What’s Your Preference?

johnree · #1 (**permalink**) 08-10-2010, 10:01 AM

Hey guys! I just joined the forum not to long ago but haven't been posting anything right until now. I am an amateur photographer with the love and passion for motivation. I am completely open to anything. Literally! If the replies are harsh, that's fine. It's all part of the learning curb isn't it?

Well, I have this one photo and I would just like some feedback on anything and from anyone. This photo was taken on a little hill/mountain called... Little Mountain! Go figure! A friend of mine which is a very talented and young dress designer asked me to do a little photography showcasing her dresses that she made. It was a great experience and was a lot of fun! So any feedback on exposure, posing, DOP ect. would be great!
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Sony DSLR-A300
Shutter Speed: 1/400 second
Aperture: F/4.5
Focal Length: 90 mm
ISO Speed: 100
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PS. I love this site!

KMP2010 · #2 (**permalink**) 08-10-2010, 10:48 AM

I love this site too!!

Im pretty much a beginner so i'm not too sure if my critique is anything to go by but I tried to imagine looking at the picture as if I was looking for something in a magazine, a customer of the dress so to speak. So my comments are in regards to the composition as I am certainly not qualified to go any further than that haha...sorry rambling, back to point at hand.

The whole purpose is to show of the dress and I just don't get that in this photo. With the angle the model is posing in I am drawn to her face not the dress. it seems like the dress has been chopped in half, with her shoulder doing the cutting if you get what I mean.

Also with the landscape behind her it looks like somewhere you would go trekking, not really practical for a dress like that so they don't quite tie in together (dress and scenery). Maybe if you had her next to a tree trunk in the woods so there isn't so much going on in the background, i feel like my eyes are first drawn to her upper body and then on to the background. The Bush on the left can be a bit distracting. Did you try some with just some green behind her where the depth of field is limited, so that the focus more on the model and dress is really showcased? Please don't take offense to the critique, I hope this helps somewhat

Kel

KMP2010 · #3 (**permalink**) 08-10-2010, 10:51 AM

Sorry forgot to add that I like the exposure

z0mbina80 · #4 (**permalink**) 08-10-2010, 10:54 AM

i agree.. it is a nice shot but as a fashion shot I just want to see more of the dress. I suppose used with other images, sure.. ( becuase it does give you a sense of "oh thats a pretty dress I wonder what the rest of it looks like, or at least it did for me LOL) So I guess my only real issue is with the pose. I would try to find one that showcases the dress more. Personally, I kinda like the contrast of the background and the dress, but that's just me haha.

Swisstony10 · #5 (**permalink**) 08-10-2010, 11:22 AM

I'm mostly with the others - it's a pretty pleasing picture, but perhaps not the best display of the dress itself. That said, I've seen plenty of pictures like this in clothing catalogues and on posters, so I guess it depends on what kind of "fashion" shot you were aiming for.

I'd give two pieces of advice on the pose - firstly, having her hand turned out to the side has introduced a twist to her arm, which makes her elbow look kinda "lumpy" - if she'd had her hand facing forwards, the line of her arm would've been smoother. Also, the way she has her shoulders turned has made her back a little uneven. If her shoulders had been straightened up a little then that would've been smoother and more flattering. Possibly, turning her more towards the camera, straightening up her shoulders a little more and perhaps getting her to arch her back very slightly would've shown off more of the dress too.

I can't be certain with the picture at that size, but it looks like the focus may be a tiny bit off. Her face has a (not necessarily unpleasant) softness to it, but the bush on the far side of her looks very sharp. Given that the majority of the background is distant (the hills and horizon), you could've probably afforded to have stopped down a little, maybe to f8 for an increased DoF - the bush behind her would still have been in focus as it mostly is now, but she'd still be nicely separated from the rest of the distant background.

I don't know if you have any off-camera flash, but a tiny tiny bit of fill from behind the subject wouldn't have gone amiss - there's a bit of shadow and a loss of texture in the dress at the back, which may well have been what you wanted (in which case, ignore me

), but chucking an extra bit of light in there, either with a flash, or a reflector, wouldn't have hurt.

She's a very attractive model, and overall the picture does look really good - definitely not one to be disappointed with. It almost has a candid quality about it, with her shoulders and arm like that - it's a little like she was sitting on the rock enjoying the view, and you called to her so she'd look round.

I've rattled on a fair bit there - ignore as much of it as you like

Russ.

johnree · #6 (**permalink**) 08-10-2010, 07:10 PM

Quote:

Also with the landscape behind her it looks like somewhere you would go trekking, not really practical for a dress like that so they don't quite tie in together (dress and scenery). Maybe if you had her next to a tree trunk in the woods so there isn't so much going on in the background, i feel like my eyes are first drawn to her upper body and then on to the background. The Bush on the left can be a bit distracting. Did you try some with just some green behind her where the depth of field is limited, so that the focus more on the model and dress is really showcased? Please don't take offense to the critique, I hope this helps somewhat

Ahh! This is great! Thank you so much for the feedback! It has helped a lot. You guys are right. A fashion shoot would require the detail of the dress and not the forest in the background hahah. My logic on location is a bit off eh? I guess I'm used to taking landscape photos

Quote:

I've rattled on a fair bit there - ignore as much of it as you like

Russ.

Oh no Russ, i'm soaking everyone single bit of that! Thank you

Swisstony10 · #7 (**permalink**) 08-11-2010, 09:38 AM

Personally, I don't think that the location is much of a problem - the incongruity of the elegant model and dress on a mountain top appeals to me. I was thinking about this picture overnight, and had the thought that if you'd used flash (preferably off-camera, away to the left behind the model) and a reflector to light the subject, then you could've deliberately underexposed the background a bit to take a little of the detail out of it, while still making it clear that she's on top of a mountain..

Having a friend who designs and makes great clothes is a real bonus - use her as often as you can, to practise and experiment. Try doing things where you have no idea how well they'll work, and get her input too - that way when the time comes (if you want that time to come) that someone asks you to take some fashion photos, or even just some portraits (like seniors formals or whatever) you'll have a great back-catalogue of awesome ideas to make them look fantastic, interesting, and unique. The techniques that get fashion models well-posed and looking fabulous work just as well for portraits, formals, weddings, and so on.

neubauer6 · #8 (**permalink**) 08-11-2010, 03:31 PM

I do like the shot as a portrait. If I were shooting with the dress in mind, I would probably do more of a studio type shoot. I might use a little bit harsher light, like one or two off-camera flashes, to light the dress. Just my .02

PROFusioNZ · #9 (**permalink**) 08-11-2010, 10:54 PM

johnree, welcome to the forums.

Your exact shot, in a portrait mode would work quite well, compositionally, and fix most of the issues regarding focus on the dress.

Other than that, I think the lighting is too flat. Looks like it was an overcast day. Like others said, an external flash woulda helped.

Otherwise, a little bit of post, could bring out the details and highlights a bit - add more contrast.