, wide angle shots and more dressed up ones I will post later.



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wolf911

I like number 1 the most, the gazing look into the camera

briandelion

Thanks for your comment.

Qarik

good casual stuff..the light is quite nice. #3 though..tosser for me

briandelion

Qarik wrote: »

good casual stuff..the light is quite nice. #3 though..tosser for me

It looks like that's what she's about to say!

divamum

1 & 7 for me. Love the way you capture eyes - they're always really sharp and sparkling

briandelion

Thank you, divamum. I always value your opinion. I'm interested to see what you think of the next round of shots I'll be posting soon. More full length and simple with chair, floor near open window. Hopefully not too simple and boring.

Bryce Wilson

The thing that I really like is that in several you have a touch of the Rembrandt lighting thing going on. That has to be my all time favorite way to light a face. Wish I was as good as you at it.

Nice job.

briandelion

Thanks, Bryce. My favorite lighting also. Certainly your knowledge of lighting techniques in photography surpasses mine. I just apply what I know from my art background.

divamum

You know, Brian, I think I've figured out why these don't quite nail a "look" as much as some I've seen from you: it's a mixture of a kind of formal(ish) headshot comp and light, with a very casual, un-made-up look. They're not "bad", it's just that the comps and lighting don't match the very casual clothing/hair/makeup. That's not to say that every shot has to be fashion-perfect, but I think I just find myself missing something to complement the casualness. Maybe I'm not sure what they're trying to "say" about the subject?

Rambling. This probably makes no sense at all - first cup of coffee and brain not quite there yet. Photographically I like the light, the poses, the super-sparkle-dust in the eyes... but there's "something" missing... I'm just not sure what it is!! Look forward to seeing the rest of them - I have a feeling I'm going to love the next batch you describe which will add some context!!!

briandelion

Interesting point. Maybe the facial expressions alone aren't enough to carry it off. I wanted it to be about the light and the face with no commercial implication but maybe it has to be more dramatic and compelling in order to succeed?
I've gone through this before with art. When I first tried my hand at Illustration (coming from a fine art bkgd) I showed my work to a well known illustrator. It was a painting of a girl in a room looking out a window. First thing he asked was "why is she looking out the window?" My reply was "I dont' know, does there have to be a reason?" That put it in a nutshell for me- the difference between the two disciplines. Music was always easier for me to figure out!
I think I'm rambling.