I don't, as a rule, shoot people. I do on occasion shoot children at play or people working. On a recent photography workshop/trip, I was exposed to a LOT of people photography. It seemed everywhere we went, it was more important to photograph ladies hired to pose than it was to shoot the scenery. I mostly watched. It seemed to me they were making serious errors, but since they are portrait photographers and I am not, I decided I needed to learn from them. I'm posting my criticism of each of these shots, but I'd like to hear from y'all who do this type of thing what your thoughts are.
I've always hated dark shadows behind people and have done everything I could to avoid them. They CHOSE them, enhanced them.
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I have 2 issues with this pose. I find it horribly stiff, and the shadows on the wall both her own and the building's, terribly distracting.
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I saw this background as being VERY distracting and the pose very uncomfortable-looking. I look at this and ask, "why?"
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AzPicLady wrote:
I don't, as a rule, shoot people. I do on occasion shoot children at play or people working. On a recent photography workshop/trip, I was exposed to a LOT of people photography. It seemed everywhere we went, it was more important to photograph ladies hired to pose than it was to shoot the scenery. I mostly watched. It seemed to me they were making serious errors, but since they are portrait photographers and I am not, I decided I needed to learn from them. I'm posting my criticism of each of these shots, but I'd like to hear from y'all who do this type of thing what your thoughts are.
I don't, as a rule, shoot people. I do on occasio... (
show quote)
Yes, they could have helped the woman be more relaxed.
#1) I like. I don't love, but I like it.
#2) Ya, a no go. There is lots someone could have done, but the building shadow is really distracting. I would have her lean on the wall, arms crossed, in order to join the wall, model, and shadows.
#3) Those twisted rope beams ruin the shot. I don't know how I would fix it. Possibly less closeness (cropping) and a larger area might have been more pleasing.
#1 - I like the background. Like most of the shadow. Would like it better if it was cropped a little to eliminate lower area.
#2 - Needs to be lighter - probably use fill flash. Would have shot it a little tighter.
#3 - Background is indeed distracting to me. Shadows could be lighter. Overall, could be sharper.
Just the way I see them.
photophile wrote:
Yes, they could have helped the woman be more relaxed.
I have to admit that they did try some. But the women were sort of stiff. Some of us tried to find something they could be doing, but the workshop director didn't want that. Thanks for your comment.
Joe Blow wrote:
#1) I like. I don't love, but I like it.
#2) Ya, a no go. There is lots someone could have done, but the building shadow is really distracting. I would have her lean on the wall, arms crossed, in order to join the wall, model, and shadows.
#3) Those twisted rope beams ruin the shot. I don't know how I would fix it. Possibly less closeness (cropping) and a larger area might have been more pleasing.
#2, Joe, would you not have simply moved her forward into the sun? Or backward into the shadow?
#3, that was my thought. It seemed really busy. My thought was to move her around the column to where it was at least all one colour. But they seemed to really like all that busy. I looked at their shots later, and they looked just like mine.
I really appreciate your commenting.
sirlensalot wrote:
#1 - I like the background. Like most of the shadow. Would like it better if it was cropped a little to eliminate lower area.
#2 - Needs to be lighter - probably use fill flash. Would have shot it a little tighter.
#3 - Background is indeed distracting to me. Shadows could be lighter. Overall, could be sharper.
Just the way I see them.
So you DO like the harsh shadow behind her? That's interesting. And of course, cropping can always be done.
#2, I didn't see anyone using flash. We were outside in late afternoon sun. Part of the purpose of the shoot was to show the skirts that are a traditional costume.
#3. Sorry about the sharpness. That's my lens. It just isn't.
Thanks so much for your opinions.
IMO #1 would be so much better if the front of the model's face (nose to chin) didn't have to compete with the shadow. A space between the model and the shadow might make a better shot. #2 & 3 I do not like; too busy.
Sirius_one wrote:
IMO #1 would be so much better if the front of the model's face (nose to chin) didn't have to compete with the shadow. A space between the model and the shadow might make a better shot. #2 & 3 I do not like; too busy.
Thank you, Sirius. So you think if she were farther from the wall, the shadow would be ok? I'm glad to see you use the word busy. That was my reaction, particularly about the third one.
AzPicLady wrote:
Thank you, Sirius. So you think if she were farther from the wall, the shadow would be ok? I'm glad to see you use the word busy. That was my reaction, particularly about the third one.
When you put it that way, I think the diagonal shadow is ok but perhaps her shadow should not be on the wall at all.
I like the shadow in one. It adds interest to an otherwise fairly ordinary shot. Though I would have put a little more lateral space between the model and the shadow
In two I like the diagonal shadow on the wall but would crop out the model’s shadow.
Three is just not good for a number of reasons.
It’s obvious none of these women are professional models so the poses are all a bit stiff. It’s particularly noticeable in how they are holding their hands.
AzPicLady wrote:
I don't, as a rule, shoot people. I do on occasion shoot children at play or people working. On a recent photography workshop/trip, I was exposed to a LOT of people photography. It seemed everywhere we went, it was more important to photograph ladies hired to pose than it was to shoot the scenery. I mostly watched. It seemed to me they were making serious errors, but since they are portrait photographers and I am not, I decided I needed to learn from them. I'm posting my criticism of each of these shots, but I'd like to hear from y'all who do this type of thing what your thoughts are.
I don't, as a rule, shoot people. I do on occasio... (
show quote)
As for #1, while it is an intriging concept, the shortcoming, IMHO, is that the model's mouth and chin just morph into the shadow, so the value of the image as a portrait is lost. Just a few inches further left and the model's profile would have been nicely defined. But my opinion isn't worth much since I do landscapes.
This is coming from a person who doesn't do portraits so take it for what it's worth- I'm not a fan of any of the images posted. And what's with the first lady looking at the wall? I'm not a "it has to tell a story" person but in this case I would say if leader had set it up with the women doing something representative of their culture it would have had some meaning but to pose them awkwardly against the wall with distracting shadows doesn't do it. Seems more like material for "how not to do it". What a disappointing workshop this was.
Since I am a novice in portrait photography my input might not be great, but I like all of them the way they are.
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