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Various portraits
A few months ago, I decided to concentrate on portraits. Since then I have collected some I really like. I've posted a few of these here before, but I wanted to pull together my favorites since the beginning of April. Please comment and critique. Negative as well as positive feedback is welcome.
Lorna Feijoo Practices for The Dying Swan at Boston Ballet
Canon 5D / 70-200mm f/2.8L @ 100mm
f/2.8 @ 1/200th / ISO 800
Aunt Marry - My wife's aunt. A true queen of her own world at her annual Easter dinner
Canon 5D / 24-105mm f4.0L @ 105mm
f/4.0 @ 1/40 / ISO 1600
Jane Goodall at the Franklin Park Zoo in Boston on Earth Day
Canon 5D / 300mm f/2.8L
f/2.8 @ 1/100th / ISO 1000
Boston Ballet Company Dancers in Studio Rehearsal
Canon 5D / 70-200mm f/2.8L @ 200mm
f/2.8 @ 1/320 / ISO 1250
At the Track Meet
Canon 1D Mark II / 100-400 f/5.6L @ 400mm
f/7.1 @ 1/2000th / ISO 500
Tai Jimenez in Balanchine's Serenade, Boston Ballet in dress rehearsal at The Wang Center
Canon 5D / 135mm f/2.0L
f/2.0 @ 1/500th / ISO 1600
Margaret By Window Light
Canon 5D / 85mm f/1.2L
f/5.0 @ 1/50th / ISO 500
Track Meet Revisited - Was middle school and high school track star, now back from her freshman year in college
Canon 5D / 24-105mm f/4.0L @ 75mm
f/4.0 @ 1/200th / ISO 400
Fill flash with Light Sphere diffuser
Janet By Window Light
Canon 5D / 85mm f/1.2L
f/1.4 @ 1/80th / ISO 500
Beate & Gabriella
Canon 5D / 85mm f1.2L
f/3.5 @ 1/80th / ISO 640
Prom Night
Canon 5D / 85mm f/1.2L
f/1.4 @ 1/4000th / ISO 400
David Lazarus - Nantucket Artist
Canon 5D / 24-105 f/4.0L @ 40mm / ISO 1600
f/4.0 @ 1/1600 / ISO 1600
Easy Streed, Old North Warf
Canon 5D /50mm f1.4
f/4.0 @ 1/400th / ISO 1000
Center Street Candid
Canon 5D / 24-105mm f/4.0L @ 105mm
f/4.5 @ 1/100th / ISO 800
Emanuel
Canon 5D / 24-105mm f/4.0L @ 96mm
f/4.0 @ 150th / ISO 1600
Elusive Beauty -- She has made me delete previous shots of her, but she accepted this one.
Canon 1D Mark II / 70-200mm f/2.8 @ 155mm
f/4.5 @ 1/400th / ISO 500
Cape Air Pilot
Canon 5D / 24-105mm f/4.0L @ 35mm
f/4.5 @ 1/40th / ISO 1000
Dionis Beach at Sunset
Canon 5D / 24-105mm f/4.0L @ 85mm
f/4.0 @ 1/60 / ISO 640
Lorna Feijoo Practices for The Dying Swan at Boston Ballet
Canon 5D / 70-200mm f/2.8L @ 100mm
f/2.8 @ 1/200th / ISO 800
Aunt Marry - My wife's aunt. A true queen of her own world at her annual Easter dinner
Canon 5D / 24-105mm f4.0L @ 105mm
f/4.0 @ 1/40 / ISO 1600
Jane Goodall at the Franklin Park Zoo in Boston on Earth Day
Canon 5D / 300mm f/2.8L
f/2.8 @ 1/100th / ISO 1000
Boston Ballet Company Dancers in Studio Rehearsal
Canon 5D / 70-200mm f/2.8L @ 200mm
f/2.8 @ 1/320 / ISO 1250
At the Track Meet
Canon 1D Mark II / 100-400 f/5.6L @ 400mm
f/7.1 @ 1/2000th / ISO 500
Tai Jimenez in Balanchine's Serenade, Boston Ballet in dress rehearsal at The Wang Center
Canon 5D / 135mm f/2.0L
f/2.0 @ 1/500th / ISO 1600
Margaret By Window Light
Canon 5D / 85mm f/1.2L
f/5.0 @ 1/50th / ISO 500
Track Meet Revisited - Was middle school and high school track star, now back from her freshman year in college
Canon 5D / 24-105mm f/4.0L @ 75mm
f/4.0 @ 1/200th / ISO 400
Fill flash with Light Sphere diffuser
Janet By Window Light
Canon 5D / 85mm f/1.2L
f/1.4 @ 1/80th / ISO 500
Beate & Gabriella
Canon 5D / 85mm f1.2L
f/3.5 @ 1/80th / ISO 640
Prom Night
Canon 5D / 85mm f/1.2L
f/1.4 @ 1/4000th / ISO 400
David Lazarus - Nantucket Artist
Canon 5D / 24-105 f/4.0L @ 40mm / ISO 1600
f/4.0 @ 1/1600 / ISO 1600
Easy Streed, Old North Warf
Canon 5D /50mm f1.4
f/4.0 @ 1/400th / ISO 1000
Center Street Candid
Canon 5D / 24-105mm f/4.0L @ 105mm
f/4.5 @ 1/100th / ISO 800
Emanuel
Canon 5D / 24-105mm f/4.0L @ 96mm
f/4.0 @ 150th / ISO 1600
Elusive Beauty -- She has made me delete previous shots of her, but she accepted this one.
