Portrait 2

[synthesist]

Here is the second of the series to be posted today. Added some vignetting in Lightroom and messed with the colors a bit.

[RussHeath]

First: The critique forum is getting quite crowded these days. Everyone here is happy to learn from each other, but consider limiting your posts to one a day. That way the page doesn't cycle quite so fast and everyone has a chance to see and comment on more. Another consideration would be to post 1 or more photos in a single thread in the Photographing People section of the forum. That section is a little more specific to portraits.

About the picture: I really like the color work you did, and the fact that you can just barely tell that the person in the background is smiling really makes the picture for me. I think the shadow on his left eye is a bit much, and a little fill flash would probably soften that shadow while still giving you the nice directional light coming in from camera left. On board flash would also serve to give you some clear catchlights in the eyes, which always gives a little pop. Thanks for sharing!

[synthesist]

Thanks for the feedback.
My apologies for the many threads, for some reason i remember being told that its better to have just 1 picture per critique thread. I understand the forum has gained quite a bit of popularity since then, so ill keep it in mind for next time.

Good eyes for noticing the shadow on the right eye. I didn't even notice it. Thanks for the tips on the flash too. I don't currently own a good flash, ill be looking into getting some more lighting gear in the near future.

[RussHeath]

You are correct that threads here in the critique forum are only supposed to have one picture. That way people know exactly which one you want critiqued and it doesn't turn into a long list of "I like number 1 more than number 2" type posts. However, that restriction does not apply for threads outside this particular section. That's why I mentioned the Photographing People section, because you could feel free to post a few of these in one thread.

Buying a good flash is an investment that can do more for your photography than much more expensive gear. Just make sure you do the research about which ones (I use Nikon for my DSLR, so I can't help). Until you get one, you can still provide fill flash with the built-in flash on your camera. Not sure about the XTi, but I would assume you can adjust the flash compensation to have some measure of control over how much fill you add. It's a nice trick to have practiced when you're shooting people with another main light source.

[The Weird Witch]

I like the way his glasses are slightly crooked, it gives me a great feeling of action. I also like the depth of focus.

[synthesist]

Originally Posted by The Weird Witch

I like the way his glasses are slightly crooked, it gives me a great feeling of action. I also like the depth of focus.

I think that may have been me. Oops. We were wrestling not 30 seconds before that for a good half hour.