Head shot with flash

[chris.r.]

Hello there,

Still quite new here on dPS...and don't always get time to be online.

Have been playing with our new flash...what do you think regarding lighting and composition of this head shot of my wife? She was sitting next to a white wall where I bounced off my 580.

I somehow didn't manage to upload the picture directly from my hard drive? Anyway, hope this works now.

1000D
50mm
ISO 200
f/1.8
1/100s

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Drop Box

[BigFuzzy]

I like the soft feel of the light, and the angle of the light is good.

The issue I have is focus. It's my opinion that in portraits such as these, the eyes have to be in focus (unless there's a specific choice to not do so) and in this image they don't appear to be. Not sure if it was camera shake or simply using the wrong focal point. That to me is the thing that needs the most attention on the next such shot. I also think a reflector on her left (image right) would help fill a tad bit more light in her left eye.

Also, it feels a bit soft contrast wise.. try boosting the contrast a bit and see what you think. If you're using Lightroom, use the clarity slider, I think that works best (similar to LCE in PS).

Composition seems ok. Nothing terribly exciting, but also happy to see it's not centered. I like the slight tilt to her head.

Otherwise, it's a good start, keep shooting them you'll see yourself thinking of these little things.

PS try this in b&w and boost contrast, I think it could be good.

[jax314]

I have to agree with the above post on everything, except I don't see the eyes as being blurry. Maybe it's just me, but the eyes look sharp but right behind them starts to blur....

What other part of the face seems sharp then if the eyes are not...for comparison purposes?

Thanks!

[BigFuzzy]

Originally Posted by jax314

What other part of the face seems sharp then if the eyes are not...for comparison purposes?

I could be wrong, but it appears as if the central focal point was used (either intentionally or on fully auto) and focus is on cheek. But honestly, the whole thing feels soft, focus-wise. Maybe a boost to contrast would help me think otherwise.

[SusanH1970]

Agreed that it appears the focus fell on the cheek. Her eyes aren't "blurry", per se, but they are soft and not as tack sharp as the cheek.

[danbaileyphoto]

Not getting into the focus aspects of the shot, I actually like the lighting that you've used. The bounce gave it enough direction to give good depth to the subject, and it's soft enough to not be too harsh on the face. Nice job.

[chris.r.]

Hi all, and thanks heaps for the input. I see the focus is a difficult one with that lense and the camera I used (1000D). I did use the centre focus point as it is 99% the case, but probably simply didn't aim good enough. I suppose using another f-stop would have helped there too a bit, but losing the shallow DOF.

Also, I will use a reflector next time for her left hand side too. Still have to make up one (DIY). Didn't do any processing on it, but I seem to pick up most digital images do need sharpening, no? I use Faithful as a picture style to keep it neutral enough. Not processing RAW as yet.

Do you know what I did wrong regarding uploading? I dont' like the detour via Google and all. It had worked before to upload directly from the computer..?

Anyway, thanks again!!