My first practice portrait session

[pstephan1187]

So I had my first practice photography session a few days ago. It was a lot of fun and I was able to learn quite a bit. Most of my people shots are candids, so I had to come a little out of my shell to tell him where to go, how to pose, and such. Let me know how I could have done better. All the shots were with natural lighting and shot in RAW.



Here is a link to the whole set:
Practice - a set on Flickr

[Chip]

Hi -

My take is that (1) being able to see more of the eyes would be helpful - eyes are a critical part to most portraits and (2) cropping off just part of his right arm looks a bit off.

Given the setting (pretty harsh side lighting, shade and bright sky), I think you did a good job with the exposure. If available in the future, reflectors and/or flash - or putting your subject in open shade, maybe using a nearby white building as a huge reflector - might help balance the light on your model's face.

Props to you for getting out of your comfort zone and good work. It bet you had a good time.

[Yellow Dog]

I agree about the eyes. Maybe if you had him tilt his face a bit down and towards you his eyes would be more visible. To me it looks like his eyes are closed. Also, for me I like to have part of the hand showing, so instead of all the way in the pocket have the thumb out or have them hook their thumbs in their pocket. That's just me though. Nice composition of the picture.

[pstephan1187]

Thanks for the good tips. I guess being able to see the eyes is pretty important for portraits. I'll pay attention to that a little better next time.