Farm Boy

kdotaylorkdotaylor Registered Users Posts: 1,280 Major grins
edited September 24, 2014 in People
These are from a senior photo shoot of a boy who wanted the photos taken on his family's farm. Any comments/suggestions are appreciated.........thanks!

#1
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#2
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#3
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#4
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#5
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#6
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#7
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Kate
www.katetaylor.smugmug.com
"You cannot depend on your eyes when your imagination is out of focus." Mark Twain

Comments

  • ian408ian408 Administrators Posts: 21,948 moderator
    edited September 15, 2014
    I think you did great at getting natural looks and making your subject comfortable in front of the camera.

    Only comments would be a bit more punch in all of them and maybe work on the exposure for the first.
    Moderator Journeys/Sports/Big Picture :: Need some help with dgrin?
  • D3SshooterD3Sshooter Registered Users Posts: 1,188 Major grins
    edited September 16, 2014
    Its a great set , although I would like to have seen some additional farm attributes.... and maybe a bit more contrast. But besides that a great job, I like especially the DOF.
    A photographer without a style, is like a pub without beer
  • kdotaylorkdotaylor Registered Users Posts: 1,280 Major grins
    edited September 16, 2014
    ian408 wrote: »
    I think you did great at getting natural looks and making your subject comfortable in front of the camera.

    Only comments would be a bit more punch in all of them and maybe work on the exposure for the first.

    Can you tell me what you mean by "punch"? More dramatic lighting? Better posing? Any ideas?
    Kate
    www.katetaylor.smugmug.com
    "You cannot depend on your eyes when your imagination is out of focus." Mark Twain
  • Dooginfif20Dooginfif20 Registered Users Posts: 845 Major grins
    edited September 16, 2014
    I agree with Ian. What I would like to see is just a little bit more contrast. The foreground, background, and subject are all at the same exposure which doesnt create as much separation. What I like to do (I learned it from Scott Kelby) is create a duplicate layer and set the blending mode to multiply. Then just adjust the opacity to get the background where it has good color and saturation and then just apply a layer mask and paint it off of the subject with a soft edged brush. I think the set and the poses for the most part are great just needs a little punch!
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  • kdotaylorkdotaylor Registered Users Posts: 1,280 Major grins
    edited September 16, 2014
    Dooginfif20 wrote: »
    I agree with Ian. What I would like to see is just a little bit more contrast. The foreground, background, and subject are all at the same exposure which doesnt create as much separation. What I like to do (I learned it from Scott Kelby) is create a duplicate layer and set the blending mode to multiply. Then just adjust the opacity to get the background where it has good color and saturation and then just apply a layer mask and paint it off of the subject with a soft edged brush. I think the set and the poses for the most part are great just needs a little punch!

    Thank you. Will have to look into learning how to do that...sounds like it may come in handy time and again.
    Kate
    www.katetaylor.smugmug.com
    "You cannot depend on your eyes when your imagination is out of focus." Mark Twain
  • Dooginfif20Dooginfif20 Registered Users Posts: 845 Major grins
    edited September 16, 2014
    kdotaylor wrote: »
    Thank you. Will have to look into learning how to do that...sounds like it may come in handy time and again.

    I actually use it on about 75% of all of my work.
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  • ian408ian408 Administrators Posts: 21,948 moderator
    edited September 16, 2014
    kdotaylor wrote: »
    Can you tell me what you mean by "punch"? More dramatic lighting? Better posing? Any ideas?

    In LightRoom, you would adjust Contrast, Vibrance, Saturation. In this example, I've added more of each just so you see the difference. Maybe a little less-it's strictly a matter of preference.

    Untitled.jpg
    Moderator Journeys/Sports/Big Picture :: Need some help with dgrin?
  • kdotaylorkdotaylor Registered Users Posts: 1,280 Major grins
    edited September 17, 2014
    ian408 wrote: »
    In LightRoom, you would adjust Contrast, Vibrance, Saturation. In this example, I've added more of each just so you see the difference. Maybe a little less-it's strictly a matter of preference.



    Well that looks better; and easy enough....thanks!
    Kate
    www.katetaylor.smugmug.com
    "You cannot depend on your eyes when your imagination is out of focus." Mark Twain
  • ian408ian408 Administrators Posts: 21,948 moderator
    edited September 17, 2014
    kdotaylor wrote: »
    Well that looks better; and easy enough....thanks!

