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Just getting started with portrait photography and I'm having a blast!   
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Apr 15, 2010 05:02
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stoneb posted:Just getting started with portrait photography and I'm having a blast! These are pretty much going in order from best to worst. The first has really nice shadows, and the model has a great expression. The other two with him are just kind of, well, boring. On the last, everything's ok except her body's coming into the camera at a really weird angle while her head is still straight, which makes the whole thing look pretty off. Actually I take back what I said about order because on second glance the third one is pretty good also. 
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Apr 15, 2010 12:47
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Alctel posted:I don't do portraits at all but a friend of mine got nominated for some theater awards and called me up in a panic because her headshots were 10 years old and 'you sometimes take photos of bugs and stuff right'.
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Apr 15, 2010 14:48
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The MoMA has been taking portraits of everyone who sits with Marina Abramovic at her retrospective. You can find all of them (probably thousands) here if interested.
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Apr 16, 2010 22:40
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FakeHipster posted:The MoMA has been taking portraits of everyone who sits with Marina Abramovic at her retrospective. You can find all of them (probably thousands) here if interested. Awesome.
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Apr 17, 2010 23:25
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Trying something new, comments welcome:
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Apr 26, 2010 18:11
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Ric posted:Trying something new, comments welcome: Love the model, Love the couch. Not too sold on including the clutter to the left. Portrait crop look any good? That being said, I really like it.
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Apr 26, 2010 18:18
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Love the way the model pops away from the background.. would be better without the cord on the left. How was it lit?
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Apr 27, 2010 01:35
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Ric posted:Trying something new, comments welcome: Keep this in landscape. If you're going to crop, crop out the negative space on the right as well. Some pics from a short and quick session with a friend. Three images with three different syles.  I wish there was more space in the room so I could've moved the key light back a bit for a less detailed reflection. Too lazy to shop it out.   In retrospect, wish I had a black card to camera left for some definition but I think it works. Oprah Haza fucked around with this message at 04:29 on Apr 27, 2010 |
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Apr 27, 2010 02:58
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Alctel, I like the first better but both feel underlit to me. Stoneb, yours feel underlit too, as well as a little magenta due to the background. Nice poses though. Ric, I don't like the cord falling down the left side.. her pose feels awkward and her face has bright shiny spots.. Oprah.. #1 - sunglasses glare.. #3 looks to have soft focus but I like your shots.
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Apr 27, 2010 06:30
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Oprah Haza posted:Some pics from a short and quick session with a friend. Three images with three different syles. These all need a bit of work, but the things that pop out the most at me are: #1: -not a fan of the reflector in her singlasses like that. -there's a hair in her mouth -what's that thick black strand behind her head? -you gave us a front-row seat to look at how her bra is popping off -  you cut her arm off at the elbow!#2 is your best effort but: -still don't like how her bra is fitting her -there are marks on her waist that are either stretch marks or are marks from whatever she took off. Be aware of either instance. Either have her wear loose stuff to the shoot, or budget time for her to be out of whatever it is long enough before the shooting starts. If it's stretch marks, that's what Photoshop is for #3: -I think your AF hit her knee, not her face -the lighting is completely flat in this shot -we see the edge of your backdrop and it's very distracting If you're shooting in the studio, EVERYTHING in front of your camera is under your control, so you need to be aware of the little things. That will be the difference between these and really tight shots. Get an assistant and have them act as a second set of eyes. I might not have spotted everything I did here as the photog either, but I would have as an assistant, and I would have expected my assistant to do the same for me. I crit because I love.
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Apr 27, 2010 07:50
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McMadCow posted:These all need a bit of work, but the things that pop out the most at me are: Thanks a lot for the crit, I know many people don't handle it well but you make valid points and I enjoy your work soooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo... yeah. Not much to say other than I need to shoot more often.
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Apr 27, 2010 12:34
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I get an error message when I try to go to the Zeltzman posing guide in the OP, is anyone else having trouble loading it?
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Apr 27, 2010 15:19
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AIIAZNSK8ER posted:I get an error message when I try to go to the Zeltzman posing guide in the OP, is anyone else having trouble loading it? Noooooo! I haven't finished reading yet, and I'm about to really need some of the stuff in there. EDIT: If you paste the links in http://archive.org , you can see the pages on their entirety, pics and all.
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Apr 27, 2010 15:37
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Ric posted:Trying something new, comments welcome: The only thing wrong with the clutter is the white cord, because I can't just see why it's there. She doesn't seem to be looking at it, it's clearly not the subject, and it's not really leading the eye anywhere, but it's still prominent and bright enough to distract from the model. That said, I do like the picture, and love how the subject is separated from the background with the lighting. What's the lighting setup like? 
