Studio First ever Studio Portrait - 1950s Belle

[RWJP]

Hi guys, just wanted to share this with you! Visited my local Camera Shop's Spring Show yesterday and got the opportunity to take some portrait photos, both with the incredible Pentax 645D and with my own EOS 600D.

This is the first time I have ever taken a Studio Portrait and I am pretty pleased with the result!

1950s Belle by MrRWJP, on Flickr

Shot with EOS 600D at 1/160, F6.3, ISO100 with a remotely fired studio flash at 45 degrees to camera right, pointing down onto the model.

This shot is straight out of the camera, no editing, so if you guys have any suggestions for post processing I could do to improve it, please let me know!

Ross

 

[The23rdman]

Ross, I think the light is lovely. I like to have the exposure just on the dark side of "correct" for these type of portraits so it's perfect for me. I'm not so sure about the pose though - I can't imagine a situation where someone would sit like that at that angle. I also - and this is a personal thing partly - like the eye balls to be in the centre of the eyes where at all possible.

 

[RWJP]

Thanks for your comments!

I'll admit for this one I wasn't the one doing the posing, the chap directing the workshop was! I do agree though, I think i'd have preferred her head slightly more vertical overall.

 

[meonshore]

Ross,

I'd agree with the comments about the head position / angle which looks really uncomfortable - and in contrast to Dean I think for a woman the front cheek/neck area is a little too dark/contrasty for me - you could mange that in PP by lightening up the shadows.

Eyes I'm OK with them being to you but I would have liked more light in them (see below). You could lighten these up a bit in post and try to get some sparkle in them.

Whilst there is nothing you can do in post for me the lighting setup could have been improved....it could probably do with a bit of separation from the background,. as you lose the hair on both sides and I have to say that a viewers eyes typically go the brightest part of an image - which in this case isn't her face. Now whether your eyes linger there, or continue on out of the bottom of the frame is another matter but I'd suggest that the key-light needed feathering up a bit.

 

[RWJP]

Excellent advice meonshore, I appreciate it!

On the topic of the lighting setup, the workshop area was set up in a rather cramped corner of the hall where the event was being run, probably no more than about 12 feet by 20 which included space for seating for people watching. I agree entirely that more separation between subject and background would have been ideal and I would have loved to have more space to work with!

I'm in the process of experimenting with lightening the eyes and am liking the results so far, hopefully I will get something I can post here shortly.