Some portraits (C&C please)

JakeEbersole · November 12, 2009

Looking for some constructive criticism.

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2.

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4.

Kinkajou · November 12, 2009

I'm still learning myself, but here's what I see:

1 - Nice, clean shot, good connection with the subject - I would work on white balance and saturation, it's just a little to warm in tone

2 - Another clean shot with nice light - I know not everyone is a fan of cropping out part of the top of the head, but I think that if it's done right, it can be nice... and in this case it might help keep our eyes on the subject's face (and lovely eyes) instead of wondering what her hair is doing

3 - Great eyes and cute expression - Lighting is a touch flat and a very slight vignette might help bring the viewer in a bit more

4 - Really nice shot - Looks like the flash was a little too strong and a slight vignette might help this one as well.

It looks like you do a great job of connecting with your subjects and really bringing focus to their eyes. Thanks for sharing!

JakeEbersole · November 13, 2009

Kinkajou wrote:

I'm still learning myself, but here's what I see:

1 - Nice, clean shot, good connection with the subject - I would work on white balance and saturation, it's just a little to warm in tone

2 - Another clean shot with nice light - I know not everyone is a fan of cropping out part of the top of the head, but I think that if it's done right, it can be nice... and in this case it might help keep our eyes on the subject's face (and lovely eyes) instead of wondering what her hair is doing

3 - Great eyes and cute expression - Lighting is a touch flat and a very slight vignette might help bring the viewer in a bit more

4 - Really nice shot - Looks like the flash was a little too strong and a slight vignette might help this one as well.

It looks like you do a great job of connecting with your subjects and really bringing focus to their eyes. Thanks for sharing!

Thank you. I'll try those suggestions.

Danny Bates · November 13, 2009

I haven't read anyone else's comments yet, so if I'm repeating anything that someone else has said, it's because I don't want my initial comments influenced by others.

Photo 1
I see more things done "right" than "wrong" (though I don't normally use those words this way). If hard light is what you were going for, it works, but I would suggest a tad more distance between him and the light source or adding some diffusion to soften that camera-right light just a bit.

Minor distractions (to me) are:
- the shadow, being cast forward, toward his face, near his hairline on the right side of the photo. He doesn't have thick hair there, so the shadow suggests the light from behind may be excessive or possibly unnecessary.
- the fist, directly below his chin competes for attention, distracting from his face. I know it's a semi-comfortable prop for a subject, but rarely find it creative or appealing, especially if the back of the hand is so visible and close to the face like it is in this photo.

Photo 2
Works, but doesn't feel professional or creative. I realize - not every photo has to be for the purpose of creating art, so this shot may perfectly suit the desired need. Personally, I prefer some degree of falloff as light hits the subject. The flash (camera right) might have brought out the eyes, but I think this would have been better without the flash and with a little subtractive lighting - such as finding some shade and letting the light sweep across your subject.

Photos 3 & 4
I like the fact that you are not over Photoshopping these. That suggests you truly care about the photos, not the toys you can play with after making the photos. Neither of these photos are something I would share as samples of my work though because they may demonstrate your lens' bokeh, but the lighting and compositions are less than impressive. These work for someone in the family, assuming it's your own family, not a family that is paying you to photograph them. I'm just being honest, not trying to be mean in any way.

I would also encourage you to avoid cropping and start paying more attention to the composition as you take the shot. It's much more impressive, in my opinion, when I see consistent sizes and aspect ratios than seeing a wild array of sizes and shapes.

In summary, I wouldn't have guessed the first photo was taken by the same person as the other three. The first one is on a totally different level than the others, so use that as your new starting point. Shadows are an important ingredient if you care to make art with your camera. If you aren't in it for the art, you may not need to change a thing. Your exposures and color are good. I would just challenge you to take it further. Study classical portraiture to learn how you can use light and shadows to make your photos more interesting.

I hope that helps.

Have an amazing day!

JakeEbersole · November 13, 2009

Danny Bates wrote:

I haven't read anyone else's comments yet, so if I'm repeating anything that someone else has said, it's because I don't want my initial comments influenced by others.

Photo 1
I see more things done "right" than "wrong" (though I don't normally use those words this way). If hard light is what you were going for, it works, but I would suggest a tad more distance between him and the light source or adding some diffusion to soften that camera-right light just a bit.

Minor distractions (to me) are:
- the shadow, being cast forward, toward his face, near his hairline on the right side of the photo. He doesn't have thick hair there, so the shadow suggests the light from behind may be excessive or possibly unnecessary.
- the fist, directly below his chin competes for attention, distracting from his face. I know it's a semi-comfortable prop for a subject, but rarely find it creative or appealing, especially if the back of the hand is so visible and close to the face like it is in this photo.

Photo 2
Works, but doesn't feel professional or creative. I realize - not every photo has to be for the purpose of creating art, so this shot may perfectly suit the desired need. Personally, I prefer some degree of falloff as light hits the subject. The flash (camera right) might have brought out the eyes, but I think this would have been better without the flash and with a little subtractive lighting - such as finding some shade and letting the light sweep across your subject.

Photos 3 & 4
I like the fact that you are not over Photoshopping these. That suggests you truly care about the photos, not the toys you can play with after making the photos. Neither of these photos are something I would share as samples of my work though because they may demonstrate your lens' bokeh, but the lighting and compositions are less than impressive. These work for someone in the family, assuming it's your own family, not a family that is paying you to photograph them. I'm just being honest, not trying to be mean in any way.

I would also encourage you to avoid cropping and start paying more attention to the composition as you take the shot. It's much more impressive, in my opinion, when I see consistent sizes and aspect ratios than seeing a wild array of sizes and shapes.

In summary, I wouldn't have guessed the first photo was taken by the same person as the other three. The first one is on a totally different level than the others, so use that as your new starting point. Shadows are an important ingredient if you care to make art with your camera. If you aren't in it for the art, you may not need to change a thing. Your exposures and color are good. I would just challenge you to take it further. Study classical portraiture to learn how you can use light and shadows to make your photos more interesting.

I hope that helps.

Have an amazing day!

Cool. Thank you! I'm still learning so every bit of help is greatly appreciated. You have a great day too.

Some portraits (C&C please)

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