From couple weeks ago
Feb 5, 2018 12:42:40 #
Had more time to set these up all except barn shot
Feb 5, 2018 17:26:59 #
Hangman, nice images of whoever the subject is.
I like the colorful dimension and festive look added by the string of letters and the balloons!
Was this an event shoot? I ask because if so, then they are for someone else and technically you are in the position of a pro whether you were paid or not.
First for me is the harsh light, it’s hard to control. I’m on my phone but I’m seeing small areas of blowout on her face which makes the scene an HDR scene, not to be confused with HDR Photography. You were obviously using multiple locations, as the shadows change sides.
It would be better to find an area on the edge of shade and bounce the light back in but in a more controlled manner, or use a large scrim and light with flash etc. Both would likely require an assistant.
in #3 the barn is perfectly exposed at the expense of the subject. That’s why hand held meters are used on the important areas of the photograph. Or use the spot meter in the camera but most cameras can’t meter a specific spot without recomposing like the pro cameras can.
Of course I’m nitpickibg because I’m sure SHE was happy with them!
We can’t depend on our customer not being hurt by what they don’t know, I feel we must deliver the goods whether our customers understand them or not, which is why I’m such an advocate of not using only as much camera as our customer allows us to get away with!! Nice job, let’s see what the boss has to say!!
SS
SS
I like the colorful dimension and festive look added by the string of letters and the balloons!
Was this an event shoot? I ask because if so, then they are for someone else and technically you are in the position of a pro whether you were paid or not.
First for me is the harsh light, it’s hard to control. I’m on my phone but I’m seeing small areas of blowout on her face which makes the scene an HDR scene, not to be confused with HDR Photography. You were obviously using multiple locations, as the shadows change sides.
It would be better to find an area on the edge of shade and bounce the light back in but in a more controlled manner, or use a large scrim and light with flash etc. Both would likely require an assistant.
in #3 the barn is perfectly exposed at the expense of the subject. That’s why hand held meters are used on the important areas of the photograph. Or use the spot meter in the camera but most cameras can’t meter a specific spot without recomposing like the pro cameras can.
Of course I’m nitpickibg because I’m sure SHE was happy with them!
We can’t depend on our customer not being hurt by what they don’t know, I feel we must deliver the goods whether our customers understand them or not, which is why I’m such an advocate of not using only as much camera as our customer allows us to get away with!! Nice job, let’s see what the boss has to say!!
SS
SS
Feb 5, 2018 18:11:15 #
I am always trying to improve but basically if customer is happy I am happy. The barn shot was just stop on side of road on took three shots matrix metering probably would have been better spot metering on subject.
Feb 6, 2018 09:28:47 #
berchman
Loc: South Central PA
Hangman, I would suggest researching posing so as to make people look slimmer.
Feb 6, 2018 21:43:03 #
berchman wrote:
Hangman, I would suggest researching posing so as to make people look slimmer.
She wants pics to look truthful she has had multiple tv shows and she understands that reality is what it is she is happy with the way she looks.
Feb 8, 2018 03:07:00 #
hangman45 wrote:
She wants pics to look truthful she has had multiple tv shows and she understands that reality is what it is she is happy with the way she looks.
I don't think Berchman is talking about being untruthful, it's just about looking flattering. All women want to look flattering. My experience tells me that the least flattering pose is from the front. Most women are the least curvy from the front. There are exceptions but they are few. Our job as photographers is to exploit the strengths of our customers and mitigate their shortcomings. I'm NOT talking PS, I'm talking camera angles and flattering poses. We probably can't control the clothes but we can control the pose that looks best for that clothing.
Of course, I'm only giving experienced suggestions. I tell my models that they can't do anything wrong but some poses will definitely be more flattering than others!!!
SS
Feb 8, 2018 16:36:36 #
This is a very good opportunity to discuss aesthetics in portraiture, the questions, ethics and philosophies of beauty, flattery, authenticity, realism, fantasy and the role of the photographer.
