First portrait session

[Kyle]

This is my first time doing portrait shots for someone

here is one of the photos, you can see three more (which are possibly my best of the 18 I gave to my subject) on my flickr stream



shot on rebel t1i with 100mm macro at 2.8.
av priority mode with 200 ISO
processed in Lr (clarity/sharpness grad. filter to soften bokeh)
Levels and white balance are SOOC

[Rhythm Photo]

Nice shots, I really dig lexus 4. It seems like you just used natural lighting but if you could get a buddy to hold a bounce to fill up the right side of her face it'd improve it.

On lexus 1 I'd do a tighter crop, mainly get rid of some of the brick above her head.

On lexus 2, I'd like to see a version it straightened on the horizon line. Until I saw it I wouldn't know, but something interesting for you to play with and think about.

And on lexus 3 a tighter crop once again.

Nice photos man.

[Kyle]

Thanks, I really appreciated your advice. I updated the photos accordingly (gotta love RAW + Lightroom) although they may not have kept their original numbers.

[tyasa81]

i like lexus 4 as well... the expression is the key... and you've captured it well there... sorry to say that the one you posted here is the weakest in the whole series... since the expression isn't quite right... like she's in between expressions or trying to hold a smile for too long...

i like #2 as well... but maybe play with the exposure and wb a bit to match it up with the rest of the series (like #4, warm and bright)? since you shot raw, it should be pretty simple adjustment...

[shauncunninghamphoto]

Hi Kyle

Nice shot (and very pretty subject)! Nice and natural. A couple of comments/suggestions from me, purely from a personal perspective (and supported by an updated image).

The bokeh looks a little unnatural to me and is not just soft (like bokeh should be) but is a little blurred. Looks like camera shake (I assume you weren't using a tripod)? You could achieve a nicer bokeh (soft but not blurred) by choosing one or more of the following:-

Using a tripod to avoid camera shake
Using a faster shutter speed (although AV would've chosen your shutter speed for you).

Also, I love the fact that she is gazing into negative space. I chose a crop that brings out her gaze a little more, to draw more attention to it. I accentuated her gaze by cropping in closer and adjusting the angle so that her gaze starts from the upper left Golden Mean point (based on rule of thirds) and is directed to the top right of the photo.

I made some lighting adjustments in LR although it was difficult to get this correct because of only being able to work with a small jpg but hopefully you can see where I was going with it. I basically added in some fill to brighten the right side of her face (as the other user said, a bounce disc would've got this perfect). I then adjusted black definition and clarity a little. I think if you did these adjustments with the original RAW image it would look great.

2 tips I learned that I apply constantly and never forget are:-

1. Dont under estimate the impact of a bounce disc. They are great for fill, diffused light, reflecting naural light, reducing shadows and creating nice iris reflection. I use mine almost constantly during outdoor portraits.
   
2. Get close, closer and closer still. COnsider getting as close as possible to the subject to focus on expression or the "story."

Hope this helps.
Shaun

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