    You're welcome! There are different ways you could do it. Apply the correction only to your subject leaving the background alone is one. Just depends on the look. The washed out vintage look is pretty popular these days so that's another thing to try.
    Moderator Journeys/Sports/Big Picture :: Need some help with dgrin?
  • alaiosalaios Registered Users Posts: 668 Major grins
    edited September 18, 2014
    Hi,
    is it just me but I see that there was a bit of movement in some of the shots (perhaps not fast enough shutter speed)

    Alex
  • kdotaylorkdotaylor Registered Users Posts: 1,280 Major grins
    edited September 18, 2014
    alaios wrote: »
    Hi,
    is it just me but I see that there was a bit of movement in some of the shots (perhaps not fast enough shutter speed)

    Alex

    Movement? Really? Which ones?
    Kate
    www.katetaylor.smugmug.com
    "You cannot depend on your eyes when your imagination is out of focus." Mark Twain
  • alaiosalaios Registered Users Posts: 668 Major grins
    edited September 20, 2014
    #5 for example. When I see it carefully it looks fine but when I have a very fast look the face is conceived a bit blurry... Hmm.. my brain?
  • kdogkdog Administrators Posts: 11,681 moderator
    edited September 20, 2014
    You're not going to like this, but 1, 4, and 5 are tossers. You turned your senior into an 11 y/o boy by shooting down at him like that. Contrast those to 2 and 3 where you've shot pictures of a fine young man there (3 could have used an even lower POV actually, but it's close.) Also, #4 looks like you caught him on the loo. #5 is the dreaded taking-a-dump pose. Just my opinions of course.
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  • alaiosalaios Registered Users Posts: 668 Major grins
    edited September 21, 2014
    intresting opinion. can you explain a bit more why "You turned your senior into an 11 y/o boy by shooting down at him like that. "
    I guess we are not all get agree on that but I hope there would be as many arguments as possible.

    Regards
    Alex
  • kdotaylorkdotaylor Registered Users Posts: 1,280 Major grins
    edited September 22, 2014
    kdog wrote: »
    You're not going to like this, but 1, 4, and 5 are tossers. You turned your senior into an 11 y/o boy by shooting down at him like that. Contrast those to 2 and 3 where you've shot pictures of a fine young man there (3 could have used an even lower POV actually, but it's close.) Also, #4 looks like you caught him on the loo. #5 is the dreaded taking-a-dump pose. Just my opinions of course.

    No, I DO like to hear this...it's what I asked for! I never thought about shooting down like that as being making him younger, but I see your point...and also about the bathroom pose!
    Kate
    www.katetaylor.smugmug.com
    "You cannot depend on your eyes when your imagination is out of focus." Mark Twain
  • jonh68jonh68 Registered Users Posts: 2,711 Major grins
    edited September 22, 2014
    alaios wrote: »
    intresting opinion. can you explain a bit more why "You turned your senior into an 11 y/o boy by shooting down at him like that. "
    I guess we are not all get agree on that but I hope there would be as many arguments as possible.

    Regards
    Alex

    I got this feeling too, and the reason it evokes that response is shooting from a higher vantage point. Most parents when photographing their kids do it while standing up. Most photographers when doing portraits don't shoot any other angle than their eye level when standing.

    By shooting high with the subject being low, it invokes a lesser position.
    www.jonimages.com
  • alaiosalaios Registered Users Posts: 668 Major grins
    edited September 23, 2014
    thanks john68, I liked the explanation you gave
  • StueveShotsStueveShots Registered Users Posts: 544 Major grins
    edited September 23, 2014
    I rather like #6 -- I, too, live in a rural area and I suspect this shot captures the young man's lifestyle well--but I do wonder this: What if you crop out the two black cows? Make it a portrait orientation rather than landscape, keeping the focus on him so that the lifestyle is truly part of the background and doesn't compete. The lines of the gate will only help direct the eye to the boy. Just a thought!
    StueveShots
    stueveshots.smugmug.com
  • kdotaylorkdotaylor Registered Users Posts: 1,280 Major grins
    edited September 24, 2014
    StueveShots wrote: »
    I rather like #6 -- I, too, live in a rural area and I suspect this shot captures the young man's lifestyle well--but I do wonder this: What if you crop out the two black cows? Make it a portrait orientation rather than landscape, keeping the focus on him so that the lifestyle is truly part of the background and doesn't compete. The lines of the gate will only help direct the eye to the boy. Just a thought!

    I WILL try that...good idea!
    Kate
    www.katetaylor.smugmug.com
    "You cannot depend on your eyes when your imagination is out of focus." Mark Twain
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