Hello All new here first portrait shoot

[JosephLee]

Hope i'm posting this correctly...my first attempt at photography i have a Nikon L100 so i dont have much control over the shot.i think there good but....you tell me.

Thanks JosephLee

Location Memphis,TN
Dec.28th 2009

Photo 2366
F Stop 5.4
EXP Time 1/502
ISO-80

Photo 2479
F Stop 10
EXP Time 1/1225
ISO-720

Photo 2519
F Stop 4.7
EXP Time 1/500
ISO-376

Photo 2555
F Stop 4.7
Exp Time 448
ISO-383

[kgb224]

Outstanding series of portraits captured by you.Welcome at DPS.
The lighting is good in al 4 pictures.

[JosephLee]

Thanks kgb! To the Mods sorry i broke the posting rules wont happen again.
JosephLee

[hynek]

I'm a beginner myself but I'd like to comment a bit on the composition: Your pictures are pretty much center-based which is often okay for portraits, especially close-ups and works perfectly for the first picture which I really like.

But for the 2nd (and maybe 3rd) one, I'd put the subject a bit more off center (maybe aprox. "rule of the thirds" but not necessarly strictly) and let more space in the direction she looks.

Cheers

P.S. The L100 has both priority modes as well as a manual mode...so you have all the control you need at your fingertips.

[Benji]

Critique.

Image 1. The shadows running across her face are distracting. Some of them are from her hair and some are from the tree behind her. Sunshine cannot be used as a main light source in portraiture due to these distracting shadows and blown highlights. Also her hand is distracting.

Image 2. As mentioned above forget using sunshine as your main light source. Because sunshine was used the shadow side is too dark as are her eyes. The hands appearing out of nowhere are distracting also.

Image 3. In this shot you used the sunshine correctly, that of a background and hair light and not as the main light. Her face is underexposed. An off camera flash at camera right (which would then be the main light) would have helped immensely. I like the pose but five seconds spent arranging her hair would have helped this image a lot as her hair is everywhere.

Image 4. The best of the bunch other than the sunshine has burned out her hair and left shoulder. The lighting on her face isn't all that great. I would crop out her butt by making this a verticle crop. Hair everywhere!

Benji

[JosephLee]

Thanks Benji for your Honest and Helpful critique!particulary the use of flash and shadows in the subjects face.
JosephLee

[JosephLee]

Originally Posted by hynek

I'm a beginner myself but I'd like to comment a bit on the composition: Your pictures are pretty much center-based which is often okay for portraits, especially close-ups and works perfectly for the first picture which I really like.

But for the 2nd (and maybe 3rd) one, I'd put the subject a bit more off center (maybe aprox. "rule of the thirds" but not necessarly strictly) and let more space in the direction she looks.

Cheers

P.S. The L100 has both priority modes as well as a manual mode...so you have all the control you need at your fingertips.

Hynek ,Thanks for the advice it always helps to have another set of eyes,BTW i looked at your flickr page love your work! I visited Germany a few years ago a town called Holdorf forgive me for any mis spelling it was about an hour south of Bremin Harbor.beer has never been the same since then.
Shootzen fest Love it,Love it Love it!