Sudio Portraits

These are from the studio course I'm doing now and this was one of the first lessons so please give me some great advice please!

#1


No comments that I should polish the lens away okay

#2



#3

I quite like ho the lighting was used here, everyone was struggling since there was so little light.
these are the numbers
Shutter Speed: 1/10 second
F Number: F/2.8
Focal Length: 100 mm
ISO Speed: 400
if you have any tips to do this better please tell!

#4


need to procces this one a bit better, just a bit to redisch but i like the hair like this so need to find a balance...

well that was it, I'm already happy if you say they are just a bit good
All shots where taken with the D-FA 100mm btw.

Stefan
in my limited ability in the field so please do not take my views as being the right ones. I am only going to say what my eye perspective tells me, although based on total lack of experience.

I like all of them, but the one that absolutely jumps to my eye and leaves me with a great smile is the third one. There is something about the expression on her face that looks very very captivating. Also I like the way the lighting on her hair is. Good idea she has her blue top on top of her black one on this picture compared to the other one where if I am not mistaken she has the black top instead on its own, and the lighting on her right slightly on her arm gives that nice bluish tone so the eye instantly notices that she is not wearing totally black.

The only little thing that I feel you could have done better on that one is if you had brought her slightly closer, seems that you took the shot slightly away compared to the other ones. It would have been nice to have her at the same distance as the other ones are. Or crop the image a bit more if the quality holds

Oh and the other thing I noticed one of the reasons that third one jumps to my eye is the black background. I like it.

All in all in my opinion they all look great. Well done

Thank you Amin, it's a long and very helpfull comment to me.
it gives me a little look on how you look at the photo.

The #3 photo was taken at roughly the same distance as the others, i cropped away some of the crop since i had the camera vertical and added some black on the sides mostly on the left.
You're also right about her clothing but because of my way of processing it got lost in the dark i'm afraid

here are is the unprocessed version and the process again, it just make it easier to compare them.




now that you can see what has been doing any tips on how to do it better?

I like that man in shot #1 the best

No# 2 man is sexy

Stefan

, its interesting now that you show me the original. Seems you have done some great work at processing. Overall the image looks great. And I realise now that looking at this picture on its own rather than in that group of the othre portraits now it doesn't seem that it needs a bit more cropping. Seems that as the other ones have a slightly larger image of the face the moment I laid my eyes on this one my impression was: "hmm hold on, its a lovely looking portrait, I wish it was enlarged as the previous one that I just ran my eyes to.". and then the impression gathers strength as if to confirm my thoughts when I look down and I see a slightly larger face on that next image . It might just be more psychological than anything else .

But now looking at it on its own I find it quite ok.

Pretty nicely taken, I like the lighting and the expression.

But talking about expressions, you captured her shy smile absolutely nice in her other photo. I like it to bits, really . I look at it and her whole expression helped by the lighting angles just look great .
I am impressed

I like that one too Karl just the way he is sitting and there and his expression.

Amin,

Al the other photos are aslo displayed standing and that is the only one laying and since the maxmium width is 800px the image looks smaller.

It's funny you started about the smile, I was the only one we got everyone with one
This my second shoot and I learned from the first one to wait for the moment and try to get them with a laugh, the photo is much more pleasant that way.
I also find that if they look ino the camera that the photo aren't that pleasant anymore... it gets a bit to personal somehow.

I can tell you a bit about the lighting on #3, it is the only one i can remember.
It's a single light shining from the back of her through her hair, that light is then reflected by a reflector to expose her face, that's why there wasnt much light.

That lighting enhances the whole expression in my opinion

Well I'm no portrait expert, but I'll tell you my impressions, based on what I would like in a portrait of myself.

I think #1 and #2 are nice. Maybe a little blown highlights on the foreheads and I wish #1's eyes were more visible, but overall very good. Both subjects stand out from the background, and both skin tones are even and flattering in general. I also like the focus in both.

#3, I feel the backlight is too strong, although a pretty effect used on a woman. This is one that a friend shot during a lighting workshop, that I feel is a perfect example of subtle backlighting in a portrait:






As far as tips, sorry I have none.

Is this a portrait of yourself,

Oh, sorry, no that's not me. Just a beautiful friend.

Dont get me wrong this portrait is a cracking shot and please pass on to her that I think she's a lovely looking women.

I think they are more than "a bit good".
#1 would need a bit more light in the eyes. (Besides: Is this guy a chef or why does he have this hand blender in his lap?:roll

#2 is great as is. I would crop a bit off the bottom and the highlights could be toned down a bit, but I think it could be left as is. I like his expression in this one.

#3 is not sharp but at 1/10 s this can happen. I think the backlight on the right is too strong and her face could be a bit brighter on that side. I like the added space on the left.

#4 almost perfect, a bit more ambient light would have been good. Pose is great, though.

Hope that helps,
Prieni

I agree with Prieni on these. Also I would have liked at least one of them to be looking at the camera. I like that intimate feel. If you look at the photo GivingTree posted it just looks like it was meant to be a portrait. Number 2 works fine, but for the others I wonder what was going on over your shoulder that was more interesting than you and your camera!

I had some comments to make but then Prieni said them for me so I'll shut up.

How are you finding doing a studio course? I have never really done studio work (apart from once at the college ball in 1986...) but it is something I am tempted to have a go at, largely because it is out of my comfort zone. Most of the people I photograph have been dead for a couple of millenia

Best wishes, and nice job. K.

Thank you Prieni and GivingTree that was very helpfull
We are still learning, so lets hope it improves over time and get a shot like that Givingtree. The studio lighting is very new to me

The thing he has on his lap is a Canon EOS 40D with a EF 70-200mm f/4 L IS USM, quite a nice lens I must say, I wonder if the DA* 60-250 is any better.

Really, I've some looking directly at me but it just get to intimate for my feeling. To be honest it really depends on how they look into the camera, they didn't smile why looking

They are all fellow students btw so no models and we didn't powder them to help against the highlights, the lamps get very hot over time you know


Kris what I'm doing isn't strickly a studio course but it has a focus on it so it's quite deverse. It's also outside my comfort zone so it's nice we go a bit off the track sometimes and try to aply things we learned in the studio on "normall" photography.
Playing with the lighting is really something new for me, well i got a flash gun so not all is new but you learn how to use the lighting better and in differend ways. Also how to play with differend type off lamps for example, you can use tungsten and day light lamps together for to get some nice effects and many more things.

The way the lessons are given is very loose, you really get set free and you can do what you want and the next lesson the photos are discussed and that are the times you learn the most really, you get to learn to look for detials for example. GiveningTree photo is a very nice photo and perfectly litt but imagine that the necklage was made out of silver it would draw away the eyes from the viewer to it, to look for that sort off thing and to set up a photo is also very new. We are going to do some still life next time with glass, so it would be nice to see and know how to light those things perfectly.