Gorgeous Girlfriend portrait!

[oriolhdz]

Hi to all!! First let me wish you happy New Year. Hope all your dreams come true!
I took this photo at a party saloon, so the light available was not the best one but still I like the way the photo came out. What you think of it? Was the pose of my girlfriend right? Use of flash? Crop? All your comments and critiques are welcome! Hope you like it!

[wulf]

I think it could bear to be cropped a littler closer - see Flickr for my suggestion which (roughly) puts her right eye on one of the intersections of the "rule of thirds".

Wulf

[Sandie]

She is very pretty and you did shoot her in 3/4 which is usually flattering. The crop is good and tight, but the background is still too busy and distracting. The direct flash is too harsh and you are too high up. If you had bounced the flash off the ceiling as well as come down to just barely above eye level she would have looked more comfortable.

[oriolhdz]

Thanks Wulf for your comments. I saw what you mean about the crop at flickr. I will make the changes to it and show it to my girlfriend to see which version she likes more (she wants to print it).

Thanks Sandie too for your comments. I agree with you about the background, I should have searched another place with a less distracting background even almost all parts in the saloon where tables and people lol. About the flash, well, the flash is the one that comes with the camera lol. I need to buy an external flash, but when I get it I'll remember your tips about bouncing the light. Thanks for the tip about the eye level shot. I will try it next time! =)
I'm glad you liked the photo!


Any other suggestions and tips from other members?? =)

[jiminyClickit]

oriolhdz,

Isn't there a section on your camera's menu where you can set the power of the flash lower? Or higher when needed?

[oriolhdz]

Hi Jiminy:
Hehehe...yup there is. And you are right, maybe I should lower the flash but the light avaible in the saloon was pretty low. What could I have done in that situation?
Thanks for your comments!!

[jiminyClickit]

oriolhdz,

On the rare occasion I use flash, I use exposure compensation (+) to lighten the result if I've set the flash to (-) whatever.

[oriolhdz]

Thanks for the tip Jiminy. I have totally forgot about Exporusure Compensation. I will try to remember in future shots with low light. Maybe increase ISO would help to.
Thanks for your comments! Have a nice day!

[clockdoc]

You have a good subject for your portraiture sessions. I think you have learned to watch you background for next time. Onboard flash is really only useful if you are using it as a fill-light source outdoors as alone it is too harsh for flattering portraits. You can experiment with levels as Jiminy suggested and even some localized diffusion by placing some translucent material over the frone of the flash. However, be very careful as the flash tube can get extremely hot and if material is touching the tube, it may melt or ignite. Try photographing your friend in some available light settings.
I had to go to your original image on flickr to confirm that there were catchlights present. I would play with making them a bit more obvious using Photoshop or similar software. As shown, her dark eyes lack sparkle. Catchlights will help bring soem life to them. Keep shooting.

[oriolhdz]

Thanks clockdoc for your comments, I really appreciate them. I will try your suggestion with the onboard flash and will play too with photoshop to see what else I can do to add some sparkle to her eyes. Thanks again for your great tips and comments!