portraits are terrifying...

[rengles]

...which is why I'm trying to take more...

So this is a headshot of a neighbor of mine...I know the perspective is nothing spectacular, but I do like that it's a bit candid...I waited until he was laughing at something else rather than smiling awkwardly for the camera.

The lighting was an issue because the day was super sunny but he was sitting under an umbrella...I ended up using a flash to lighten his face. I need to learn to shoot in the shade!

My questions are
1. Is the shine on his face from the flash too distracting?
2. What do you think about the centered composition?
3. Is his face too dark relative to the background? The background is still overexposed, though I tried to dim it down using a vignette...does this ruin the shot?

Thanks in advance for any tips!!!

Nikon D40 w/kit lens, at 46mm
exposure: .004s
f/6.3
ISO 200
on-camera flash fired

[luckymeghan]

I am an amateur myself, but I have to say I really like this portrait. I enjoyed checking out your flikr photostream too! You don't come off as a beginner!

[rengles]

Thanks Meghan!

I don't know when one stops being a beginner...I still feel like one, though I guess I've been playing around with a dslr for the past year! beginner/amateur

[LeeR]

In answer to your questions:
1) No, the reflection on the man's face is not terribly distracting, though it is something you would rather not have in future shots. The best light for portraits outdoors is indirect sunlight. Let's say you could find a an alley where one building cast a shadow across the alley and the other building was being hit with direct sunlight that was being reflected back into the alley. This would be prime portrait light. Just be sure to position yourself so that the wall behind your subject is the one in shade.
2) The centered composition isn't bad. If you are doing a headshot like you have here, there aren't a lot of options. I like the fact that you got him smiling, I just wish he had been looking into the camera with that expression.
3) There are special challenges associated with shooting dark skinned people but you have handled them well. The background is blown out and there isn't a lot you can do with that now. Just be sure to look for more appropriate backgrounds in the future.
Overall, this is pretty good for a beginner. Keep working at it.

[LoveDSLR]

Originally Posted by rengles

2. What do you think about the centered composition?

It's OK.

Originally Posted by rengles

My questions are
1. Is the shine on his face from the flash too distracting?
3. Is his face too dark relative to the background? The background is still overexposed, though I tried to dim it down using a vignette...does this ruin the shot?

You should consider some basic pp and masking.

[tokyotom]

LoveDSLR - could you list the steps you took?

[LoveDSLR]

Originally Posted by tokyotom

LoveDSLR - could you list the steps you took?

Just a quick pp on my laptop for illustration only.

- ACR (adjust WB, blacks, contrast, clarity and vibrance)
- Adjust skin tone color
- Remove shine on forehead using the clone stamp tool
- Create a layer mask of the background and lower its brightness

[cherie592]

This is my attempt at the edit.... I don't know if I am doing this right or not. So I must apologize in advance.....

[rengles]

Thanks all for the input!!

LeeR-- Thanks for the tips... I'll keep them in mind and try to better position the subject before shooting... I guess the problem is having parts of the photo shaded and parts in direct sunlight? Exposure with dark-skinned subjects is definitely a challenge!!

LoveDSLR--are those photoshop steps? Right now I'm just adjusting things in photoscape...still pretty low on the pp learning curve

Cherie--I like the idea of desaturating, since the blown out background makes for some weird coloring. How about the sepia version?