First studio shoot experience

[kitty_ari]

Hi All

Thanks you for taking the time to look at this. I havent posted in a while due to real life committments but slowly getting back into things.

Last Thursday was my first ever shoot in a studio. I had a wonderful, understanding model who knew it was my first one, and put up with my stupid nervousness. That, and she is also teaching me how to be a photographer (technical sides).

So this is one of my favourite pictures from the shoot and I wish to get some more critique on it.

My one thought was there is too much shadow on the right hand side of the face. I guess that would just be solved with moving the lights and/or model (and getting more used to giving directions to models).

Though is there any thing you can think of that would improve it, or is it good for a first attempt. Some of the comments I have had from the rest of it was that they were two technical and not showing my personality in them. That is kind of hard for you all to judge but that is what was said.

I have added the exif information below the image.

Cheers

Kitty_Ari



Exif Data
Camera: Canon EOS 7D
Focal Length: 19mm
Shutter: 1/200
Aperture: f/16
ISO: 100

[RLucas]

I like the overall image compositionally. It looks to me to be underexposed quite a bit.
What type of lighting were you using?
This also begs the question of why you shot at f/16?

[memooch]

I would try to get eyes perfectly in-focus first; agree with underexposed... I like the staging & comp tho...

[docxnoel]

I don't have any experience in studio lightings and never ever try even once, I'm just a beginner, so I leave to others about the proper studio lighting tecniques.

For the composition, the face of your model appears to be blurry, so you need proper focusing on this, remember it is portrait and you need to emphasize your model's face specially her eyes.

Another that I notice, even you have a plain background, the subject itself is very busy, very busy in terms that there a so may accessories that is well focus than her face., so it keep my eyes go everywhere, it keeps me wandering to her tattoo, going to the skates, to her necklace and to the big red star on her shirts.

There is nothing wrong in putting some props and accessories as long as they compliment each other.

It is a good shot, but there is a lot to improve to be a better one.

Hope I write something helpfull.

[LuisCaz]

I like the picture, i think is a good composition too, i dont agree with being under exposed i think is more of a white balance issue, but i could be wrong
About the lightning, it seems to me that the main light is almost at a 90 degrees angle with the camera axis, and thats why you are getting those shadows on her face, to correct that just bring the put the light closer to you more like a 45 degrees angle with the camera axis, i hope this make sense to you, and remember to always light for the subject eyes.
And i'd have to ask too, why f16?

[Niresangwa]

Originally Posted by LuisCaz

I like the picture, i think is a good composition too, i dont agree with being under exposed i think is more of a white balance issue, but i could be wrong
About the lightning, it seems to me that the main light is almost at a 90 degrees angle with the camera axis, and thats why you are getting those shadows on her face, to correct that just bring the put the light closer to you more like a 45 degrees angle with the camera axis, i hope this make sense to you, and remember to always light for the subject eyes.
And i'd have to ask too, why f16?

It is under-exposed. Her skin is grey.

The side lighting is very dynamic however, which is great. I don't think the front fill is really required if this is te look you're going for, bringing up the exposure in PP should be enough to fix that, and you have enough etail in the shadows from what I can see to manage that no problems.. a quick levels adjustment will do this easily... it should take care fof the contrast too, the lack of which makes it feel pretty flat.

Nice bones of an image which some basic PP will really improve.

[kitty_ari]

Thank you all for the comments - here are some replies.

For the questions regarding F/16 - Mainly because I am new, and when using the light meter thats what it said to use it. Yeah, i know in the future I should be able to judge myself, but for the moment, I have to use what equipment I have.

For the over exposed issue that may have been my fault in PP - I will, once returned home post the initial shot straight from the camera. I think one of the monitors I am using has gone out of whack again so will need to re-calibrate it (Got a hardware calibration tool I can borrow).

It was a roller derby themed shoot, but I do see what you mean about the props (and some of them were lost in later photos).

the lighting setup was like so:



If you wish to see the original I can post that up too?