2nd shot at senior pics

KTBoom2006-E510 · May 25, 2008

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jeffreaux2 · May 25, 2008

MUCH MUCH better than the first attempt. You have taken all that heavy criticism and made a huge improvment. I like #9 the best. I am partial to portraits taken in shade...as well as frame filling faces.

On the whole, these are much much sharper....and while the highlights and shadows are controlled better, I still think you chose some challenging light to work under....as the sunlight still seems quite harsh.

You handled it very well though.
Good job!

KTBoom2006-E510 · May 25, 2008

jeffreaux2 wrote:

MUCH MUCH better than the first attempt. You have taken all that heavy criticism and made a huge improvment. I like #9 the best. I am partial to portraits taken in shade...as well as frame filling faces.

On the whole, these are much much sharper....and while the highlights and shadows are controlled better, I still think you chose some challenging light to work under....as the sunlight still seems quite harsh.

You handled it very well though.
Good job!

Thanks, that makes me feel a lot better. Criticism is really hard not to take to heart, but I tried to think it was to help me... I really like # 3, but can't get her color/tone right... I have tried everything I know in light room to correct it, but can't get it...

BUT THANKS!

jeffreaux2 · May 25, 2008

KTBoom2006-E510 wrote:

Thanks, that makes me feel a lot better. Criticism is really hard not to take to heart, but I tried to think it was to help me... I really like # 3, but can't get her color/tone right... I have tried everything I know in light room to correct it, but can't get it...

BUT THANKS!

Zoom in on #3 in lightroom and try using the reflection...of your reflector in her eye as a white point. Might not help, but....?

It appears that there maybe some color reflecting off nearby surfaces?

Anyway...

It seemed to me that the critiques in the first try were all helpful for the most part...and...again...it appears you learned a good deal from it. Good job.

Azurite · May 26, 2008

Katie, I'm by no means a professional... let's just get that out of the way... but I did see your other senior shots, and this session is a huge improvement to my eyes. Good on you for being tenacious. Pride & sloth ruin improvement. And you put your pride aside and went out and grabbed some great improvements! Here are my humble C&C:

#1 I like it .... the composition, angle, colors, & the pose turns her body in a favorable/pleasing pose. The lighting looks too strong though... the squint takes away from the focal point of "smiling" eyes. Do you have a light diffuser - even a white umbrella or canopy would've helped.
#2 Nice pose but harsh lighting gives distracting shadows under her eyes (looking raccoonish) and under her neck.
# 3 you say this is your favorite... do you think a reflector would've helped with the color and reduced shadows? Twist her shoulders/frame would make it better, I think.
#4 & #5 I don't care for - too squared off with the camera. I know it's hard to be comfortable in front of a camera when you're not a model... but these 2 poses don't do her justice. Her frame is not positioned right so it makes her look bulkier than she really is (as compared to #10 where she looks natural).

#6 has great color! Shadows from strong light are distracting though. Pose is improved by leaving space between her arm and torso, a bit stiff though. I'd try more shots at this location and try a few more poses. Great potential.

#8 Sorry to say so directly, but I don't like one. The shadows are gone, but the image looks flat. And the colors & lighting don't make this stand out. The pose is bad. She could've turned a bit sideways, with one knee raised & bended, rested her arms on the knee to position her body so that her arms do NOT make her trunk look bigger than reality. Maybe you stand on a ladder and angle down on her to look up at you for a more interesting pose? She's a pretty girl, show her at her best.
#9 nice close up.... too much green light bounced from the landscaping giving off bad color though. Reflector would've bounced light to help with color and given bigger catch lights in her eyes. Maybe zoom out and not crop the top of her head? Maybe tilt the chin down a bit more to give chin more definition with shadowing?
#10 My favorite of the bunch!! I like the casualness and genuine smile... she finally looks at ease. But this may sound picky.. you needed to angle the camera down to get her left hand fully in frame and not so much brick overhead.... rosy cheeks tell me it was a warm day, and this may sound weird but the "tie dye" type of shirt gives off the impression of sweaty armpits.... see the dark circles under her arms? I know it's the shirt but I first thought she just finished a jog, especially with rosy cheeks. A solid color would've been better. I'd really explore this one again, you're on to something good with this location & pose!
Keep up the good work and let's see what you get on your next round!

