Back for some more C&C please.

steoc

steoc

Had another go at portrait work.
Really enjoyed the day and the girls were beautiful and great fun.
Let me know if there is anything i can do to improve on.
Thanks for taking the time to view
Steoc

bullpost

Thats a lot to take in so I'll pick one - number two.

This has potential to be a very nice portrait but right eye is not sharp and the hair roots are a distraction.

steoc

Thanks Bull post.
I know i posted to many.
As for the eye i see where you are coming from ( excuse the pun ):)
Would you have focused on the right eye or would you have closed the aperture a bit to get both eyes in focus? Didnt notice it till i was finished the shoot
Cant do any thing about the roots unless photoshop but my skills are small

Any way i thank you for your comments.

magicbastarder

they seem to be halfway between candid and formal portraits, plus they seem to be half trying to be fashion shots with some of the poses; and i think that's the problem, they don't seem to know what they want to be.
don't get me wrong, there are some nice shots, but i didn't know how to read them.

steoc

magicbastarder wrote: »

they seem to be halfway between candid and formal portraits, plus they seem to be half trying to be fashion shots with some of the poses; and i think that's the problem, they don't seem to know what they want to be.
don't get me wrong, there are some nice shots, but i didn't know how to read them.

Didn't go out to shoot candid i tried to set up poses for the girls or let them do their own thing.
I know what your saying there is no form as such to the set. I worked on each girl separately.
Maybe my next outing i will keep a style/theme and work with just one girl.
Thanks for the time to comment.

steoc

I must add that the girls are not models as such so they found it as difficult as i did

magicbastarder

fair play to them so.

colblimp

The pic of the girl with the flowery top - her elbow looks kind of clumsy, it distracts me from her face, and I don't want to be distracted from her face, coz she has a beautiful face!

The pic of the girl sitting on the steps in front of the fancy building - she's not in a very ladylike pose, if that makes sense?

Enough negatives - the first pic is fantastic, her eyes are pin sharp and I love the hat and the background - all in all it's a fab pic. Well done!

magicbastarder

bullpost wrote: »

This has potential to be a very nice portrait but right eye is not sharp

her right eye or the eye on the right of the frame?

bullpost

I would have made sure aperture was sufficient to get both eyes sharp as its sort of a given for this type of portrait.

Composition is really good though.

steoc wrote: »

Thanks Bull post.
I know i posted to many.
As for the eye i see where you are coming from ( excuse the pun ):)
Would you have focused on the right eye or would you have closed the aperture a bit to get both eyes in focus? Didnt notice it till i was finished the shoot
Cant do any thing about the roots unless photoshop but my skills are small

Any way i thank you for your comments.

AnCatDubh

Hey, well done,

Some very nice images and compositions there. Remember C&C is very subjective (and you don't have to agree with everything you may hear), so with that health warning I offer the following;

Overall (will mention it again below) the processing/style appears to me to have a little too much contrast and saturation (for some anyhow) - for me they are borderline, a little less on both saturation and contrast would imho work a little better.

Individually,

#1 really nice lighting, appropriate separation of subject / background. Depth of field a little too narrow (the far eye is the biggest problem). Did you sharpen the in focus eye? It looks almost a little too sharp but I think you get away with it.

#2 is quite nice too. Again, depth of field I think is a bit narrow causing the eye to be out of focus. Pity as its really nice otherwise.

#3, is nice and well taken. For me the angle is wrong. Camera a little further to the right or models knees a bit more to her right (your left) would be a little more em.., sensitive.

#4 Really like that one - have you popped her eyes a bit? As a general comment i've noticed in a couple of those images presented that they are quite contrasty - a little too much almost for my liking. Nice depth of field here.

#5 again, nice image. Just mind for where you crop at joints - a classic approach would be to avoid any crop which occurs at joints (wrists, elbows, knees, etc...). But nice photography and well taken.

#6 I was going to suggest a portrait crop with #5 but i see you've done it for #6. Its nice. A little dull (not the subject, but caused by the lighting). That's not a problem when viewed on its own but just looks a little dull when shown with others which have a bit more spark to them.

#7 nice colouring. I'm not sure about her right eye (photo left). I think it may work better with head tilted a little more obscuring the eye entirely or in the opposite direction putting it on view.

#8 nice work here particularly for one which is into the low autumn sun.

