Do Eyes make a Portrait?

[Elhombrem]

I posted this yesterday (under "Fuzzy"), and received some constructive comments from Jerry. It got me thinking.
1. Do eyes make a Portrait?
2. How could I improve this shot without revealing the subjects eyes?
3. How can i improve the composition?

Please feel free to comment on the exposure and other aspects too.
-picture has not been post processed-

Thanks,
Greg

Camera: Canon EOS 50D
Shooting Mode: Manual
Exposure: 1/8
Aperture: f/9.0
ISO: 250
Focal Length: 130mm
White Balance: Flash

[Benji]

As someone said, "The eyes are the window to the soul." Personally I have never liked portraits where the eyes were hidden, with the exception of some advertising images where the subject is wearing sunglasses.

Every time I photograph a high school senior with sunglasses on I also do one with them up in their hair. I have yet to sell one where the sunglasses were down. Mom's just don't like them, and even most of the seniors don't either after they see them. There just seems to be something about being able to see the eyes in an image, they just gotta be there.

Several things I don't like about your image.

1. Too centered.
2. Her torso was flat to the camera which is usually quite unexciting.
3. Her black blouse is just a big area of black nothingness. It should have detail.
4. The two white things at camera left lower (fingers?) are distracting.
5. The image is underexposed I believe.

The cure.

Turn her torso at a 45 degree angle. Boost the power of the fill light so the blacks have detail. Show her eyes. Don't lopp of her fingers.

Benji

[RJKs Daughter]

I think it is an interesting shot. I love the hat

The only suggestions I would make, would be to move the subject slightly more to the left, and expose the image more. Well placed lighting could make for a much more dramatic image.

Keep up the great work!

[LeeR]

Eyes on a portrait are like wheels on a car; you don't have to have them but things sure work better when you do.

[SusanH1970]

Originally Posted by LeeR

Eyes on a portrait are like wheels on a car; you don't have to have them but things sure work better when you do.

Well said, Lee! That gave me a chuckle.

[Elhombrem]

Thanks for the feedback. More detail in the blacks would definitely help. Benji, Christina thanks for the pointers. I still think a portrait that doesn't reveal the eyes can be dramatic and powerful, but it's probably going to take getting everything just right..sounds like a future project.... who needs wheels on a car anyway??!??!

-I'm still open to more feedback and comments-
Thanks!!

[Jerry.Hammond]

For me, I find that time after time, once the mechanics of lighting, and posing, and even color are stripped away, it is what our subjecst convey to us through their eyes that stay with me. It can be the gleeful sparkle of a child's happiness, or the haunted and maybe even desperately hallow stare of a homeless mother. It is always the eyes that cause the portrait to yell out, scream at me, or whisper for my heart and empathy. And maybe even cause me to smile. Are there exceptions to this? Of course there are. But ask yourself this; when you see that potrait of a lone figure huddled in the corner what is your fist impulse--mine is to try to see their eyes: to see their story.

Otherwise, I think the majority of photographs without eye contact are not portraits. They may be a commercial, or an ad trying to tell a different story on a different level. It is not a bad thing. It is just a different thing. A different form of story telling. In my opinion, of course.

Good shooting!!!

Originally Posted by Elhombrem

I posted this yesterday (under "Fuzzy"), and received some constructive comments from Jerry. It got me thinking.
1. Do eyes make a Portrait?
2. How could I improve this shot without revealing the subjects eyes?
3. How can i improve the composition?

Please feel free to comment on the exposure and other aspects too.
-picture has not been post processed-

Thanks,
Greg

Camera: Canon EOS 50D
Shooting Mode: Manual
Exposure: 1/8
Aperture: f/9.0
ISO: 250
Focal Length: 130mm
White Balance: Flash

[srt]

+1 for well said Lee, lol!

[Elhombrem]

Jerry, I'm inclined to agree with you; you make a solid point.

- Though personally, I've always been a fan of "different forms of story telling".

Thanks for the input!!!!

[LeeR]

Like you, I think it is possible to make a powerful, even moving, image with the eyes covered. Put a blindfold on someone and you have effectively covered the eyes and created a shot that is almost bound to be dramatic. Have someone cover their eyes with their hand and you have at least the potential for a great shot. But in each of these cases there is an implied reason for having the eyes covered. Eyes are so essential, in my opinion, that if you cover them you almost certainly need to provide your audience with at least a hint of an explanation.

To help me make my point, I am going to call on famed LIFE photographer, Andreas Feininger, who created the following self portrait that does not reveal his eyes... but for a very good reason.