KTBoom2006-E510 · May 26, 2008

Azurite wrote:

Katie, I'm by no means a professional... let's just get that out of the way... but I did see your other senior shots, and this session is a huge improvement to my eyes. Good on you for being tenacious. Pride & sloth ruin improvement. And you put your pride aside and went out and grabbed some great improvements! Here are my humble C&C:

#1 I like it .... the composition, angle, colors, & the pose turns her body in a favorable/pleasing pose. The lighting looks too strong though... the squint takes away from the focal point of "smiling" eyes. Do you have a light diffuser - even a white umbrella or canopy would've helped.
#2 Nice pose but harsh lighting gives distracting shadows under her eyes (looking raccoonish) and under her neck.
# 3 you say this is your favorite... do you think a reflector would've helped with the color and reduced shadows? Twist her shoulders/frame would make it better, I think.
#4 & #5 I don't care for - too squared off with the camera. I know it's hard to be comfortable in front of a camera when you're not a model... but these 2 poses don't do her justice. Her frame is not positioned right so it makes her look bulkier than she really is (as compared to #10 where she looks natural).

#6 has great color! Shadows from strong light are distracting though. Pose is improved by leaving space between her arm and torso, a bit stiff though. I'd try more shots at this location and try a few more poses. Great potential.

#8 Sorry to say so directly, but I don't like one. The shadows are gone, but the image looks flat. And the colors & lighting don't make this stand out. The pose is bad. She could've turned a bit sideways, with one knee raised & bended, rested her arms on the knee to position her body so that her arms do NOT make her trunk look bigger than reality. Maybe you stand on a ladder and angle down on her to look up at you for a more interesting pose? She's a pretty girl, show her at her best.
#9 nice close up.... too much green light bounced from the landscaping giving off bad color though. Reflector would've bounced light to help with color and given bigger catch lights in her eyes. Maybe zoom out and not crop the top of her head? Maybe tilt the chin down a bit more to give chin more definition with shadowing?
#10 My favorite of the bunch!! I like the casualness and genuine smile... she finally looks at ease. But this may sound picky.. you needed to angle the camera down to get her left hand fully in frame and not so much brick overhead.... rosy cheeks tell me it was a warm day, and this may sound weird but the "tie dye" type of shirt gives off the impression of sweaty armpits.... see the dark circles under her arms? I know it's the shirt but I first thought she just finished a jog, especially with rosy cheeks. A solid color would've been better. I'd really explore this one again, you're on to something good with this location & pose!
Keep up the good work and let's see what you get on your next round!

Thanks...

For the equipment you suggested to be used, I don't have any. I literally am just starting out with this as a hobby. I don't get paid anything, and will be doing it for free until I get comfidence in my work. I am hoping to get a flash sometime this summer. I DO HAVE reflectors, which were used in the pictures. That is what helped improve the "racoon eyes". but it was harsh sun, that's for sure. It was tough, but the client is very happy as she don't see the little stuff. but I will def. be working on improving every time I go out for pictures.

I will post some more of # 10

KTBoom2006-E510 · May 26, 2008

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KTBoom2006-E510 · May 26, 2008

# 4 has not been processed

super star · May 26, 2008

Claps 2
Hi Katie,

You made me to feel good.. and what lovely improments in every shots...

Good keep it up

Before starting my critique.. i have one question to you...

What makes you to take a photoshoot when sun is very harsh.. mid afternoon?? Please take a note of Golden hours followed photography and user friendly SUN:D at early morning and early evening...it reduce your work very much...

#1 Good POV... centered face makes your image less interesting..shadows managed well on face but you did't show us only face... keep that also in your mind...i'm saying this since you are taking portraits( shadows counts..) center part of image slightly exposed... nice BG. By crop this image you can make a better change in your composition.

