My first Portrait Session. Open for Critcism :)

[hellbornknave]

So this is my first major post on the forums. And I wanted some inputs on this portrait session I had with a friend. As of now I don't have any lighting equipment, so I relied on natural light (Choosing golden hour for best possible natural light).

One of the first things that I found wrong with the session was that I didn't vary my perspectives a lot. Most of the pictures are either taken by me standing or a little crouched. So that is something that I hope to keep in mind on further sessions.

Other than that, any critique is more than welcome. Also try and tell me why or why not you like a particular image.
And I know I have acres to improve. So feel free to bash away.




Exposure 0.01 sec (1/100)
Aperture f/4.5
Focal Length 80 mm
ISO Speed 100



Edit: All but one photograph removed. As per forum rules.

This is the rest of the session for anyone who wants to see the other results.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jamiemu...7626960923442/

[scootermcq]

I Love the 2nd one.... some of the others I find kinda boring in composition, and a little dark on the face. The sun kills the face in the last, which kills it for me. The 2nd is well composed, well lit, the sun flare behaved well and it is interesting. Nicely done.

Just as heads up, you are gonna get your hand slapped, because you can only post one image per thread for critique. The rest have to be posted in a link, so I would keep the image you most want feedback on and then show a link to the rest on flickr or whatever.

[hellbornknave]

Sorry. That I didn't know. I'll rectify the error. And remove all but one picture.

Thanks for the heads-up. And the comments.

[friendship7]

love this pic, you have an eye for colour for sure

[ajax_andy]

I like this pic, I think you've made good use of natural light, and its a nice image.

I'm not 100% sure the focus is sharp enough on the eyes... might have focused on the end of her nose? Not sure though and maybe someone else can correct me if i'm wrong.

I also think you might have a tiny bit too much "dead space" above her head. Not a lot, but might benefit from a slightly tighter crop.

Her hands behind her back isn't the best of poses as it looks like they just disappear.

All of the above are being super harsh though and overall I think its a really nice pic. She looks like a sweet girl and the light and shooting at this time of day seem to suit her look well.

[Phoxxie]

My first thought when seeing this photo was Wow thats pretty. I love it! I went and saw your other photos from the session, they are good too but this is the best creative photo.

[andsome]

Originally Posted by Phoxxie

My first thought when seeing this photo was Wow thats pretty. I love it! I went and saw your other photos from the session, they are good too but this is the best creative photo.

I fully agree.

[SusanH1970]

I love the backlight and the haze - so pretty! I'm not wild about the crop, though. She's chopped off at the arm. I'd have preferred to see her standing more centrally, keeping her eyes on the ROT. The background is a bit distracting - perhaps you could burn the bright object (I think it's a sidewalk?) a bit to town it down.

Lastly, her skin has a really green color cast.

I didn't look at the others from the session, but judging by this one, you're good at seeing light. I also like the "dreamy" look on the model's face - she looks very relaxed.

Keep shooting and posting, you're off to a really good start.

[hellbornknave]

@ajax_andy The focusing I seem to have missed by just a centimeter or two. Now that you point out, it does seem to be an issue. As for the crop, I went with that for the rule of thirds to bring her eyes into attention. Poses is another major thing I'll keep in mind the next time I have a session.

@phoxxie friendship7 and andsome
Positive feedback is really appreciated. Thank you so much. It encourages me to post more.

@susan
Trying for the rule of thirds, I did get a slight part of her left arm off. I'll rectify that when I print it out. Sorry about the colour cast, I'm colourblind. So at times it's a little hard for me to notice that unless someone else points out.
Thanks for your input and appreciation. It's insightful.

[Bruce A]

Apart from agreeing with most of what the others said here, you've done pretty darn well and have obviously been learning some stuff. Keep at it!