Ready for the Homecoming dance

Shane422

My niece was in town visiting and wanted pictures in her homecoming dress. I was extremely happy with the catchlights. I'm usually doing toddlers and babies, so it was nice to have a model that sat still for a change. The background annoys me a bit though. It is a white muslin that I was blowing out, but I turned off the background lights just to try something different.

The lighting was an Alienbee B400 in a brolly box as the main about 3 ft away (Camera left), a reflector for fill, and a SB600 on a optical slave as a hairlight. This is the second time I got to use the new Elinchrom Skyport triggers, and I really like them.

photogmomma

#3 is stunning!

#2 is nice, but looks green. I'm also not big on the diffuse light filter on it, but maybe it's just me...

#1 is nice, but I just love #3 where her personality really seems to be coming through!

Shane422

I probably should have mentioned that in #2 I was playing with a 50% sepia look.

photogmomma

Shane422 wrote:

I probably should have mentioned that in #2 I was playing with a 50% sepia look.

You may want to change your sepia - it looks more green than brownish to me.... Of course, I haven't calibrated recently so it may just be me! (I've been known to be way off!)

Elaine

LOVE #3! #2 does look a bit green to me, too, but I like the shot. #1 is nice, but I prefer the others.

Scott_Quier

FWIW with above comments. Adding to that, I think you did a wonderful job with the lighting on #1. Would have loved to see 3/4 or full-length shots as well - you say she wanted some pictures of the dress...

Grainbelt

Odd question, as I'm not much of a portrait taker. #1 and #3 have the top of her head cropped off. I assume this was intentional - this a common technique, personal decision, used to highlight the face? Certainly brings out the facial expressions. Nice shots

Shane422

I do have a full length and 3/4 shot, but I was not happy enough with them to share them. I find that my head shots are much sharper than full length, so I tend to keep more of them. But here is one that is OK. But I do have a habit of cropping down to the face. Just personal preference, and a lack of satisfaction with my ability to capture crisp pictures at full length.

Seneca

photogmomma wrote:

#3 is stunning!

#2 is nice, but looks green. I'm also not big on the diffuse light filter on it, but maybe it's just me...

#1 is nice, but I just love #3 where her personality really seems to be coming through!

Agree...perhaps Kickers would've helped a little.

Mrs F

You have a gorgeous niece!

#1 I think most people have one eye that's slightly bigger than the other, but either the lighting or the angle of her face might be exaggerating the look in the photo. A 7/8 view with her smaller eye closest to the camera would make her eyes appear closer to the same size.

#2 I agree with what others have said about the color (but of course she's adorable anyway)

#3 is brilliant...I love her expression.

Kari

Travis

#3 is one of the best portraits that I have seen in sometime.

Mitchell

#3 is fantastic!

What a dynamic portrait.