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Apr 27, 2010 16:53
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Hello, portrait thread! I was asked by a friend to take some photos for a local hairstyling contest she is entering... She was aware that I knew absolutely nothing about portrait photography, but it was either me or her point and shoot. These are my first portraits ever. Please feel free to critique them! The one thing that you don't need to critique is the horrible choice of background. I tried to convince them to shoot in front of a solid color wall but I was told the theme they chose was 'urban elements' and they wanted to use the brick background. A solid color would have made the hair stand out more, I think... I also was shooting these in a room the size of a small cubicle and had no way of moving the model away from the wall to allow for light falloff to darken the background. Also, none of these women are models- just friends of the stylists. So none of us knew what we were doing when it came to posing. The girl in green literally had one expression - the one you see in her photo below. Please let me know what I could improve on!  I was using my 40D, two Vivitar 285HVs and eBay triggers. I borrowed one shoot-through umbrella and stand from a friend - the other flash was bare. Also I shot this group portrait of the stylists: 
Gambl0r fucked around with this message at 04:21 on Apr 28, 2010 |
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Apr 28, 2010 04:15
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Saw some discussion earlier in the thread, but didn't see an answer. To achieve the wide angle but small DOF you kind of see in the Sartorialist's pics what does he do? Maybe this is a very basic question but I can't seem to imagine. Like a wide angle (18mm?) lens with a low f/?
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Apr 28, 2010 07:56
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swagger like us posted:Saw some discussion earlier in the thread, but didn't see an answer. To achieve the wide angle but small DOF you kind of see in the Sartorialist's pics what does he do? Maybe this is a very basic question but I can't seem to imagine. Like a wide angle (18mm?) lens with a low f/? According to the guy who runs the site, he uses a 50/1.4 on a full frame camera.
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Apr 28, 2010 08:04
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That's what I figured when I first saw his photos. Then me and a friend mimicked it with my 5D, too easy  is the new  right?
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Apr 28, 2010 08:35
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Gambl0r posted:These are my first portraits ever. Please feel free to critique them! The one thing that you don't need to critique is the horrible choice of background. Shooting with a brick background is okay, but what I probably would have done is moved the models further away from the wall so the wall isn't so bright. If it were darker, the models would stand out more. Moving the models further away would also help blur the background somewhat as well since it wouldn't be as close to the focal plane.
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Apr 28, 2010 12:50
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HPL posted:Shooting with a brick background is okay, but what I probably would have done is moved the models further away from the wall so the wall isn't so bright. If it were darker, the models would stand out more. Moving the models further away would also help blur the background somewhat as well since it wouldn't be as close to the focal plane. Gambl0r posted:I also was shooting these in a room the size of a small cubicle and had no way of moving the model away from the wall to allow for light falloff to darken the background.
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Apr 28, 2010 15:47
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He couldn't even move the model further away and shoot through a doorway or something?
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Apr 28, 2010 16:30
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I was shooting through the doorway already  I was shooting tethered because I wanted the stylists to be able to see the photos instantly and give me feedback, so I had my tripod set up in the doorway of the room with the brick wall and the laptop out in the hall.I am wondering if anything with the lighting or posing stands out as just plain wrong. Someone at work told me the model in green looks like she's crosseyed. Is it not a good idea to completely cover one eye because of this? Also with the kind of 3/4 profile view in the second shot... should I have made sure her left eye was completely visible, or is it ok that's somewhat covered by her nose? The comment on the green photo got me wondering if the blue one looks wonky too. I tried to use a standard lighting setup, the flash w/ umbrella is 45 degrees to the left and above the model, tilted down... and the other flash was moved around between shots. For the green one, it's directly to the right of the model, in the blue one it is to the right and far above her, and the red one it is behind the model facing the camera in an attempt to separate her from the background since her hair is the same color as the brick. For the group shot, I got lucky. I just placed the flashes on either side of my camera and pointed another large lamp at the back wall and couldn't believe it when no harsh shadows were cast on their faces. Also, the clarity you get when shooting with flashes and small apertures is unbelievable. I had no idea my camera/lens was even capable of such detail. That alone makes me want to shoot more portraits. Gambl0r fucked around with this message at 01:10 on Apr 29, 2010 |
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Apr 29, 2010 01:04
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I'm still a beginner with off-camera lighting and posing people, but it looks like you've done a decent job under the circumstances. I think the shot of the girl in blue is the strongest of the lot. I like her pose/expression and while the lighting isn't anything dramatic, it shows off the hair and make-up pretty well. And considering your friend was aware that you weren't an expert portrait photographer, she should be happy with the results
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Apr 29, 2010 01:23
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I guess given the space constraints, putting snoots on the flashes might help control light spill onto the background and make the models more distinct.