#2 Classic composition.... Good focus, Nice colors but hard light and shadows makes picture bit dull...

#3 Coming to your favorite one...good composition and interesting BG.. yes, you are right..skin tone is missing ...very harsh light... I think your model is too tried by your experiments

even my friends kicked me..lots of times becoz.. for one shot i will take more then 45 mins and more.. they will get angry but i will never compromise.

#4 I like this one... good protrait pose... and good focus... light and shadows not much managed well...

#5 This one is my favorite .... beautiful composition and great smile which is reflects in you BG flowers.. well done ( this shot makes me to forget about light and shadow...)

# 6 Nice shot and the same thing which i told you earlier.. have concentrate... nice composition if you crop top a bit. and colors...

#7 and #8 nothing much to say...Nice..

#9 I can say.. this is one of your best shot... beautifully done and focused well... this is your true portrait. I personally will add little sharpness to bring more..skin tone...

#10 Absolutely awesome.... very good shot.. need bit crop @ top.

-Super star:davidto

super star · May 26, 2008

super star · May 26, 2008

photogmomma · May 26, 2008

I know I didn't comment on the first set, but you had so much good feedback I didn't feel I could add much! These are MUCH better!

I would avoid the bright sunlight if at all possible. I dont' know what equipment you have, but it doesn't sound like much. And honestly, you don't need much! I absolutely LOVE taking photos with the least amount I can. One book I would highly recommend is "Natural Light Photography" by Douglas Allen Box. (I may have the name of the book wrong.) He gives you GREAT advice for taking really wonderful natural light photos....

For example, if you're in a really bright situation (as it seems you were), you can find a location that has an overhang and shade from the sun. A porch, for example, Then have the subject sit at about 60 degrees from the wall and voila, gorgeous lighting! You have something like when she's leaning against the wall. If you look at her face, about 30% of her face is darker than the rest - a very flattering look!

The problem with those photos is simply the processing. They are a little too flat. I took my favorite of the photos and cropped it (way too much at the top - and I'd try to prevent yourself from cropping off limbs - try to include her hands or whatever) and did a few different processes to it. Let me know if you need me to take 'em down!

The first one I adjusted the color slightly (it's not quite right, but it's a little more flattering to me - might be too yellow, though) and I punched the contrast a bit (it's hard on smaller photos to get it done well).

The second one I did in B&W. In this shot, I think it's far more obvious that a fill flash would do wonders. Do you have a pop up flash even? One you can dial back so it's just doing fill? If so, definitely explore that. Or look for a cheap one. That will fill the eyes and give that little bit of sparkle. I think that might fill more of the face a little more, though, and give you an even more flattering look. In my processing, I think the exposure could be bumped a bit, but it would get blown out - yours may not, though, in the original. I think the skin tones need to be a tad darker in mine.

Just playing around with Hanne Split Tone - this is one of my favorite presets in LR. (email me if you'd like it - andi@tippiepics.com). A fill flash would have done wonders with this- she's so cute! Sparkles in the eyes would have been wonderful. Anyway, I like the gritty edge to this one...

And playing around with another one - Matt's Bleach Bypass. A bit softer and I think it looks really nice on her face. It's less obvious that no fill was used and I like how her eyes look in this.

When you find a shot you like, but you can't get the color you want, try different processes to see what they look like. #3 in the first set is way too blown and that's why the color doesn't look great. Try it in B&W and see what you get. (It's an okay shot, but you have many other better ones, IMHO!)

Wonderful job! Keep it up!!!

photogmomma · May 26, 2008

super star wrote:

Love this processing! Care to share what you did? (And that's my favorite shot, too!

)

super star · May 26, 2008

photogmomma wrote:

Love this processing! Care to share what you did? (And that's my favorite shot, too! )

thank you soo much.... photogmomma

I just tried to add combination of movie 300 and lomo effect....:D

KTBoom2006-E510 · May 26, 2008

thanks for the tips everyone! And I love when someone plays around with my photos.

