My lovely girlfriend

[sybren]

What do you think about this portrait?



Canon EOS 350D, Canon 17-55mm F/2.8 IS USM @ 38mm F/13, 1/90 sec
Lit using a Speedlite 430EX with a black straw snoot grid at the left, slaved to my Speedlite 580EXII which played master only (not for lighting) using TTL.

What kind of improvements do you see?

[windrider86]

You did quite well with the glare on the glasses. rather the glare you usually see on glasses.
Looks like you guys were having fun!

[Jboy]

I really like it! It's playful, well composed, and makes great use of light. I'm sorta new to photography and definitely couldn't pull off a shot like this, but I do have two suggestions:

The image seems a bit too soft. Did you sharpen it? I find that a high pass filter set to "soft light" brings out a lot of detail without making it too harsh. Also adds a bit of pop to the eyes.

Second... did you add a black bar on the bottom? The collar's cut-off seems a bit unnatural on the bottom. If that's just how the lighting falls, sorry!

Otherwise, the shot is beautiful. Great job!

[Robin Sarac]

I like the lighting, but the pose doesn't...fit. Does that make sense? Her expressions seems to be at odds with the dramatic lighting.

[sybren]

Thanks all!

You did quite well with the glare on the glasses. rather the glare you usually see on glasses.
Looks like you guys were having fun!

We were having fun indeed! The glare isn't annoying, because the flash is so far on the left side, and very small. This results in a small, off-centre highlight.

The image seems a bit too soft. Did you sharpen it?

Yes, I did sharpen it. I could boost the "sharpen" slider a little further, though.

Second... did you add a black bar on the bottom? The collar's cut-off seems a bit unnatural on the bottom. If that's just how the lighting falls, sorry!

Yeah, I added a black border around the image - I do that on all my shots, just to frame them a little. On most shots, it looks a lot better than the default background of the website I happen to post them on.

I like the lighting, but the pose doesn't...fit. Does that make sense? Her expressions seems to be at odds with the dramatic lighting.

Yeah, and that's also what I like about the photo. It's different, and I think the lighting really makes her expression pop.

What makes the light "dramatic" for you? Maybe I'm looking at it in a too technical way - I just see it as "hard light in a round spot with a soft edge".

Thanks for the feedback!

[Sime]

hehe!... who's that CRAZY girl!!... Great shot Sybren, Loving the light... i'll pm you about flash.. I need some help!... woo hoo

[albert.cantaloupe]

nice use of the slave flash. the right cheek bone seems a tad over exposed. nevertheless great shot, cool effect.

=)

[Robin Sarac]

I guess the way it's lit just comes off as...I don't know...maybe dramatic is the wrong word. Dark. Not in the obvious sense, but in the emotional sense. The lighting makes me feel like I'm shining a light on somebody else and we shouldn't or don't want to be there. No offense intended, of course. I would really like to see this exact same setup with a more serious expression on her face. Goofy is good too!

[sybren]

The cheek bone is indeed a little too light - I'll have to experiment with flash positions and see what kind of effect they have in that area.

Robin: thanks about your explanation - I'm always interested in hearing what kind of effect lighting has on somebody.

[sybren]

Originally Posted by Robin Sarac

I would really like to see this exact same setup with a more serious expression on her face.

Here is another photo. Different girl, same technique.