Is the half-face out of style?

[rubysue]

I randomly took this picture of my husband a few weeks ago. I don't have photoshop or any software other than DPP, so I just played with the contrast and saturation a bit but now I can't find the original, must have deleted it which is too bad, I liked the shot overall. Maybe I just like it because it's my hubby...

Anyway, I cropped it this way and now I'm thinking it looks weird and too dark overall. And too much contrast.. thoughts? The original was full face and his left arm was in the frame over his head. Thanks in advance.



Canon Rebel T1i 18-55 kit lens
Shutter: 1/5
Aperture: 5.6
ISO: 400
Focal length: 55mm
Manual exposure
Flash: off

[SusanH1970]

Honestly, the crop and angle aren't doing anything for me - particularly the "up the nose" angle. Being above him and shooting straight down would have been more flattering, IMO. The negative space on his left side is distracting.

Shooting at 1/5 caused camera shake, which caused the photo to be OOF, also.

Don't want this to sound harsh - experimenting is good! Keep shooting and posting. I do really like the way the light falls on his face, that's really nice. And your hubby is a good looking guy.

[Niresangwa]

I personally don't mind the crop, and the 'angle' doesnt look too bad as the pillow/bed/whateveritis keep a little balance to it. the up-the-nose shot isn't great though. good job he was clean.

I guess Susan covered the exposure issues. It could probably be brightened really easily with a little curves and levels adjustment, though I like the grunged out feel to it. The slight blur... i think you're onto something...but right now theres not enough of it to be an intentional component of the image's style if you know what i mean... a little more and you'll be heading towards that old polaroid look which could work for a shot like this.

Bottom line, dont be put off playing on the outskirts of style and composition - too few people post shots like this. If I knew the guy, this would really be a keeper. But I dont and i'm a man so thats just plain weird, but you know what i mean i expect.

One tip for shots like this is try a B&W conversion. High contrast usually makes for a nice mono, as long as you can keep the range high.

[rubysue]

LOL thank you for the honest replies, not harsh at all. Susan, you're right, it is OOF, I can't believe you don't love the up-the-nose angle though (kidding).

I did like the grunge feel and blur as you said, Niresangwa, but I agree it just isn't quite there and doesn't look intentional (probably because it wasn't). I wish I could find the original image and play with it some more. He will probably never let me get a shot of him again.. he hates the camera But I am going to keep experimenting and posting, so thanks for the help! Practice, practice, practice...