'Moonlit' Portraits

[fais54]

Here are some new shots from today. I would like critiques on composition and lighting.


7.1.11 by Stefan Faison, on Flickr

Olympus E-520/14-42mm
ISO - 400 1/60
21mm

More from the shoot can be seen on my Flickr (they're dated):
http://www.flickr.com/photos/63569396@N02/

[Bruce A]

You need to move the moon up and to the right a little

Seriously though, there's more than moonlight in this shot isn't there given the catchlight in her eyes?

I like the shot and your (sister?) is very pretty. but I would have framed her a little more to the right so there was a bit more negative space to her left (the direction she's facing).

[terri33inne]

Nice shot... she is beautiful... her skin is flawless... I'm jealous...

I think the lighting is nice... she's very sharp, as is her sweater, and the colors on her sweater. Am curious too what was used for the lighting.

I would agree with adding more negative space, and also try shooting her from slightly above so she's looking up at you. I don't know if this was a posed shot, or just a quick candid... if posed pay attention to what's going on in the background... the gray items in the back corner along the fence are a bit distracting. If candid you're just trying to capture the moment so controlling background is a bit tougher.

[fais54]

Originally Posted by Bruce A

You need to move the moon up and to the right a little
Seriously though, there's more than moonlight in this shot isn't there given the catchlight in her eyes?

You caught me! But, no, I put 'Moonlit' in the title because we shot this as the sun was going down, and that's what the shots reminded me of as I was looking back at them.

As for the actual lighting, it was very 'makeshift'. I used a 'clamp-on' lamp facing towards her. I tried to position it so there were no shadows. Needless to say, I'm saving up for a better lighting system. I would have tried to light up the background more, but we were in our backyard - which isn't as pretty as kmarie93's

[fais54]

Here's another shot:


7.1.11 by Stefan Faison, on Flickr

[Gulf Coast Girl]

Beautiful!

I find the top of the fence and the items in front of it a little distracting but I love the green grass as her background, it compliments her skin tone and clothing colors well IMO

[spookie]

They're smiles are very contagious. Anymore, my first look is eyes and mouth and then the rest. I think the lighting was innovative and certainly didn't overpower her on the first shot or them on the second. Ahhh, to be young again lol. Nice shots, other than background, which you may be able to "fuzz" with a lower Fstop, night shots are a different beast for sure, looks nice, thanks.

[Photographer D]

I have tried very unsuccessfully to get a few night shots myself before. So are there any tips for beginners who only have a digital camera and a standard flash? Or is this something that takes a certain level of equipment?

[fais54]

Originally Posted by Photographer D

I have tried very unsuccessfully to get a few night shots myself before. So are there any tips for beginners who only have a digital camera and a standard flash? Or is this something that takes a certain level of equipment?

Trust me I'm a beginner and I have no special equipment! I was doing close-ups, so I was able to only use a single house lamp (facing her direction). I took these just as the sun was setting, so you may get different results if it is darker out. Just be creative with your light.

[spookie]

I'm no expert, but love to try different techniques.
I didn't think about that Fais, darker with a small light, more focused on the subject, would cast less light on the fence area, causing it to basically disappear? It might make the subject pop more in the photo?

As far as my experience on nightshots, bring a flashlight, so you can work lol, prepare for long exposure times (tripod or prop) OR have a fast lens, low Fstop, around a f2.0 or so.
Decide how much light you want on you're subject
which light source direction on the subject (this can be fun for effects)
Determine how much light spillage you want hitting the sides and behind the subject.
If you use a flash, use as little amount as possible. Turn it down in the menu or mask/diffuse it with a handkerchief or something like that.
Remember, the higher the iso, the higher the noise in the image

Best way is just practice on a lawn chair or something like that to get any idea of shutter speed needed, depth of field, light needed and effects in the back field.

You can get some cool effects thinking outside the box.
Here's one with a crappy lenses I took of the super moon. NON photoshopped. I did use the flash very sparingly to backlight the limbs, without overpowering the rest of the image, I pointed it straight up and let it spill into the image.

http://img801.imageshack.us/img801/1871/supermoon.jpg