In advanced or professional portrait photography we are concerned with going beyond “snapshots”, identification photos, or mass produced “portraits” like school pictures and some of the pictures that are produced in department store, supermarket and shopping mall studios. I am not suggesting any kind of snobbery, there is nothing essentially wrong with any of of the aforementioned but generally speaking they are not particularly artistic or creative in content and the quality is sometimes good enough but not outstanding.
I can't speak for every professional portraitist or advanced worker but in my own practice which has spanned over 50 years, I have seldom encountered a client who wanted an unflattering image of themselves. I can't remember anyone ever coming to my studio, plunking down there money and saying “...never mind all that fancy stuff just let it all hang out... warts and all” kinda thing. By the same token, most folks, especially nowadays, are NOT looking for an artifice, a total misrepresentation of themselves- the don't wanna look like somebody else. Most folks want to be portrayed at their best;the way the like to appear, the way the want to be perceived in a good light and the way the want to be remembered. Even the folks who say they are not vain or the “ I don't care”, at the end of the day, are not pleased with an unflattering image. Most people don't expect “plastic surgery” or radical effects.
My approach to portrait photography is to create a good likeness and an artistic interpretation of my subjects. My goal is to emphasize the beauty and character in each person. This is not necessarily accomplished with radical retouching or excessive makeup. With the application of finite techniques in lighting, pose, camera position (camera angle), subtle optical effects, I can emphasize the subject's attributes and DE-emphasize certain features or issues that serve as distractions. Some clients like a bit of “glamour”, others want to express a mood or feeling and there are as many specific desires and requirement in a portrait as there are people coming in for a professional portrait.
I feel that every portrait makes a “statement” and that statement should tell a story, be simple and concise and positive. For example: lets say a portrait “says” Here is a nice young lady with a lovely smile”. Another portrait may “say” here is a nice young lady with a lovely smile but unfortunately she has a bad case of acne”! Now- there is nothing shameful about having a complexion issue but in a portrait it serves as a distract for the statement that the subject would prefer to make with her image.
Think of a portrait of a man in a dark stylish suit on a low key background. The viewers eye goes to the subject;s face so the statement might be; “Here is a image of a man- perhaps a business executive” Now we photograph the same man in a bright red uniform of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police”. In the latte case, the viewers eye will probably go to the bright red color first and then to the face. That's OK- it's just that the statement changes to “here is a police officer”.
Realistically, most of my clients are not professional models and actors or folks with “perfect” faces and body styles. I, however firmly believe that there is beauty in everyone and nobody, who is a good an decent human being is “ugly”. Bad folks are “ugly” even if they are outwardly “pretty or handsome”!
Having written all of that, you can see how I start every portrait with the “statement”. There are heavy set people, folks with perfect physiques, other who may be very thin-even gaunt. There is every facial shape type and feature that is imaginable and some folks accept whatever the were created with and others my be self-conscious or sensitive about any particular real or imagined issue. So...in a statement based approach, I don't mind creating baking a portrait the simply says “here's Mary Jane”! Or “Here's Bill”. I just want to avoid an image that says Here's Bill and he looks tired (deep set eyes that are not lighted properly) or “Marry Jane has a nice smile but she looks overweight (because she is a full figured person that was photographed with a broad light source and she was wearing a white dress with horizontal stripes). There are many elements that require careful planning such as manner of dress, lighting and much more.
@Hangman! This is not a critique of you images. It is just to give you an idea of how I look at portraits and how I make them.
As I mentioned on your other thread, I like your approach- the casual shots and your use of natural light. If you start to employ some of the enhanced reflector techniques that I suggested, you will gain more control of the aesthetics in you portrait work. On theses shots, the only issue that stands out in my mind is the pose where you see the subject's knees but not the extension of her legs so they look “cut off” at the knees. In theses sitting poses, be sure to establish a comfortable pose with a graceful line.
