SharpShooter Loc: NorCal

This portrait is from a small body of work that I created maybe 5 years ago.
It involved 3 elements as the title suggest.
These were slightly environmental and nothing was meant to be in the traditional sense.
They are also B&W film.
The harsh light was to give them more grain and add a bit of edge.
Also the girls were not models, just friends.
These shots were not digitized. This is a wet print and I photographed the photographs to create the digital files
Let me know what you think?!
SS

(Download)

clickety

Sorry, I can't get past the hood ornament.

CO

I like the rule of thirds placement of the model. The shallow depth of field is nice as it has blurred the trees in the background. The hood ornament is an obstruction. The catch lights in her eyes don't seem natural. You can tell that it was produced by a speedlight.

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

I certainly agree that all fine portraiture need NOT to be done in a formal studio environment and that actual environmental, onlocation, out-of-doors and lifestyles portraiture is very effective, interesting and presents many creative possibilities for portrait photographers. It is also a very desirable and saleable concept for clients that want something different, indicative of their lifestyle or interests or more casual.

In my own case, however, I try to applymy more traditional lighting and compositional aspects to the more casual themes and settings.

In the images here, I do find the elements of the automobile to be distracting as opposed to framing the subject or creating lines that lead the viewer's' eye to the subject. When the subject is wearing a wide brimmed hat, I recommend lowering the main light source to get in under the had and illuminate the eyes or in a natural lighting situation, using a reflector to redirect or "pump in" some light that will act as the main or key light. In this image, the hands and arms should have been posed so as to create a base for the subject rather than having a hand entering the composition from below.

The concept of "girls and cars" is very interesting and has great potential. Automobiles and trucks all have captivating, lines curves, ornaments and surfaces that make for interesting props, reflections etc. Having the subject sitting in the driver's seat or passenger side with the light coming in through the windshield might have some very effective lighting possibilities where the roof and interior of the car provide some neat subtractive lighting.Matching clothing colors or accessories with the paintjob may produce some prizewinners!

This may be an exciting project! Whatdayathink?

SharpShooter Loc: NorCal

CO, thanks for the feedback. These portraits were supposed to have an edgy feel. I did have a little cheap camera mounted flash because the sun is almost directly behind her to create the harsh feel. Yes, I too hate the little dead center dots created by camera mounted flash. The flash was dialed way down to barely add fill.
BTW, the big hood ornament was purposely there and out of focus to create a an in-your-face juxtaposition. LoL
Also, It WAS film, so there was no chimping. I used a meter to get the exposure close to correct because of the backlight. Thanks!
SS

SharpShooter Loc: NorCal

Ed, thanks so much for your expert comments.
To be quite honest, this project turned out to be very difficult to pull off. It was supposed to be funky but mixing that many elements into about 12 different shots using film was pretty hard because of the rustic locations and I didn't realize how much we(I) depend on chimping to make sure I nailed the shot!! LoL
The cars are not even supposed to be necessarily recognizable, just there. Not like shooting a show car!
I've got a couple of show cars to shoot with a model and have been wrestling with exactly as you said, should I match clothing color or contrast them. But it will be strictly Digital!!!
Thanks Ed
SS