Portraits

Cajun Photoman

This is my first post and am asking for honest critiques. Thanks

jeffreaux2

Hi!

We are neighbors! I have a girl in college at Nicholls.

Your photos are not showing up.

Cajun Photoman

Hi Jeff:
I am new to this site and it'll take me a little while to figure it out . . . I am trying to post pictures
I have seen your post of your daughter, very nice.

Cajun Photoman

Trying again: This is my first post, would like to have some honest critiques - Thanks !

RyanS

Honest critique: This looks like a crop from a larger image where the main subject was standing next to someone else who has been cut out. While the smile and eyes are engaging, the composition, lighting, and color reproduction are not very flattering. The arm & hair from the missing second subject is quite distracting.

reyvee61

She's a lovely young lady but I echo much of what Ryan said plus the focus is a tad soft on her eyes.

Cajun Photoman

RyanS wrote: »

Honest critique: This looks like a crop from a larger image where the main subject was standing next to someone else who has been cut out. While the smile and eyes are engaging, the composition, lighting, and color reproduction are not very flattering. The arm & hair from the missing second subject is quite distracting.

Ryan,
You are 100% correct on the cropping, I didn't realize that the hair and arm where there, missed that one. I appreciate the honest critique, I've been shooting more since I retired and consider myself still in the beginning stage. Thanks

Cajun Photoman

reyvee61 wrote: »

She's a lovely young lady but I echo much of what Ryan said plus the focus is a tad soft on her eyes.

Thanks Rey, I think I know where I'm going wrong on the softness of the eyes, Appreciate it . . .

Cajun Photoman

Ok - here's another one of my niece. Suggestions please?

reyvee61

Very nice, quite honestly I can't find much to critique here though perhaps if you had the space to do so in post I would shift the space on the right of the frame to the left to give more space in front of her. If not I would crop tighter to do so since I feel a bit bothered by the bit of her right hand showing through the glass by the door frame. Cropping tighter would allow you to give more space in front of her and you would lose the hand all together. Just my thoughts.
Lovely portrait

troopers

Re the second portrait, nice composition.

But, for me, something doesn't feel right...the image comes off creepy to me...the posing/post processing/hair/makeup combined makes me feel very uncomfortable looking at for a few seconds...how old is she? Is she 10? 12? years old trying to look older, or vice versa?

Tim Kamppinen

For the second image, the light is flattering, so good job with that. I'm guessing bounce flash off the ceiling? But it's bounced from far enough away, and the upwards head tilt also helps, that you avoided raccoon eyes. A tighter composition would have improved the shot; as it is, my eye is drawn to the bottom of the frame where the large white area of her dress contrasts with the black top. If that had been left out of the frame, all the focus would be on her face (where it should be).

Cajun Photoman

Is this better guys? I've cropped tighter removing her lower hand and removed the white area to focus your eye more towards her face. She is 15 and was dressed for a prom night. Thanks for the suggestions .

troopers

Much better IMO. By cropping tighter, you have also removed the slight distraction behind her at shoulder's level. Two quick suggestions...crop a tad tighter to remove the sliver of outdoor light on the left side and turn down the hightlights.

Yaflyyadie

Many knowledge ones have spoken.
You have had improvements from the first to the last picture and that is what's all about with this forum, learning to improve up to the point where you find mistakes and no, no's without someone pointing them to you.
By the way, I'm one of those that have learned a lot because of CC's made here. (Some hurt your ego and probably are the best ones).
Said that, I'll personally crop the door @ the left until just the frame is showing (no glass), I believe it distracts a little bit yet.
JMHO.

Great job and improvements, it shows you interest in getting better.!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Y.

VayCayMom

WELCOME!! You have come to a place where you just can't help improving your skills. Nice shots, the only nit I have with 2 is that I have been told a lady's hand looks more attractive if the fingers are slightly bent. If you stand back and squint your eyes you will notice that the large unbroken area of light ( her hand) competes with the other area of light, her face. In PP maybe you could just tone it down a tad, it is about the lightest spot on the entire image. A little bit of a vignette might help this as well.

Icebear

For me the second image still needs some attention to cropping. First, it clearly needs to be straightened. If you feel, for whatever reason, that you want to leave the edge of the door right by the edge of the frame, it really needs to be vertical. Second, I have the impression you are trying to keep a 2:3 ratio for some reason. Perhaps for printing as 4x6 to send to relatives? That's fine, but I think the image would be stronger in a 4:5 ratio. I'd burn a lot of pixels on this girl. She's very pretty and photogenic.

Oh: I second what Trudy said about toning down the hand in the foreground.

Cajun Photoman

One more time, I really appreciate all the comments, I can see a BIG difference in the photo.

Steve

Icebear

Oh, yeah . . .

adbsgicom

Very nice!
In general, you will also get better image quality on this forum if you can link the image from smugmug, flickr or other website. There are some directions in the FAQ.

Yaflyyadie

icebear wrote: »

oh, yeah . . .

^ x 2

y.

troopers

Much better.

jeffreaux2

Cajun Photoman wrote: »

Hi Jeff:
I am new to this site and it'll take me a little while to figure it out . . . I am trying to post pictures
I have seen your post of your daughter, very nice.

Looks like youve figured posting out!

My daughter is on Fakier Jewelry billboards all over Houma to New Orleans. Keep an eye out!

We should shoot sometime. Ever get to Baton Rouge?

Hackbone

On the first one the catchlights tell the story. They are too low in the eyes and have given her dark racoon eyes as it's called. Also exposure seems off.

On #2 try not to show the back side of the hand as that is its widest point and just makes it look fatter. The impact would have been improved tremendously if her head would have been tipped toward the door, at least for me. Again exposure seems just a tad hot but not too bad.

When a subject wears dark clothing you generally should have a darker bkg and conversely if lighter clothing then a lighter bkg.

For just starting you've got a decent grasp of some of the basic elements of photography. Just keep refining them.