Canon 1D Mark II / 70-200mm f/2.8 @ 155mm
f/4.5 @ 1/400th / ISO 500
Cape Air Pilot
Canon 5D / 24-105mm f/4.0L @ 35mm
f/4.5 @ 1/40th / ISO 1000
Dionis Beach at Sunset
Canon 5D / 24-105mm f/4.0L @ 85mm
f/4.0 @ 1/60 / ISO 640
If not now, when?
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Comments
Again. WOW.
That saved a wretch like me!
I once was lost, but now am found;
Was blind, but now I see.
http://judah.smugmug.com/
On the point of view treatment - digital dakroom or Lightroom - they are great. You do know what you are doing...
But of course I don't like all of them. It's a question of taste.
I'll say it another way: I like some better than others.
For example I don't like very much the last one.
Perhaps the lens is not that good ...
I would like to see it sharper. Yes the light is at down and it is more difficult.
I do not like the composition on the 1.st one. She is too much to the right.
Aunt Marry suffers from the same but to the opposite side.
Jane Goodall has been here before... It's a good and nice pic.
At the Track Meet is excellent
Tai Jimenez is not a good picture: it is a super picture. It is supperb, excellent.
Tack Meet Revisited has for my taste a great difference in colors... Others may like this...
It's him isn't he ?
Well, enought. Hope I was not too hard. I did not mean to.
Saude
www.davidsnookphotography.com
www.davidsnookphotography.com/blog
Tack because of the colors and composition, Beate because of her beauty and expression.
Margaret has wonderful everything - except that she feels pressed up against a wall.
I want to like Aunt Marry because of the compo, but the blown out bits are too strong for me.
I think I'd like Lazarus, Janet and Goodall more if they had more light on their faces. This is something I run into, because I resist using a flash, but sometimes I think it's necessary to get some pop.
.
Catapultam habeo. Nisi pecuniam omnem mihi dabis, ad caput tuum saxum immane mittam
http://www.mcneel.com/users/jb/foghorn/ill_shut_up.au
what a cutie!--
striking set of portraits-
I guess you could nitpick one or two of them-
I just enjoyed going through them-
thanks for posting-
george
Hard to pick on any.. or pick one over the other...
However, if I am to make a pick - here's mine:
Once again, good to have you back!
I really enjoyed the type of framing you used in these three. Only thought, I would have liked to see the left shoulder of Lorna rather than having her fall off the frame.
Great job!!!
- Kevin
I am afraid I overdid it ...
Realy good portraits
It also reminds me why I want a 5D too
Fred
http://www.facebook.com/Riverbendphotos
The blur behind the "prom night" couple makes it look as they've been captured with the world twirling around them. Like nothing else matters except the two of them on a special occasion. And it is technically lovely as well!
The picture of Margaret is another one of my favorites - it "seems" to evoke an essence of who she is - and shows off the natural beauty of her eyes and skin. There is a sense of caring that is apparent between the photographer and the subject.
It seems that so many of the photographs of women we see these days simply reduce them to commodities. Unlike those, yours capture human beings - in their beautiful, natural states of being. (all of your images of family and friends really look like they are taken with such caring towards who they are and capture such inner beauty).
Just lovely!
Mary
I have attempted to comment on most of the images rutt posted
John - this series of your candid portriats is very well done. The color balance and contrast ranges are well handled. They are sharp where they need to be sharp, and soft where they need to be soft. The compositions rock!
