Pages: [1]   Go Down

Author Topic: Advice required on natural light portrait  (Read 6947 times)

BernardLanguillier

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 13983
    • http://www.flickr.com/photos/bernardlanguillier/sets/
Advice required on natural light portrait
« on: January 18, 2015, 06:45:48 pm »

Team,

I am reasonably happy about this image, but portrait obviously isn't my main focus. What should I do better?



Cheers,
Bernard
« Last Edit: January 18, 2015, 07:24:47 pm by BernardLanguillier »
Logged

RSL

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 16046
    • http://www.russ-lewis.com
Re: Advice required on natural light portrait
« Reply #1 on: January 18, 2015, 07:32:19 pm »

Looks as if you aced it. How could you improve it?
Logged
Russ Lewis  www.russ-lewis.com.

Eric Myrvaagnes

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 22814
  • http://myrvaagnes.com
    • http://myrvaagnes.com
Re: Advice required on natural light portrait
« Reply #2 on: January 19, 2015, 12:12:48 am »

Fine subject, beautifully seen.

Not bad for a mountain photographer. And I would guess you didn't even have to stitch!  ;)

Cheers,

Eric
Logged
-Eric Myrvaagnes (visit my website: http://myrvaagnes.com)

David Anderson

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 715
    • http://www.twigwater.com
Re: Advice required on natural light portrait
« Reply #3 on: January 19, 2015, 12:23:21 am »

IMHO, seeing more face would make a better 'portrait' though this shot is clearly a beautiful moment.

I like simple, 3/4 or 1/2 length shots - looking straight down the lens - of my own kids because I think they will stand the test of time better than the off the cuff stuff..
Logged

Iluvmycam

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 533
Re: Advice required on natural light portrait
« Reply #4 on: January 19, 2015, 08:43:02 am »

IMHO, seeing more face would make a better 'portrait' though this shot is clearly a beautiful moment.

I like simple, 3/4 or 1/2 length shots - looking straight down the lens - of my own kids because I think they will stand the test of time better than the off the cuff stuff..


Me too.

Just blast off more pix and different angles. Nice work otherwise.
Logged

PeterAit

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 4560
    • Peter Aitken Photographs
Re: Advice required on natural light portrait
« Reply #5 on: January 19, 2015, 09:08:29 am »

It's very appealing - but some 80% of the photo is clothing and pillow. What about cutting it off at the left edge of the hand and making it a vertical which emphasizes the face more?
Logged

AlterEgo

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 1995
Re: Advice required on natural light portrait
« Reply #6 on: January 19, 2015, 09:33:36 am »

eye(s)
Logged

mbaginy

  • Guest
Re: Advice required on natural light portrait
« Reply #7 on: January 19, 2015, 09:39:47 am »

I really like the image!

But I'd crop out the red of the sweater, which I find somewhat distracting.
Logged

armand

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 5565
    • Photos
Re: Advice required on natural light portrait
« Reply #8 on: January 19, 2015, 11:59:45 am »

If it was my shot I would experiment with some blur brush over the right shoulder to emphasize more the face.
I would not crop it (not more than the red part at most).

Bob_B

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 3748
  • It's all about light
    • Robert Belas Photography
Re: Advice required on natural light portrait
« Reply #9 on: January 19, 2015, 05:05:25 pm »

Lovely image. I like it the way it is. However, if I were to think about changing it, instead of cropping the red, I'd try to change the red to match the blue of the rest of the sweater. That would de-emphasize the left part without cropping. I also like the idea of using a blur brush. But I'll go back to my original comment: I like it the way it is.

   Bob
Logged
Robert Belas Photography
www.belasphoto.com

BernardLanguillier

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 13983
    • http://www.flickr.com/photos/bernardlanguillier/sets/
Re: Advice required on natural light portrait
« Reply #10 on: January 19, 2015, 08:58:33 pm »

Thank you all very much for your insightful comments, much appreciated!

Cheers,
Bernard

Colorado David

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 1178
Re: Advice required on natural light portrait
« Reply #11 on: January 20, 2015, 10:08:57 pm »

Very well done.  A little light in the eye would help.

BernardLanguillier

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 13983
    • http://www.flickr.com/photos/bernardlanguillier/sets/
Re: Advice required on natural light portrait
« Reply #12 on: January 20, 2015, 10:24:46 pm »

Thanks David, yes, a bit of catch light would have been good indeed.

Cheers,
Bernard

brandtb

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 972
    • http://www.brandtbolding.com
Re: Advice required on natural light portrait
« Reply #13 on: January 22, 2015, 07:17:04 am »

Bernard - didn't catch whether this was "candid" or not...but the face and hand are very nice subjects...and there is nice/good/interesting/etc expression which is perhaps the most important thing in the end.  The issue for me brought up in earlier comment is half of the frame is filled with non-essential/non-important content. The left half of the frame really does nothing to "support" what is going on in right half of frame...only detracts. I would ask yourself why does this need to be left in the "crop". "Pull in"...get the most essential.  /B (as an example in the furthest extreme...look at Penn's portrait of Picasso with hat...pulled in tight...and the power of the "single eye"...there is a lesson here perhaps)
Logged
Brandt Bolding
www.brandtbolding.com

BernardLanguillier

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 13983
    • http://www.flickr.com/photos/bernardlanguillier/sets/
Re: Advice required on natural light portrait
« Reply #14 on: January 23, 2015, 08:21:49 pm »

thanks a lot Brandt!

cheers,
bernard
Pages: [1]   Go Up