In advanced or professional portrait photography we are concerned with going beyond “snapshots”, identification photos, or mass produced “portraits” like school pictures and some of the pictures that are produced in department store, supermarket and shopping mall studios. I am not suggesting any kind of snobbery, there is nothing essentially wrong with any of of the aforementioned but generally speaking they are not particularly artistic or creative in content and the quality is sometimes good enough but not outstanding.
I can't speak for every professional portraitist or advanced worker but in my own practice which has spanned over 50 years, I have seldom encountered a client who wanted an unflattering image of themselves. I can't remember anyone ever coming to my studio, plunking down there money and saying “...never mind all that fancy stuff just let it all hang out... warts and all” kinda thing. By the same token, most folks, especially nowadays, are NOT looking for an artifice, a total misrepresentation of themselves- the don't wanna look like somebody else. Most folks want to be portrayed at their best;the way the like to appear, the way the want to be perceived in a good light and the way the want to be remembered. Even the folks who say they are not vain or the “ I don't care”, at the end of the day, are not pleased with an unflattering image. Most people don't expect “plastic surgery” or radical effects.
My approach to portrait photography is to create a good likeness and an artistic interpretation of my subjects. My goal is to emphasize the beauty and character in each person. This is not necessarily accomplished with radical retouching or excessive makeup. With the application of finite techniques in lighting, pose, camera position (camera angle), subtle optical effects, I can emphasize the subject's attributes and DE-emphasize certain features or issues that serve as distractions. Some clients like a bit of “glamour”, others want to express a mood or feeling and there are as many specific desires and requirement in a portrait as there are people coming in for a professional portrait.
I feel that every portrait makes a “statement” and that statement should tell a story, be simple and concise and positive. For example: lets say a portrait “says” Here is a nice young lady with a lovely smile”. Another portrait may “say” here is a nice young lady with a lovely smile but unfortunately she has a bad case of acne”! Now- there is nothing shameful about having a complexion issue but in a portrait it serves as a distract for the statement that the subject would prefer to make with her image.
Think of a portrait of a man in a dark stylish suit on a low key background. The viewers eye goes to the subject;s face so the statement might be; “Here is a image of a man- perhaps a business executive” Now we photograph the same man in a bright red uniform of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police”. In the latte case, the viewers eye will probably go to the bright red color first and then to the face. That's OK- it's just that the statement changes to “here is a police officer”.
Realistically, most of my clients are not professional models and actors or folks with “perfect” faces and body styles. I, however firmly believe that there is beauty in everyone and nobody, who is a good an decent human being is “ugly”. Bad folks are “ugly” even if they are outwardly “pretty or handsome”!
Having written all of that, you can see how I start every portrait with the “statement”. There are heavy set people, folks with perfect physiques, other who may be very thin-even gaunt. There is every facial shape type and feature that is imaginable and some folks accept whatever the were created with and others my be self-conscious or sensitive about any particular real or imagined issue. So...in a statement based approach, I don't mind creating baking a portrait the simply says “here's Mary Jane”! Or “Here's Bill”. I just want to avoid an image that says Here's Bill and he looks tired (deep set eyes that are not lighted properly) or “Marry Jane has a nice smile but she looks overweight (because she is a full figured person that was photographed with a broad light source and she was wearing a white dress with horizontal stripes). There are many elements that require careful planning such as manner of dress, lighting and much more.
@Hangman! This is not a critique of you images. It is just to give you an idea of how I look at portraits and how I make them.
As I mentioned on your other thread, I like your approach- the casual shots and your use of natural light. If you start to employ some of the enhanced reflector techniques that I suggested, you will gain more control of the aesthetics in you portrait work. On theses shots, the only issue that stands out in my mind is the pose where you see the subject's knees but not the extension of her legs so they look “cut off” at the knees. In theses sitting poses, be sure to establish a comfortable pose with a graceful line.
If you want to reply, then register here. Registration is free and your account is created instantly, so you can post right away.