Now... If you want to take these to the next level to rival Yuri Pautov's work, I think you need to add flash or reflectors to your equipment. Then they will no longer be candid portraits, but "Portraits".
Aunt Mary's face is in shadow, against a brighter background. She looks excellent, but just a hint of fill flash might have given her more balance with the bright background and created a little more depth.
The Boston Ballet Studio rehearsal is very nice and I love the selective focus. There is also brighter light on her face, seperating her from the grey background.
At The Track Meet - bright sunlight with strong shadows - nicely done with the Oriental(?) face in the background. Nice contrast, white/brown/ African/Oriental profile, frontal view. Lots of things to look at and think about. Very thoughtful and captivating.
Tai Jimenez - no flash allowed, but it might have helped in the shadow on her face if you could.
Margaret - lovely light - what's more to say. Perhaps shooting from a few inches hgher might have opened her eyes up just a tad?
Track Meet Revisited - Perhaps the best of the lot - I love the clear color of her complexion and the red of her hair against the green of the grass - you handled the contrast in her face between lit and shaded areas well - A golden reflector from your right might have added a little more light to her left eye. A true Irish beauty!!
Janet by Window Light. Again excellent focus with a lovely piece of glass. I might have had her face the light 3/4s, rather than away from it, but that is just me!? The highlights in her hair and on her ear, may distract my eye from the her face just the very slightest. Beautiful young lady.
Beate and Gabriella - again that soft, lovely, window light with nice highlights on her face in the left side of the image. Just soft enough on the baby and sharp enough on the mother. I like this one a lot. Was there a wall reflecting from their left perhaps??
Prom Night - I saw your thread about the color work on this image previously I believe. Lots of green to deal with in the background and in the reflected light on their faces and the white shirt. Very nice job. I might have cropped some of the green to favor the couple, but your crop has its merits also.
Lazarus - Interesting looking portrait of a wetherbeaten male face - but you had to dig deep to get detail in his eyes I'll bet. A little fill flash would really have made his eyes pop more - Waxy made this suggestion earlier so I won't take credit for it, but I agree.
Easy Streed - Is that really his name?? Nice color play again, the orange shirt really stands out against the grey and blue. I might like to see him looking up just a little bit more. But the lighting seems to work fine.
Center Street Candid - Cute Kid but too much tree for my eye. The poor little guy has to share half of the image area with the green and gray of the tree bark. He's the subject, not the tree, isn't he?? And is he a bit magenta > yellow? Not on his forhead, but on his cheek? It is a close call I guess.
Emanuel - I see you're liking that 24-105 a lot. I like the composition of this shot - the flower's arch leading to his face. Again, you have a darkish face against a brighter background. A touch of Fill Flash might have put more sparkle in his eye and face - just the slightest touch.
Elusive Beauty - She certainly is. I like the negative space to the right. Her face is brighter than the background and stands out nicely as the center of interest. The dark blue of her blouse is a nice contrast to the lighter blue of the sky. Is her left eye ever so slightly sharper than her right eye - the one the on the viewer's left?
Cape Air Pilot - Nice soft window light again. Nice catchlights. Nicely done spontaneous portrait. I'll bet it is fun to ride in the copilot's seat.
Dionis - Nice rich saturated greens and blues, contrasting with the auburn hair and ruddish complexion. The tan straw hat brim above her eye seems to have been the center of focus - it is ever so slightly sharper than her eye, and distinctly sharper than her profile. Ya gotta watch those AF points doncha?
This is an excellent series of images that you have every reason to be very proud of, John. I would love to have portraits like this.
You have done a great job of displaying the virtues of L glass also - 85 1.2, 70-200 f2.8 IS, 300 f2.8, 24-105 IS L - Absolutely lovely bokeh throughout these images.
My comments are not meant as criticism in any manner ( and I know you already know this ), but a humble suggestion as to how you can create portaits to rival shooters that you have admired here like Annie Leibowitz and Richard Avedon.
I am glad to see you posting again.
Nightingale and I missed meeting you in Utah.
Moderator of the Technique Forum and Finishing School on Dgrin
Pathfinder, special thanks for the long and thoughtful comment. You are right that artificial light is the next frontier for me. A lot of shots can't be gotten with a flash, but then a lot can be improved. The idea of using a reflector is something I'll have to chew on. Maybe the real lesson is that after learning to see the composition when shooting, and after learning how to put one's subject at ease or shoot unobtrusively, the next thing to learn is how to look at the light while shooting and compensate somehow for it at shoot time (with a flash, reflector, exposure changes, change of angle, &etc.) That's a lot to think about at shoot time.
