b&w portraits

Morlar

Here are a few portraits for C & C.

The first 2 are pretty similar and a bit non standard for portraits in that the subject was a good distance away - they were more about playing with the scale of the location than anything else.

http://www.deviantart.com/deviation/49475035/
http://www.deviantart.com/deviation/49475356/

The next 2 are more standard portraits. Thanks for checking.

http://www.deviantart.com/deviation/51313643/
http://www.deviantart.com/deviation/51461609/

(If you click on the images the full sized ones will appear.)

robbie1876

I am no expert, in fact this is probably the first time I have C&C'd, but these portraits, I had to comment!

First one is crooked and to my eye there is too much going on. I immediately noticed the red material on the left before the subject. The shot has potential - as the subject is sitting in a pool of light, it may work well if the shadow areas around her are darkened.

The second one is superb, and I can see where you were going with the first one. All lines focus on the subject, and the scene is soft and serene. The only minor shame are the objects behind the model that detract the focus a bit. Overall though, I love it. I am just starting to get into DSLR photography, and this is the sort of shot I want to achieve - architecture and portraits in harmony.

The lighting in the third shot lends a romantic and seductive feel - I like it! Perhaps the pose is a little stiff though.

Fourth pic is stunning in my eyes. Again, this is why I'm getting into photography, for shots like this. Well done, will look through your gallery, hope you have more like it!

Robbie

redrob13

The fourth one is excellent, something very classic about the composition, the light and her pose.

I'd have to agree that the first one is crooked and has a bit too much going on. The second one is almost there, but the only spot in focus seems to be the carpet in the middle, which seems a bit odd to me, and so takes away from it for me, and not so much because the model isn't in focus but rather that the strong pattern in the carpet is and thus it takes attention away from the rest of the scene. I think the first one could be really good with some straightening and some creative cropping and a bit of work playing around with contrast etc.

Morlar

Hmm - crooked you say. Hadn't noticed that first one was a bit skewed - but now its pointed out its pretty obvious. I have just straightened it (a bit) and done some perspective correction too. Thanks for checking.

Ruu_Old

Shadow of the room stands out for me. Nice contrast and the grain really makes it a fine shot.

ThOnda

Too much foreground in first two for me. It could be a wall-print to find a girl in those pictures. The place and light is very very nice. I am not interested in couches, I want to see the girl! ;-)

And the fourth one (which could be the best one) - I don't like her wellies. They look strange for the mood, atmospehere of some older time, dress and pose.

Sorry to be so honest, but that's the way I am showing the whole World how stupid I am :-)

Roen

Don't like the grain in the last shot, was it added or a product of the shoot? Compositionally it's fantastic.

Fajitas!

Last two are fantastic, really impressed with them.

I wouldn't be too gone in the first two, I feel there could be more of the model and less of the room?

Morlar

Thanks for checking. The idea behind the first 2 was to make the figure look as small as possible in the large room (so it looks like that worked).

Roen - the grain was added in processing to that one as I thought without it the original looked a bit flat and plain.

Roen

Cheers.

ThOnda

Morlar wrote:

Thanks for checking. The idea behind the first 2 was to make the figure look as small as possible in the large room (so it looks like that worked).

Roen - the grain was added in processing to that one as I thought without it the original looked a bit flat and plain.

If you want to make the figure small, there should not be other "bigger" figures. It would be perfect without the couch, for example. The picture should be more "empty" to let the eye find the girl.

If you want to see "small person", check this - http://www.flickr.com/photos/thonda/344486519

Morlar

ThOnda wrote:

If you want to make the figure small, there should not be other "bigger" figures. It would be perfect without the couch, for example. The picture should be more "empty" to let the eye find the girl.

If you want to see "small person", check this - http://www.flickr.com/photos/thonda/344486519

Except I wasnt trying to take the same picture you took or to take a picture that fits to somones idea of "small person'' picture rules, ie completely barren surroundings.

The only similarity between the picture you posted and the 2 I originally posted is that they contain a figure in a setting where the prominence of the single figure is downplayed. Otherwise its an irrelevant analogy imo (landscape meet interiors).

Personally - I think that without the couch it would have looked less interesting but there ya go. Also a bit too sparse & bare which was not what I was aiming for, aside from the fact that to remove furniture from the scene would have made it feel more staged and artificial when I was using the room pretty much as it was. As it is it does look a bit non-symmetrical and a little cluttered which is fine with me.

elven

ThOnda wrote:

If you want to make the figure small, there should not be other "bigger" figures. It would be perfect without the couch, for example. The picture should be more "empty" to let the eye find the girl.

If you want to see "small person", check this - http://www.flickr.com/photos/thonda/344486519

That is a great example of that kind of picture that you posted, but those 'should's aren't necessarily true. You're describing one way to put across a certain feeling and it's purely that - one way to do something, which there are many ways to do...

The first picture, to me, hints at a story. It makes me ask questions... where is this? What are those garments abandoned on the sofa for? Who's the girl and what is she doing on the floor? The fact that the sofa on the left is in the foreground, I think, makes you see it first and so lead you into the room with those questions. The fact that it's red and surrounded by the style of furniture and decoration just adds an extra element of mystery to the picture.

Those bloody disco balls, though... still, it might give more clues to what's happened/is going to happen in the room, and be related to the rest of the story...

I think you could push the actual processing further to give that one a bit more drama, maybe more darkness on the right hand side and the carpet at the front, a bit of dodging and burning on the architectural features of the room, those big mirrors? Just a thought.

You know I like the rest. I don't think the dress/boots combo does her justice but that's not a huge concern - the grain does it for me and the composition and lighting are fabulous. The last one is a gorgeous natural portrait - just fantastic. It's really interesting to see your style developing, especially with the same model, over time, and in different locations.

Valentia

I like the idea of the smaller subject is a large frame.

The first one would be much better for me if the model was sitting naturally at the edge of the front of the stage. That would make me believe that she had a reason to be there (maybe reading a letter?). It would add mystery to the "story". As it is all I see is a "model" modelling on a carpet, doing what the photographer has asked her to do. Studio and model photography generally have that effect on me so it is not saying that the photo is not technically good. Just that I am not mad about the style, though in this case it could very easily have worked for me if the story was there.

The second appeals to me more because the posing is not as obvious because I can't see her in the middle of the carpet. That said the support arm is still there, i feel, because the photographer asked her to do it or she felt that she should do it because that is how you pose when you are being photographed. As people do . Too obviously so me thinks. These two photographs would have worked so much better if you took a more naturalistic, theatrical still, story driven approach. The unnaturalness of the poses might be avoided and there wouldn't be anything to grate on me. Just the way I look at photos, posed puts me off generally.

The third doesn't do anything at all for me. Just a woman leaning on something posing for the camera.

I like the fourth despite what I have said. Lighting, grain, dreamy pose. Been done many times before but it is appealing. The boots/shoes really shout out and don't fit the location, style or the effect you are going for.

Normally my C&C's are short Gerard and I don't know why you are at the end of this one but there ya go

P.S. I just noticed other shots taken in the same room where you have the model busying herself doing something. Way more effective and dramatic than the two here in my view.