#9 really nice. just the border would annoy me. Maybe crop a little lower on the torso

#10 not gone on the expressions on the subjects. model on right works and model on left probably works - just something about them together that is a little odd, Eyes on model on the left again, appear oversaturated to me and overall a little too contrasty.

Take from the above anything that works (makes sense) for you and throw away the rest

Hope that helps !

steoc

Hi,

A big thank you for taking the time to comment.
I have been up the walls here in work and haven't been able to reply.
@ Colblimp the elbow was my idea in the pose and i see after on looking at the image its wrong. Your right she has a beautiful face
As for the pose on the girl sitting on the steps :rolleyes: Dont know how i didnt spot that.
@AnCatDubh wow must give you a special big thanks for the individual comments on each shot.
On the saturation i didnt up it but did on the vibrance pushed the blacks and shoved the contrast a good bit
My post processing skills are very small so a lot to learn
#1 yep eye was sharpened will have to keep an eye on that (excuse the pun)
#2 raging i didnt notice it till after the day was over i think i shoot this at 1.8 on my nifty fifty. Would a 2.2 or 5.6 have been better?
#3 Yes see that now ehem.
#4 Thanks eyes where sharpened.
#5 Thanks for the tip on the joints and cropping, will remember that out in the field next time.
#6 moved the model from the lovely natural light i had. Big mistake
#7 Just fired off a quick one of this girl last minute shot as i didnt see her at all during the shoot. Still i dont think i would have noticed it.
#8 Again another quick shot when packing up for the day. Struggled to get it in focus, had to switch to manual focus the light played havoc with the AF.
#9 Was testing my pp skills with this one dont normally go for the boards my self but got carried away. I can see how a lower crop would have been better. Thanks.
#10 it was the first time the girls met, they might have felt awkward? Again not sure what happened with the eyes. I dont add saturation maybe it was the contrast or the sharpening that did it. She has very striking eyes any way?

Again a big thank you and i will take on board what was said.

All the Best Steoc

abyss

1 Wide angle - but I like it! Best from collection. (It is not typical portrait glass)
2 Out of focus, composition will do.
3 Nice, second in my rank. Good composition, maybe sky can be better (different hour and/or half cokin will do work for you, or extended PS)
4 Model was ok, but central composition is boring
5 What a model!!! Composition too tight
6 Elbow distract (composition again). But model rocks.
7 Too tight, too central, contrast too high
8 Blink from sun kill contrast on face. Bit dark clothing/hair- U can use reflector
9 Composition too tight (frames was good idea in this case!)
10 No leading idea. Just two girls.

In my opinion you have to read few more books about composition. Additional light (as foldable reflector) will be helpful.
BTW. Use numbers beside photos...

squareballoon

Very nice set of pictures and you obviously have a nice manner while shooting because the girls all look comfortable in front of the camera. without reading other c&c here's mine.

steoc wrote: »

love this one. It's perfect.


Love the angle and the light in her eyes but either get both eyes in focus or the one nearest. I would still like it if the far eye was oof. Little too much saturation in the colour here blowing the channel on her top.


Less keen on this. The castle didn't need to be in focus and having everything in focus like this makes it look like a p&s shot. Also it's not the most flattering angle for her as I am looking straight at her crotch


Very striking. I love how the colour comes out in her eyes, hair and the wall but having saturation in her skin makes it look blotchy. If it could have been masked back and lightened just on her skin areas it would be beautiful. Also her thumb poking out looks a little odd.


Love the first one of these two. The hair in front of her eyes is compelling and enough to give interest. The second looks as if the wind blew at the wrong time and it wasn't intentional. It also looks as if the eyes were oof and you sharpened them.


love this. Working in full sun is hard and although where the sun is hitting her back is a bit bright the face is nicely lit.


and this is beautiful but again make sure you focus on the eye nearest.


Very nice but the blacks are clipped. Not sure if that was intentional.


Too close a crop, aperture too open to get both in focus and too contrasty on colour.

steoc

Thanks again to Abuss and squareballon.

I cant stop looking at the models thumb now in photo 4 arrrrahhhhh

I had a great time with the girls and some photographer friends. We are planning to do another one soon. We will be taking in inside as the weather starting to get poor.
We have a big open building with lots and lots of big windows for natural light. But i feel it will be boring as there will be no background interest
Any way thanks all again for taking the time to view and comment.

Steoc.