smcaleer wrote:
Thank you for your input. Her shirt did have some cartoon character on it.
I was just shooting snaps for a friend at his Christmas party we attended. Nothing really in my control. I did feel, however, that posting one here might help me get an idea of what I need to keep in mind when shooting people. I rarely shoot people (even snapshots).
I know the reason I don't shoot people is because so much is out of my control. I would like to learn how to control the different situations, but knowing what to look for and what I want needs to come first. She is a beautiful young lady and I'm sure those that know her will like this shot. Most of them won't even know that it could be so much better. ...
Thank you for your input. Her shirt did have some ... (
show quote)
smcaleer wrote:
Thank you, Chuck. I too am bothered by that background. Unfortunately for many reasons it is what it is. I'm going to play around in PP to see what I can come up with in toning down the background and also bringing out some of the detail in her beautiful hair.
I need to train myself to look at the background as it effects my subject WHILE I'm shooting. It's much easier with subjects that are not moving on you lol. ...
As I said earlier, this shot is what I have always called a "candid," as distinct from a "formal." I shot a lot of weddings in my time, as well as studio portraits, and Wedding Formals were the controlled shots where we had time to consider the backgrounds, the lighting, the posing, the grouping &c &c &c. Whether at home, in an outdoor setting, or the church or synagogue, formals were
controlled.Once the party started, however, it was virtually all Candid, very little to zero control of background other than trying to stay in a place where it wasn't awful (I liked to shoot against the crowd of guests a lot because I got reactions). A lot of the time all I was looking for was
that moment, and hang the background, because those were 70% of the pictures they bought (and hang the background). I actually love candids because they catch people being "real," unposed, not thinking about being photographed so not trying to "look their best," just natural. So that's what you have here: she's as natural as can be, and (perhaps curiously) she is apt not to like it (because she didn't control it) but you're correct, her friends and family will love it because
OMG that's her! I've shot thousands of candids against not-so-great backgrounds, maybe with distracting clothing, but to me the key thing is always the face and the expression and capturing
that moment, now gone forever but frozen in that fraction of a second. So I don't get too exercised if all the elements aren't pitch-perfect. You can knock down the background. You can even totally remove funny little green thingies on her blouse (but please don't touch that octopus necklace!) and open up her hair for more texture. It's not a formal portrait; it's a candid, and for my money a very good one. It captures her personality, and that's where it's at! :thumbup: