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First Portrait Attempt
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Theres more to come, but this is the first of them i edited tonight.
Spent the day with a friend who does a little modelling in Dublin. Was the maiden voyage of my Sigma 70-200mm f2.8 and I was hugely impressed with the results! I know its far from perfect and i have some that are better composed byt this is the first edit i did tonight.
any feedback is welcome.1/180, f2.8, ISO100, 110mm External Flash Fired
1.
1/180, f.2.8, ISO100, 200mm, External Flash Fired
2.
1/180, f.2.8, ISO100, 200mm, External Flash Fired
small and quick edit in photoshop to give it a 1940’s style glamour shot feel to it.
3.1/250, f.2.8, ISO100, 110mm, External Flash Fired
1/250, f.2.8, ISO100, 100mm, External Flash Fired
5.1/180, f.8, ISO100, 35mm, External Flash Fired
6.Nice set. I find the backround a little distracting in the first one, but the lighting on the model is good. Her hair has lovely shading to it and I like the markings around her eye. I like the soft focus and this one is my fav. I normally like selective colouring but think that her eyes look just a little too red even though they are brown. I do like the composition. The B&W conversions are really nice.
I’d normally not leave the eyes but i thought i’d give them a try :) though i was happy with how well the tattoos showed up, with no major clipping on the image or sharp edges.
The background in the first is distracting so i think i’ll have to work on blurring it a little. I only learned how to softly blur the picture later on in the day so thats something for me to do :)
thank you for the comments i love the 3rd and 4th the most personally :)Added a 5th that I edited today. out of around 198 pictures only about 50 were badly lit or issues with misfired flash.
Did a slight edit to the background in the first one to soften it and defocus it, i think it looks better all round, hope you agree :)
#1 Much better :D she really pops out now.
#5 is really good too. I find myself going back to that one alot. :D
I like the edit of the last one.They are really good for your first attempt. I am pretty sure someone with experience will comment soon enough ;o)
I was giving the 6th one a kinda 1940’s WWII burlesque feel and it just reminded me of images i’d see in movies and such for the Burlesque Shows in Paris :)
She was modeling handmade hats for her sister in the second half of the shots we took. Originally she was doing me a favor for portraits for my portfolio but her very artsy sister got involved and it turned into a fun shoot. I end up B&W converting them as i just feel they suit better though the first color one is excellent.
Thanks for the positive feedback and the ideas for changes.Just thought I’d throw in my 2 cents on this one
The background appears to be a bit too busy but seems to work in the last shot as its brought into context and seems to suit the look I think you were going for.The lighting however lets them down. While the model is well lit, it seems a little too flat. I would tend to use off camera flash for this kind of shoot to give it a bit of life and impact.
I’m also not a huge fan of selective colour. I think its a fad that thankfully is beginning to disappear.Just my 2 cents, hope i didn’t offend!
Was sure I replied earlier.
I agree about the background, it seemed like a good idea at the time, but when I got home and had them up on the bigger screen I found them busy and a little distracting. A solid white background would have been far better.
The lighting was a little, well, terrible, all I had was a 20 year old flash and an owner who had no idea how to use it :) I just had to fiddle around with it to get it set up right.
And as for the selective color, I dont normally do it, but I do it just to highlight tattoos on people who have them :)
Nope you didnt offend I appreciate all creative feedback.Im considering buying a set of reflectors do you think they’d have improved it anymore? Any other hints that could improve my compositing and lighting?
The reflectors will definitely help but before you invest why not just use some shiny White cardboard to see if it will help what you are trying to achieve.
Also if your flash has a tilt head , try bounce it off the ceiling for a more natural looking light.Hey Dave,
For a first attempt at portraits these are pretty good. Compositionally they are pretty decent. As mentioned above, I think it’s the lighting that lets you down mostly. They do look quite flat. If you do want to do a lot of flash based photography then it would be well worth investing in a Speedlight like the SB800/900 or whatever your cameras equivalent unit is if you don’t shoot Nikon.
They really do add a whole new dimension to your shots.
For me 5 and 6 are the best of the bunch. I think 6 has the most promise but you could maybe have looked for more imaginative angles. Maybe you did and haven’t posted them. I like the use of the chair and bookcase as props. This shot also might look interesting with less Sepia and more of a muted warm colour.
Anyway…I’ll leave it at that for now…don’t want t be exhausting myself with my first crit in a long time ;-)
No tilt head on my flash or i definitely would have done that.
Thanks Expresbro, if that is your real name… :)
This was the first time i did any work at all with a flash bar the built in one, and i found it 100% better then the built in one. Even being 20+ years old and lacking the tilt head i think it did a bang up job.
The bookcase and “piano” chair were in the room already and just happened to shoot next the bookcase. I’d originally not planned using it but after a landscape picture i did to test the settings i seen it and though it should be used. Unfortunately I dont have many more imaginative angles. I’m a little stiff but closer to the end i got more into it, but was mostly close up shots of the face with the 50mm. My wider angle lens isnt great so my overall flexibility with the body shots was limited.
I spent a good while on 5 and 6 last night, and by far they are my favorites. I distressed 6 alot more then it was originally, on the advice of a friend and it really stood out. I like the idea of the muted warmer colors and i’ll work my way back around to it, or another like it and give that a try to :)I very much appreciate you breaking your silence on critiquing for me :) I cant learn if people dont share their ideas and opinions :)
Sorry Dave..it’s Robbie…forgot to mention that at the bottom ;-)
It’s not a critiquing silence really…just a silence..*L*..Haven’t been taking an active part around here for a long time. So thought it was time I started again. Whether that’s a good or a bad thing..who knows yet ;-)
Totally agree on the people commenting thing. I learned so much from this site over the years and mostly from getting advice and critique (not always what i hoped to hear..but usually honest) and from looking at what other photographers were doing.
oh and yeah..I stopped using my built in flash a long time ago…emergency use only..and even then only if there is zero ambient light.
Anyway..look forward to checking out some more of your portrait work soon.
Cheers
Robbie
Thanks Robbie the input helps alot, and gives me something to keep myself busy :) i rarely if never used the built in flash. but i really have to invest in a better one, mine was a gift and like i said, OLD! Im looking to pick up a sync cord and a new lens I seen a few deals I just have to find out which is the better flash and then find somewhere that delivers to ireland :)
i look forward to having more shots done soon to.It Free to use the sun as a Natural Light..the closer to the window the highlight getting brighter, the further way the softer light you get!..
Try the side face rather than the light into the whole face! Here’s the photo I did from the window and NO flash (I learned to hate Flash)
If do it at night time, use the flash bounce to the ceiling on the left or right and NOT in the middle cos give flat face.Left or right would give interesting shadow and if the shadow are too dark, use the reflectors.
Great Poses by the way!
Excellent picture Johnny. I love the highlight on the babys face :)
Yeah the problem with bouncing was the flash doesnt have an adjustable head so it was straight on or, straight on! I have been shopping around tonight and settled on a Canon flash with a tilt though will be a while before i can afford it.
The window idea is very good, problem was we were restricted with room so the window wasnt really an option. But i’ll note it down and definitely use it next time. if i can get an image like yours i’d be very very proud!
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