manofhg Loc: Knoxville, TN

I finally was able to get back to the portrait. This time, I have posted with only LR tweaks, no Elements, just general light changes.

The first posting had blurring added as well as trying to darken the background which I still would like to remove, but wanted to post something closer to the original.

I appreciate everyone's critique earlier and now.

(Download)

pixbyjnjphotos Loc: Apache Junction,AZ

I am not a professional portrait photographer but I have learned a lot about some things to look for on the UHH. First, there is something red on the left side of the image in the background that is a little distracting. Possibly take care of by selecting the background and darken slightly and turn down the saturation slightly. Or, clone it out. I think you can make the existing background work. The lighting on the subjects right back might be a little bright for some people. There are reflections in both eyes - more prevalent in the subject's right eye. And, I would have had the subject take off the black lanyard, string, or whatever it is. I think that is the most distracting to me. Overall, the photo is very good. Color and focus are very good for a portrait - just right for my preferences. Hope this helps. Some others might have some better ideas. Keep up the good work and have a GREAT DAY!

manofhg Loc: Knoxville, TN

Thank you. Your comments help a lot. I'm just starting to learn about portraits and can use all the advice I can get. I'm not good with posing or light position for that matter. I can get camera settings and focused generally, remove stuff in the background and adjust lighting in LR, but setting up is trial and lots of error. In this post, I didn't remove the background, but that is my intention too.

CaptainC Loc: Colorado, south of Denver

Everything that follows is just my opinion. Feel free to take or ignore what you wish.

A "portait" is not just a picture of a person. A portrait means attention is paid to the position, attire,and posing of the subject, how light (artificial, natural, or mixed) falls on that subject, the background, and the processing/retouching of the image. Is it possible that a great portrait can be made without attention to these things? Yes, but that is more luck than skill.

Now to this image. Pretty decent, actually, but let's look at the details:
• That rim light on camera left, is a bit strong - not a huge error, but it could be brought down a bit. But only a LITTLE bit. I would have no problem leaving it a it is.
• The crop is awfully tight. A crop this tight can work, but here, it give very little context to the image and makes his head big. Bit more background and more shoulders would help a lot.
• His shoulders appear pretty much square to the camera. This can work if you are trying to make a male look more imposing, but as a general guideline, having the shoulders at a bit of an angle, is more flattering. And since you see so little of the shoulders, the reason for using him square t the camera does not work.
• Another general rule is that if there are two of something, do not make them level. A slight tilt to his head would put the eyes on different levels and is much less static than this pose.
• Someone implied that you remove the reflections in the eyes. That will give you dead eyes. I would INCREASE that reflection with the Dodge Tool - it is what gives life to a portrait.
• With few exceptions, portraits benefit form at least some minimal retouching. While we might not remove permanent features like moles and scars, we always want to get rid of transient stuff like pimples, shaving cuts, etc. Almost everyone benefits from removing or at least lightening, those dark areas right under the eyes.

manofhg Loc: Knoxville, TN

Thank you, Captian. You guys are giving me all sorts of stuff to think about and try next time. I think I could possibly improve the reflection in the eyes by just backing off the light source. Lowering the light from 45 to more level with his eyes would have helped brighten under his eyes too.

I was using a very old flash for the rim light (an old Vivitar that was my fathers). Unfortunately, I haven't found a way to adjust the intensity of the light and therefore put it across the room. Next time, if I use it at all, I will cover part of it to manually control the light output. The light in my umbrella is a Canon Speedlight 430EXii and very controllable.

Yes, the choice of clothing was just what he happened to have on and I agree the lanyard should have been removed or something worn over the shirt altogether would have been best. I need to learn body positioning too, obviously and now, thanks to you and others, I have some ideas to try the next time.