First attempt at Portraits

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ffej1405

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Name
Jeff
Edit My Images
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Afternoon all.

For my first real post I am jumping in at the deep end. This is my first real attempt at shhoting portraits. Nothing has been done to the image other than cropping and changing to B&W. Looking forward to your comments.....

Canon 350D, ISO100, 1/100, f/5.6, Canon 28-135 IS @ 135mm

IMG_4230.jpg
 
That's a great start. Your subject looks nice and relaxed, not bothered about what you're up to. The background has been got rid of nicely with DoF.

You have lost a little detail in the highlights, I don't know if that was your intention but it looks ok that way.

The only little thing that I didn't really like is the way the pose has lifted that front shoulder. I think it could have been more flattering if the shoulder was a little lower.
 
Daz is about spot on with his comments ... not sure about the shades either ... usually (only usually !) better to have eye contact on portraits ... imo of course !

Other than that a promising start to your postings ffej ... (y)

:p
 
Thats pretty good except for the blown highlights.
 
Could be a tad sharper, bit of a cliche I know, but unless you're going for the soft-focus effect then it should be at least sharp around the face/eyes.

The man with the portrait skillz is right too, the pose is just a touch hostile, think about body language maybe.



I'll shut up now and go and sober up lol.
 
tighter crop on the subject would have worked for me, and as already said, a tad sharper, but its not bad at all, i would like to see more!
 
Like the others - the shoulder and light catching the fine hairs distracts. Try the trick if in RAW of processing one light and the next dark and combining - you may be able to rescue some highlights.
The trouble with portraits is to please both photographer and subject!
Experiment with fill-in flash set about -2 stops and expose for the highlights.
 
Thanks for the comments so far.

I'll work on the highlights - any suggestions when composing the shot?

The shot was actually taken as more of a candid shot, but I can see what you mean about the shoulder and the glasses. Still be wife likes the shot so that's half the job done and she's agreed to more modelling as I've got a 50mm f/1.8 arriving tomorrow.

I'll post some more shots for critique over the weeknd.
 
Look forward to seeing your efforts with the 1.8 - makes about an 80mm equivalent on digital and always liked that for portraits on 35mm. I got one the other week and haven't really had the right subjects so far - mainly children - not my family so can't really post. Pleased so far as was missing the wider aperture to avoid using flash.
 
It's not a flattering pose, you've made her arm look bigger then it actually is because of its prominence in the shot. She doesn't actually look relaxed, it looks like she is actually tolerating being shot rather then enjoying it which is what is often seen when photos of partners are shared. I have no problem with blown highlights in shots but it's effected quite a lot her face and it's a portrait so it's too much

Tip for you but it's not a problem here, but it can be. When you shoot people from below them they will naturally look down, and that will often give them a double chin, so watch out for it
 
She never looks relaxed at the moment as she is 8.5 months pregnant (8 months when that shot was taken) :D.

Double chin thing noted. Don't think she would thank me much for that........
 
Mate, if you can get a flattering photo that she likes at 8.5 months pregnant I think you'll get MAJOR brownie points! :)
 
demi more style shot always goes down well with the ladies!
 
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