Often there is very little time to capture the person before impatience, annoyance, or self consciousness sets in. Often the first shot of a set is the best because the person's expression is by far the most important part of the shot. I had the opportunity to meet a famous ballet photographer, Costas, att Boston Ballet last spring. Google "ballet costas". He told me something that hit home: "Only show them you best stuff. If the dancers don't look good, throw the shot away." He was saying that shots that don't show perfect form should go in the trash. The sin qua non of ballet shots is that the subjects like the shots of themselves. I think something similar is true of these portraits. If they don't reveal something about the subject they are a waste of bits. If the subject doesn't like them, it's almost criminal to show them to others.
The real point is that photography is a very deep skill. There is always something to learn. It's taken me a long time to get the technique to get these shots. Jim and Sid have helped to identify some additional stuff to think about. After that, I'm sure there will be something else. If it were easy, everyone could do it..
Thanks again.
Lorna Feijoo - you've got some vignetting to fix there, and I feel she could use some more exposure.
Aunt Marry - well, I can't see the eyes so the shot is lost for me.
Track Meet - ditto on the eyes
Margaret - nice expression and light but the bg is awful, like a passport photo
Janet - nice! give me the other eye though, and it's perfect
Beate and Gabrielle - needs more exposure, more light on them. Feels flat.
EDIT: The post had sat in my dock for so long, I hadn't even seen waxy or pf's comments ...
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Thanks, Andy! I shared these pretty widely and one thing I noticed was that different people had very different responses (no surprise!) Lots of people loved ones that someone else singled out especially as not working and visa versa. In the end, I think that a photo collection has to work by having a lot (not necessarily the same ones) which appeal to everyone who looks. It seems inevitable that there will be a few (not necessarily the same few) which don't work for each viewer.
It's funny about Lorna Feijoo. I just love this shot exactly the way it is, but it does seem to be one that doesn't work for many other people. Maybe a lot of exposure to the dancers has given me a heightened sensitivity to their physical grace. She isn't trying very hard in this shot. In fact, she is really just "talking" about a video of Maya Plisetskaya performming the Dying Swan. But it's the beginning of a thought process that ended up with a killer performance 3 weeks later. I'll fix the vignetting and reprocess from raw and see if it works better. Somehow, though, I think it's appeal is personal.
I like the Track Meet and the Ballerina shots. The style applied to each one of them emphasises the subject matter. Excellent.
Ted Szukalski - Gallery of Digital Photography
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I love them all - you're a great talent!
Spasibo for posting them,
Yuri
Spasibo and double Spasibo, Yuri. It's a high compliment coming from you.
Antonio, you spoke for many of us ... so we didn't have much to say. I think what you said was positive and constructive. I hope rutt feels the same way.
Unsharp at any Speed
Absolutely! I've loved all the feedback I've gotten and it's all been very constructive. I should have thanked Antonio by name, but I wanted to wait for a little more feedback. By the time it came in, I was just thinking about the most recent few. So THANK YOU ANTONIO.
WOW! The 85 f1.2 is CRUSHING this background, obliterating it, all I can say is WOW! Annoying question...is this a Mk1 or MkII? I'm guessing a MkII because I don't remember seeing anything THIS sharp this close to wide open from the Mk I. I just can't get over what this thing is doing to those trees with THAT much saturation and contrast.
FWIW:
But I agree, it's a bitching piece of glass mounted on a great camera and in the hands of a very talented photographer:-)
Cheers!
I meant is the lens a Mk 1 or Mk II, and I almost didn't post as what I said smacked of equipment envy. There are VERY few pics I see posted that make the green eyed monster say I NEED that lens. I did not mean to take away in any respect from the fact that the photographer is fabulously talented.
Yeah, that 85 f/1.2 does this to ya, don' it?
And what an ideal combo with an FF body... Yum..:):
FYI it's Mk I. I bought a couple of years ago from Charles Richmond, a.k.a. CMR. It took me a while to grow into this lens. It's big and heavy and it has that slow non-USM focus. Until you get used to it, it's really easy to burn yourself with razor thin DOF. I have dozens of shots with one eye out of focus or the tip of the tip of the nose or eys but not both in focus. But now, it might be my very favorite of all. It's a killer for portraits.
Great photographs. Enjoyed the series very much. I personally like the Center Street Candid shot because of the boy's expression. I do agree with PF's observations though but I think you can address his concerns with some judicious cropping (top and right) and skin tone adjustments in post.
Erich