Black and White Portrait

[olya]

That is the first portrait of this kind i've ever taken. What is your opinion about it? What do you think about the pose, exposure (which do you like best?)? I would appreciate any feedback.

[chris]

i love the shot i have thing for black and white photos


this is 1 i have taken of my self on the timer

<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/18834464@N00/471392412/" title="Photo Sharing"><img src="http://farm1.static.flickr.com/220/471392412_0954494609_m.jpg" width="190" height="240" alt="DSC_0077" /></a>

[olya]

Hey, Chris, it is a nice photo you have, but could you post it in a different thread? Thanks.

[Saralonde]

olya, very nice shot. I like the simple lines and how the hand over her shoulder leads to her face. The b&w sets a nice tone, removing the color as a distraction emphasizes the lines (curves) in the image. Maybe the hair ornament is distracting? Not sure.
As for the exposure, I'm having trouble deciding. The thumbnails make it hard for me to compare them next to each other. The exif info reads the same (1/60, 2.8, ISO 140, flash) for both, so I'm not sure why the exposure is different. Perhaps the one on the right appeals a bit more to me because details can be better seen.

[jiminyClickit]

olya,

First photo has a portrait quality, second is more naturally presented. So I like both looks for different reasons. If I were to take one like this, I would try to light her right shoulder so it looks rounder, less "blunt." Hair could stand out just a little from BG so shape of head is clear. Tastefully done.

[which_chick]

In both images, I like the pose -- the slight turn of her body really makes the picture. If she were looking straight ahead, the feel would be different, more static. As it is, the different curves on both sides are very interesting in their not-the-same-ness. (I'm an English major. I should be doing better with the words, here.) Background is suitable for the work, totally unobtrusive. You've gone to some trouble, here. Model's hair, which is long enough to be distracting, is up out of the way in a not-particularly-annoying twist-with-clip. (I might ask if she could do a bun -- I like the way they look -- but the twist-with-clip isn't a bad choice, either.) Your lighting is pretty good on both images and you've gotten a nice, luminous quality of skin, which is something I always appreciate in figure studies.

In particular, the left image seems... kind of blurry on the right hand side of your model, right along the ribcage-hip line, like it fuzzed or something. I thought it was some kind of resolution issue, but I clicked up the image size and still it did that fuzz thing, so not sure. Given that this is B&W, the light and the lines are what I'm looking at. Fuzz is not so good under those circumstances.

I liked the image on the right better. It looks like a sharper, cleaner image. I like how the spine is lit, you can see the shadows and whatnot on it, very nice. The only issue I have with the right-hand side image is that her... above-the-butt hip area looks washed out. The tone there is lighter than the rest on her back, as if that was where the light hit or something? I'd like that evened out more, if possible.

I wish I had more clue to offer you more useful comments. Both images are appealing, though the right more than the left to my eye, mostly because of the sharpness issue along the model's right hand side.

[mikem12188]

olya,

Not much else to add except, nice work for the first time you've tried this sort of thing. Keep it up.

[olya]

Thanks a lot, Saralonde, JiminyClickit, Which_Chick, Mikem. Your comments help a lot. I didn't think about her hair, but you are right, it is a bit distracting. I had only one lighting source, it was on the right of the model, that is probably the reason for that lighter tone of her back on the right.
Actually it is one and the same image, i changed exposure afterwards in the post-process. Thanks again for your kind words and ccnstractive critique.