hesh1950 Loc: P.A.

Any comments will be greatly appreciated

(Download)

fuminous Loc: Luling, LA... for now...

Expressions are good... may I suggest the key light be raised a few inches and moved from camera left to camera right?

hesh1950 Loc: P.A.

Excellent idea. Thanks for the advice.

E.L.. Shapiro Loc: Ottawa, Ontario Canada

Hesh.

This one is more of a controlled portrait. Again the expression and relationship is there they are good attributes.

Here I can comment on the lighting. You ave used a "kicker" light, that is a kinda back light striking the subject at about 135 degrees or thereabout. This light gives you image lots of dimension and glamorized the subject's hair and accentuates the highlights on their facial features. I love kicker usage for those reasons.

The kicker, however, should come in from the same direction as the main light or you end with with a DISUNITY OF LIGHTING. This goes to the natural concept that we only have one sun and we are used to seeing things, in nature, with light coming from one direction. Having a unified lighting places more attention on the subject or subjects as the viewer's eyes do not move back and forth to find the brighter highlight areas.

Here's more- When a kicker light strikes the subject from more than 90 degrees, even if the main and the kicker are of the same output and the same distance- the kicker will appear brighter. This is an angle of incidence issue. "The angle of incidence is equal to the angle of reflection" is the mathematics and geometry but in practical terms, the greater the angle of a second or third light, off the camera/subject axis, the brighter it is likely to appear. Sometimes the kicker has to be diffused,powered down or "feathered" off in order that it accentuates the highlight just enough without calling too much attention to itself and remaining within the camera's dynamic range. I am gonna write a "book" about kicker and hair-lights etc.

In a portrait like yours, attention to detail is important so you have to watch for hands or fingers showing out from behind the subjects. Also a fade out or vignette at the bottom of the composition also goes to direct the viewer's eye at the subject's faces and expressions.
I would have liked to see their heads closer together.

Low key backgrounds sometimes need a bit more "color mass", that is, a tiny more- little bit of detail, contrast or texture- it gives the image more dimension- I will write a few tutorials on background usage and key as well.

I think your portraiture is moving in a great direction. Welcome- please keep on posting in this section!

blackest Loc: Ireland

I was looking for more on the kicker light but the usage seems different.

glyphtrix

The key light call nailed it.
The baby's in the lit zone perfectly! but the model's forehead is slightly darker than her cheeks which isn't so much "dramatic" as it is a bit harder on the eyes.
Other than that, nice work! Only saying so ' cause you asked for comments.

hesh1950 Loc: P.A.

Thank you all. I was looking for comments