The reason for the time of day is b/c that is what she, client, could do. I agreed to it b/c I wanted to see how we could do with the reflectors. They did help, but not like a fill flash could've. I have 3 more "free" seniors to do, which are ppl I know... so more practice will help!

Any comments on the other pics I posted later?

KTBoom2006-E510 · May 26, 2008

super star wrote:

thank you soo much.... photogmomma

I just tried to add combination of movie 300 and lomo effect....:D

What program do you use?

super star · May 26, 2008

how is it ??

Unnessary highlights and shadows removed....image bit sharpend... and finally cropped:D

How is it ?

-Super star :davidto

super star · May 26, 2008

KTBoom2006-E510 wrote:

What program do you use?

Photoshop

goofry · May 26, 2008

Since I commented on the first set, I feel like I should comment on your followup.

First off, very nice job taking the constructive critiques and applying them. You have shown a lot of improvement in this short time. The reflector certainly helped in some of the shots as I can even see a little catchlight in her eyes in a few shots.

#1 I like. You've heard enough about the high sun and harsh light, so I will comment more on how well you posed and composed this image.

#3 Nice pose, work on the angle a little bit.

#9 I really like. Just a little post processing work and this is a real keeper.

#10 Another nice one.

Overall, good job. With a little work in PP you have some good shots.

When you can, try to pickup a flash. I use a flash in combination with reflectors to open up the faces and get some light in the eyes. I must say, eyes are what usually make the picture for me.

Once again, great improvement in a short time. I look forward to some more of your work.

Jeff

KTBoom2006-E510 · May 27, 2008

goofry wrote:

Since I commented on the first set, I feel like I should comment on your followup.

First off, very nice job taking the constructive critiques and applying them. You have shown a lot of improvement in this short time. The reflector certainly helped in some of the shots as I can even see a little catchlight in her eyes in a few shots.

#1 I like. You've heard enough about the high sun and harsh light, so I will comment more on how well you posed and composed this image.

#3 Nice pose, work on the angle a little bit.

#9 I really like. Just a little post processing work and this is a real keeper.

#10 Another nice one.

Overall, good job. With a little work in PP you have some good shots.

When you can, try to pickup a flash. I use a flash in combination with reflectors to open up the faces and get some light in the eyes. I must say, eyes are what usually make the picture for me.

Once again, great improvement in a short time. I look forward to some more of your work.

Jeff

Thank you so much! I really am enjoying taking pictures... I have 3 more seniors, 1 family portrait and 2 weddings in 1 year. So a lot to look forward to.

Azurite · May 29, 2008

super star wrote:

Unnessary highlights and shadows removed....image bit sharpend... and finally cropped:D

How is it ?

-Super star :davidto

I, too, like this one the best... it's a really pretty shot. I like how Superstar enhanced her skin and eyes. Which tool did you use to remove the blown out spots on hr face? Clone? Healing tool? If so, what is the trick to matching the original skin texture? My attempts are too harsh.

PS: But I personally liked how the blurred trees and flowers framed her face with color before cropped. I'd leave it un-cropped.

KTBoom2006-E510 · May 29, 2008

Azurite wrote:

I, too, like this one the best... it's a really pretty shot. I like how Superstar enhanced her skin and eyes. Which tool did you use to remove the blown out spots on hr face? Clone? Healing tool? If so, what is the trick to matching the original skin texture? My attempts are too harsh.

PS: But I personally liked how the blurred trees and flowers framed her face with color before cropped. I'd leave it un-cropped.

Here is MY final version... I used the clone tool and just dragged the circle around her face until I found a spot that just dissappeared. But anyways, this is what we chose.

KTBoom2006-E510 · May 29, 2008

KTBoom2006-E510 wrote:

Here is MY final version... I used the clone tool and just dragged the circle around her face until I found a spot that just dissappeared. But anyways, this is what we chose.

This is also her true skin tone, so I kept it lighter

2nd shot at senior pics

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