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Apr 29, 2010 01:33
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Question time: What are peoples favourite set ups for interesting/creative single strobe (strictly one light source) portrait sessions?
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Apr 30, 2010 02:30
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I've been really enjoying my shoot-thru PLM with the spill-kill fabric on the side with the flash. I get it as close to the subject as a I can, then set-up a reflector at roughly the same distance and angle. I would like to start experimenting with the bare flash, ala the One Light book, but meh. 
squidflakes fucked around with this message at 17:08 on Apr 30, 2010 |
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Apr 30, 2010 17:05
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Wasn't really trying to do anything with this, but I like how it worked out.. vv doin' the best it can Hop Pocket fucked around with this message at 23:13 on Apr 30, 2010 |
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Apr 30, 2010 23:03
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That poor "H" must be under a ton of strain.
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Apr 30, 2010 23:10
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Gambl0r posted:Also I shot this group portrait of the stylists:
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Apr 30, 2010 23:19
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^-- what he said. The group photo and the blue girl look really nice. [quote="Hop Pocket"] Hand-holding at 1/30 seems daring. I can't tell if her face is blurry or out-of-focus, but something is off.
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May 1, 2010 01:49
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Cross_ posted:Hand-holding at 1/30 seems daring. I can't tell if her face is blurry or out-of-focus, but something is off. Probably because it's shot at 22mm. Not super wide, but sort of wide.
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May 1, 2010 01:52
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HPL posted:Probably because it's shot at 22mm. Not super wide, but sort of wide. Yeah, shot wide on my XT that I was carrying around last week. Going wide was the only way I could get the handheld shot being that i was already at 1600 max ISO.
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May 1, 2010 02:40
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Ric posted:Trying something new, comments welcome: I think this is really great. The color palette is awesome. I would clone out the cord on the left and then compare/contrast to see which version you like better.
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May 1, 2010 04:45
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Well I've finally got some free time from work, so I can practice taking portraits! Sadly, however, there's no one around other than me, and occasionally my little brother, to practice on. Here's what I've got so far:   and a fun one: 
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May 1, 2010 15:41
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Paragon8 posted:Love the model, Love the couch. Not too sold on including the clutter to the left. Portrait crop look any good? Oprah Haza posted:Keep this in landscape. If you're going to crop, crop out the negative space on the right as well. DanTheFryingPan posted:The only thing wrong with the clutter is the white cord, because I can't just see why it's there. She doesn't seem to be looking at it, it's clearly not the subject, and it's not really leading the eye anywhere, but it's still prominent and bright enough to distract from the model. That said, I do like the picture, and love how the subject is separated from the background with the lighting. What's the lighting setup like? Mannequin posted:I think this is really great. The color palette is awesome. I would clone out the cord on the left and then compare/contrast to see which version you like better. Re. the framing, I framed it around the couch, so just took landscape shots on digital. I also took some 6x6 shots, where the lens wouldn't fit the width of the couch in, so I instead used a traditional A pose and framed the mirror around her head like in this Polaroid. Purely because of the couch, I think the digital shots are more effective. Re. the cable, this has really split opinion! I definitely like it. I positioned it there in the first place and brightened it in post to make it a little more prominent. Re. the lighting, the room is lit with a large softbox behind and above the camera. The model is lit with a head above and to the left, with barndoors restricting the light to the model. There's a third head behind the couch, giving a slight separation from the background. dik-dik posted:Well I've finally got some free time from work, so I can practice taking portraits! Sadly, however, there's no one around other than me, and occasionally my little brother 
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May 1, 2010 17:11
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This girl...long time family friend, and she can take good photos, as long as they are completely candid. See the muscle in the chin where she's basically clamping her mouth closed? Always there.  This is much better, I think. It shows her personality, it's more attractive, despite the trappings. So, how do you get an actual, planned portrait out of someone like this? 
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May 2, 2010 11:01
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torgeaux posted:So, how do you get an actual, planned portrait out of someone like this? Booze. Either that or talk to her and tell her to relax. I have a feeling you'd get a great photo out of her if you catch her mid-laugh or something like that so maybe have a conversation with her while you shoot.
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May 2, 2010 14:46
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torgeaux posted:This girl...long time family friend, and she can take good photos, as long as they are completely candid. See the muscle in the chin where she's basically clamping her mouth closed? Always there. Set up the lights, set, whatever, get her positioned roughly where you want her to be, and then just start chatting or hanging out, as normally as possible, with the camera up on your face. Get her used to this, so she's comfortable. Just be yourself, let her be herself.
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May 2, 2010 19:37
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May 3, 2010 01:33
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