Virgin Critique Post


slipdisq

New Member
Jul 22, 2010
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Singapore, Singapore
5411154174_682c3bb448_b.jpg


Hi all, this photo of my girlfriend was taken with my d7000 with 18-105 kit lens.
1/250 sec
f/8.0
ISO 100

1. in what area is critique to be sought?

Recently, I have taken an interest with portraiture and playing around with lighting. Got myself an SB700, a lightstand and an umbrella and jumped on the strobist bandwagon. Getting the equipment was one thing, but getting my technique right is another and that is the area in which i seek critique.

2. what one hopes to achieve with the piece of work?

I hope to improve not only my lighting technique, but also my composition and my "direction" of the model. In other words, I want to take better portraits, specifically with the fashion magazine feel.

3. under what circumstance is the picture taken? (physical conditions/emotions)

The photo was taken on a shady day with an overcast sky. Subject was lit with a single flash shot through an umbrella on camera right and as close as possible to model's face.

4. what the critique seeker personally thinks of the picture

Personally I think the photo is OK, but I can't help but keep wondering if a 2 light set up would have improved in it any way.
 

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Hmm... I am not much of a portrait photographer, but here's my thoughts -
1) "Empty" wall space to the left is very bland, does not serve much purpose to the composition.
2) I get the feel that she is being "pushed" against the wall by your camera, shying away from the flash you placed to the right?
3) Try these videos, very good tutorial -

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rP9pluWiGCE&feature=channel
 

Perhaps the head tilt is more than needed? Esp at this tilt, her nose is overpowering her right eye
 

Hmm... I am not much of a portrait photographer, but here's my thoughts -
1) "Empty" wall space to the left is very bland, does not serve much purpose to the composition.
2) I get the feel that she is being "pushed" against the wall by your camera, shying away from the flash you placed to the right?
3) Try these videos, very good tutorial -

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rP9pluWiGCE&feature=channel

Hi wxzhuo!

First of all, thanks for taking the time to view my post.

About the empty space, initially i framed it that way because i found the texture of the wall quite interesting :bsmilie: but now that u mentioned it, i think there might be too much of the wall in the picture.

With regards to being "pushed," i think its the pose.. or maybe shooting from a slightly higher angle might help?

Anyways, thanks for the link the informative video!

Perhaps the head tilt is more than needed? Esp at this tilt, her nose is overpowering her right eye

Hi rubberbands!

Thanks for pointing that out to me, will take note of it next time i get someone to pose. :)
 

hi, thanks for sharing.
i think you would benefit from another fill light on your model's right to lift up the shadows.
look at the shadow of her nose on her cheek and you would understand.
this can be done not only with another flsah but a reflector as well.
i know she's not a model but the subject looks stiff, try to loosen her up before the shot or you could try to make her laugh then snap when she's not concentrating on trying to make the shot. it works better when she does not anticipate the shutter being depressed.
her hair can do with some touch up especially the fringe.
since you have already shot in landscape mode and you like your composition, you can add in some words or title in the left of the pic like a centerfold of a magazine, you get the drift.
lastly, a portrait photographer needs to do some basic PP like touching up of blemishes, whitening of teeth to bring out the subject.
keep shooting and all the best.:thumbsup:
 

I think if the lighting is improved, this can be a nice shot.

The lighting is just too diffused and bland. Go for a stronger lighting to create more contrast on the wall. That will make the picture a lot more interesting.
 

Hi u guys,

Sorry for the super late reply and thank so much for dropping by.

hi, thanks for sharing.
i think you would benefit from another fill light on your model's right to lift up the shadows.
look at the shadow of her nose on her cheek and you would understand.
this can be done not only with another flsah but a reflector as well.
i know she's not a model but the subject looks stiff, try to loosen her up before the shot or you could try to make her laugh then snap when she's not concentrating on trying to make the shot. it works better when she does not anticipate the shutter being depressed.
her hair can do with some touch up especially the fringe.
since you have already shot in landscape mode and you like your composition, you can add in some words or title in the left of the pic like a centerfold of a magazine, you get the drift.
lastly, a portrait photographer needs to do some basic PP like touching up of blemishes, whitening of teeth to bring out the subject.
keep shooting and all the best.:thumbsup:

Alpina, thats exactly what i was thinking, if using a reflector to fill in the shadows would have improved the photo.

About the posing of the "model," I too think that's something i really need to improve on. When i looked back at the series of photos, the "candid" ones indeed look better!

I did adjust the levels but didn't do any touch ups coz my lightroom trial version has expired :bsmilie:. Will see what i can do with captureNX trial version..

I think if the lighting is improved, this can be a nice shot.

The lighting is just too diffused and bland. Go for a stronger lighting to create more contrast on the wall. That will make the picture a lot more interesting.

That was what i had in mind really, create contrast to show the texture of the wall. But i was afraid that a more contrasty light would be unflattering to the "model's" face.. :sweat:
 

TS, why not placing the light at the right 45 degrees of her. And raising the lightstand above her head and tilt a little downwards. Perhaps the one light setup you have is just enough.

For this composition, it's a good attempt, but for me, a tighter crop would be better.

Or turn it to B&W and pump u the contrast ?
 

Hi u guys,

Sorry for the super late reply and thank so much for dropping by.



Alpina, thats exactly what i was thinking, if using a reflector to fill in the shadows would have improved the photo.

About the posing of the "model," I too think that's something i really need to improve on. When i looked back at the series of photos, the "candid" ones indeed look better!

I did adjust the levels but didn't do any touch ups coz my lightroom trial version has expired :bsmilie:. Will see what i can do with captureNX trial version..

Great, I'm glad you managed to figure out how to improve further.
Take it a step at a time and all the best, hope to see more works.
 

TS, why not placing the light at the right 45 degrees of her. And raising the lightstand above her head and tilt a little downwards. Perhaps the one light setup you have is just enough.

For this composition, it's a good attempt, but for me, a tighter crop would be better.

Or turn it to B&W and pump u the contrast ?

Hey there, thanks for the tip, will try a higher light position next time.



Anyways, got a lil bored at home and couldnt sleep, so i did some editing on captureNX. Touched up her face a bit, and increased the contrast on the background to bring out the texture of the wall. Plus, i tightened the crop. What do you guys think? I think i went overboard with the contrast, lol.

DSC_1798_copy.jpg
 

Hi Friend

You are so kind. Thanks. :)

So nice critique and good video tutorial as well.

Regards
Gokul.
 

Composition looks better with a tighter crop, higher contrast revealed more details - making the photo more interesting.
But the higher contrast also brought out very harsh shadows. Sadly, that will require a lot of time and mad pp skills to fix...
 

I think it will be perfect if you focus on her left eye.