Beginning Portraits

[HillHavenStudio]

I am just getting into taking professional photos. This was from a session with a model in a practicum class. I am looking for general critique, ranging from color and lighting to composition. I appreciate ANY critique. My basic idea when it comes to photography is to take real pictures, representing people in a real way without adding extra idealistic layers. A picture should be who you are, not who you wish you were.

There is no editing done to this photo. Also, it was taken on full Manual, which I just beginning to learn how to use.
Taken on a Canon Rebel XTi
Exposure: 1/60 of a second at a F-Stop of 6.3
ISO: 400
Focal Length: 190mm

[RLucas]

The colors look good to me. Nicely balanced and decent lighting.
The biggest problem with it, is that it is too soft. Shooting at 1/60 @190mm will lend itself to camera shake blur, and motion blur, if you are shooting hand held.. So you have two battles to go up against at once. f5.6 is probably wide open at that focal length for that lens, which is not the best aperture if you want sharp portraits. Try stopping down to f8 or more to get a little more sharpness. You may have to increase your iso another stop, but you want to get your shutter speed up as well.

Another thing is that there are no eyes visible. You may have wanted it this way, but portraits usually have more impact if you can see the eyes.

Good luck and keep shooting!

[HillHavenStudio]

thanks for the help, I am just learning about f stops and such, and I knew that aperture would affect the focus of the background, but I didn't realize that it would affect the subject. I will keep that in mind for my next shoot.
And I did intentionally take the picture with her eyes down. I took several more in different poses with her looking at the camera, but I liked the softness of this pose.
Again, thanks for the comment!!

[Benji]

Originally Posted by HillHavenStudio

My basic idea when it comes to photography is to take real pictures, representing people in a real way without adding extra idealistic layers. A picture should be who you are, not who you wish you were.

Why would anyone in their right mind pay some professional photographer their hard earned $$$ to get photos of them showing their pimples, rolls of fat and wrinkles?
If people want photos of who they really are and what they really look like they will hand their point and shoot camera to someone and tell them to blaze away. There is nothing like looking at those unposed, flat lit, over or underexposed images to convince most people that they need some major help. You get what you pay for. A professional photographer knows how to pose and light a woman to flatter her and make her look thinner and younger and more beautiful. Then in Photoshop we can retouch those zits, scars, bags under the eyes, remove those rolls of fat, whiten her teeth and make her eyes nearly pop off the paper. Once she sees it she will then write a nice fat check to the pro for nearly $100.00 for an 8 x 10 of that image (at least that is what mine sell for.) She wouldn't pay that for a snapshot.

I have nothing against starving artists, in fact I used to be one, but after spending several thousand dollars on cameras, flash units, meters, backgrounds, light stands reflectors and a host of other photographic stuff my wife told me she would really like for me to be a well fed artist and I agreed.

Benji

[HillHavenStudio]

Benji, that is not what I meant. I understand photoshopping and removing zits, and getting flattering light and poses and all, I'm still learning all of that, but I definitely agree. What I meant was less on a physical level and more on a personal level. Representing the person, who they are and what they like. Not stiff stuck up pictures and not making sixteen year old girls look....older and more sexual. I agree with being a well fed artist.

If you were refering to my above photo as unposed, flat lit, and ill exposed please let me know how I can fix these things in the future.

[private]

Hillhaven,

I must say that I agree with how you view photography. What you like to capture in your portraiture is the current trend. I find that less and less people want the posey posey shots, they want to capture the person as they are - in a well lit, perfectly composed environment.

In generations to come, you want to know something about the person. When my son's kids look at his photo, I do not want them to say, wow, look how great the photographer was, he really understood lighting. I want to hear WOW, at 7 years old he was FUN of personality and his eyes gleam with happiness and he clearly loves_____. You will not get that with the portraits of yesterday.

My favorite photographer is Sandy Puc - she is bloody amazing. She turns away business. 8x10's start at $150 and she is kind, generous and understanding. And her seminars are amazing and inspirational.

She talks about her journey w/o putting people down or belittling their work. After all, the goal is to be better this year than you were last year. If you do not not grow and change, you will stagnate and die.

Negative comments can even fuel or put out a fire. Positive, constructive comments are ALWAYS good.

Enough typing Nice portrait! And yes, it is soft. Mainly b/c of the focal length and the shutter speed. A basic rule of thumb is that the shutter speed should be equal to or greater that the focal length. The rules can be broken. Shooting at 1/60 with a focal length of 50mm, might also yield a soft portrait. All of that being said, you could use your current settings with a tripod...

[WooD]

I shoot a lot of Realtors head shots for their cards, on line sites, and signs.

Honestly I can say 90% of the time they want to look exactly like they look in person. Even the ladies.

I also check out a lot of fashion magazines, and have found there seems to be no rules in that type of photography anymore. Flat light, hard shadows, weird poses....anything goes. I'd bet those involved are getting paid a lot more than $100 for an 8x10.

I tried to follow other photographers styles, but found I like to shoot what I want, or what the person paying me wants. I'm far from a pro, but I'm not a starving artist. Just a retired beach bum surfer/photographer that has a good time doing what I do, and have yet to have a single complaint.

Just my .02

[slc_shutterbug]

"My basic idea when it comes to photography is to take real pictures, representing people in a real way without adding extra idealistic layers. A picture should be who you are, not who you wish you were."

Your opinion.

My mileage. It varies.

[SusanH1970]

Originally Posted by private

Hillhaven,

I must say that I agree with how you view photography. What you like to capture in your portraiture is the current trend. I find that less and less people want the posey posey shots, they want to capture the person as they are - in a well lit, perfectly composed environment.

In generations to come, you want to know something about the person. When my son's kids look at his photo, I do not want them to say, wow, look how great the photographer was, he really understood lighting. I want to hear WOW, at 7 years old he was FUN of personality and his eyes gleam with happiness and he clearly loves_____. You will not get that with the portraits of yesterday.

My favorite photographer is Sandy Puc - she is bloody amazing. She turns away business. 8x10's start at $150 and she is kind, generous and understanding. And her seminars are amazing and inspirational.

She talks about her journey w/o putting people down or belittling their work. After all, the goal is to be better this year than you were last year. If you do not not grow and change, you will stagnate and die.

Negative comments can even fuel or put out a fire. Positive, constructive comments are ALWAYS good.

Enough typing Nice portrait! And yes, it is soft. Mainly b/c of the focal length and the shutter speed. A basic rule of thumb is that the shutter speed should be equal to or greater that the focal length. The rules can be broken. Shooting at 1/60 with a focal length of 50mm, might also yield a soft portrait. All of that being said, you could use your current settings with a tripod...

+1,000! And that, Pat, is why you are so busy. Your work is fresh, new, and you follow the trends as need be, but make them your own. I have complete and total respect for photographers that are not only technically correct, but actually are contemporary as well. Being "technically correct" today just isn't enough anymore. Consumers want art and vision and something different. They don't want their kids looking like a 1980's Olan Mills ad with the stiffly posed, unnatural shots.

Kudos to the OP. With Pat's guidance as she gave you earlier and a bit of refining, you're going to be rocking your own style that consumers will adore. Keep shooting.

[Life in Motion]

I AGREE PAT AND SUSANH(i thought you might answer on this thread lol . love your responses...just had to add another +1