My Dad

[cargo]

I asked Dad if he would have his photo taken so I could try and light him so as only his face were lit and nothing else.I wanted to acheive this with me holding the light source in one hand and camera in the other.
I do know the principle on acheiving this but on this occassion I couldnt get far enough away from the background (small space ) nor could I stretch my arms out wide enough nor high enough (glases reflection) to get relfections out of the glasses.
So in the end my Mum stood on chair holding light higher

Although I didnt acheive my hand held result I do know why.

All comments/ crit on any any aspect is most welcomed.

Gaz

 

[sunnyside_up]

Awesome! What a fab picture of your dad!

 

[Deleted member 34016]

Very nice image indeed, can't fault it, He has a lovely smile too

Les

 

[reheat module]

Considering your constraints, I think you did a tremendous job.
Getting rid of any highlight for metal framed spectacles (light positioning AND NOT pp) will be difficult as the light source is unidirectional from that point, and if the frames are 360deg in their integrity, by default, the light will hit somewhere. Nonetheless, the 2 points shown are not intrusive for me, and the glass is clear.
The light fall off across the face is fine, it shows the lines and features and, as expected with the positioning of the light, the shadow from the nose darkens the cheek and teeth.
Away from your intention, I would have taken a further image with a reflective surface on the right, just to bounce a little back into those areas, and give a small definition to his face contour on the RH side and his ear.
That said, it's a good image and shows dad to be relaxed.

 

[Phil V]

Brilliant, don't beat yourself up, it's impossible to light a convex shiny thing without creating highlights, they're not at all distracting because the portrait is engaging

 

[stumac]

He looks like an absolute gentleman with a good heart so if thats what you were trying to convey well done, lovely image

 

[susiejb]

Love this photo Gary it jumped out at me from the home page, you have captured so much more than just a face ...wonderful ...definitely one to treasure.

 

[Iiyama]

This is a photograph to be proud of, a definate keeper and your dad is very photogenic IMO.

 

[Earley Man]

Love this photo Gary it jumped out at me from the home page, you have captured so much more than just a face ...wonderful ...definitely one to treasure.

 

[UaeExile]

Superb. Love it.

 

[PeteMo]

Lovely image. He looks a character...

 

[ancient_mariner]

It's a very nice portrait, and both you and he should be pleased with it.

 

[Mrbaker]

Love this especially the warmth of your dads smile, it ticks all the boxes for me.

 

[blakester]

Just to echo what's been said above Gary, such an engaging portrait of your Dad. Great work!

 

[cargo]

Awesome! What a fab picture of your dad!

Thanks Beth.

Very nice image indeed, can't fault it, He has a lovely smile too

Les

Thanks Lez.

Considering your constraints, I think you did a tremendous job.
Getting rid of any highlight for metal framed spectacles (light positioning AND NOT pp) will be difficult as the light source is unidirectional from that point, and if the frames are 360deg in their integrity, by default, the light will hit somewhere. Nonetheless, the 2 points shown are not intrusive for me, and the glass is clear.
The light fall off across the face is fine, it shows the lines and features and, as expected with the positioning of the light, the shadow from the nose darkens the cheek and teeth.
Away from your intention, I would have taken a further image with a reflective surface on the right, just to bounce a little back into those areas, and give a small definition to his face contour on the RH side and his ear.
That said, it's a good image and shows dad to be relaxed.

ThanKs for the feedback and info really appreciate it.

Brilliant, don't beat yourself up, it's impossible to light a convex shiny thing without creating highlights, they're not at all distracting because the portrait is engaging

Thanks Phil. Seems that with photography you are constantly beating yourself up about some aspect of the photo. That maybe just my peronality though !

He looks like an absolute gentleman with a good heart so if thats what you were trying to convey well done, lovely image

Thanks Stuart.

Love this photo Gary it jumped out at me from the home page, you have captured so much more than just a face ...wonderful ...definitely one to treasure.

Thanks Susie thats great to hear.

This is a photograph to be proud of, a definate keeper and your dad is very photogenic IMO.

Cheers. Yes Dad does like the camera. He doesnt have to do anything other than stand there really. Which is very good for me.

Thanks Chris.

Superb. Love it.

Many thanks Adam.

Lovely image. He looks a character...

Thank you Pete. Yes he is fun

It's a very nice portrait, and both you and he should be pleased with it.

Thanks Toni.

Love this especially the warmth of your dads smile, it ticks all the boxes for me.

Thanks very much for your kind words.

Just to echo what's been said above Gary, such an engaging portrait of your Dad. Great work!

Thanks Lain.

Gaz

 

[rick448]

Great shot, i wish my dad would allow me to do the same.

 

[Bobsyeruncle]

Great shot. Lots of character.

 

[Sir SR]

Charming and engaging, spectacles well managed with the lighting. Deffo one to be displayed. Great job Gaz.

 

[Deleted member 52414]

personally I think its a great portrait of your father. full of energy,charm

 

[wambam]

Really like that Gaz.

 

[cargo]

Great shot, i wish my dad would allow me to do the same.

Thanks Rick. I am very lucky for sure.

Great shot. Lots of character.

Thanks Robert. Really pleased that came through in the photo.

Charming and engaging, spectacles well managed with the lighting. Deffo one to be displayed. Great job Gaz.

Thanks Shaheed.

personally I think its a great portrait of your father. full of energy,charm

Cheers Heath. Such lovely words.

Really like that Gaz.

Thanks Ray. I appreciate you stopping by to say you viewed and enjoyed the photo.

Gaz

 

[doublemint76]

This great, I love it.

 

[cargo]

This great, I love it.

Thanks Dan.

Gaz

 

[Livin The Dream]

Really nice Gary. I must do something similar..

 

[Sir SR]

Really nice Gary. I must do something similar..

Not sure Gaz's dad will want to pose for you [emoji12]

 

[dade_f]

Great portrait - emotion trumps technical every time

 

[cargo]

Really nice Gary. I must do something similar..

Thanks Kris.
#

Great portrait - emotion trumps technical every time

Cheers Dade. Thats a great point and one that is lost sight of very quickly when trying to learn photography.

Gaz

 

[juggler]

Top notch!

 

[cargo]

Top notch![/QUOTE

Thanks Simon. Thats great to hear.

Gaz

 

[Dinsdale]

Really like this. I'm sure some of the more critical members in here will point out where there's a hair out of place etc. but for me its a really pleasing shot of Dad. I only wish my Dad would have been so obliging when he was alive.
I've got this picture in my head though of your poor middle aged (?) Mum wobbling on top of a stool saying "Come on! Come on it's... up here!"

 

[cargo]

Really like this. I'm sure some of the more critical members in here will point out where there's a hair out of place etc. but for me its a really pleasing shot of Dad. I only wish my Dad would have been so obliging when he was alive.
I've got this picture in my head though of your poor middle aged (?) Mum wobbling on top of a stool saying "Come on! Come on it's... up here!"

Very kind "Middle aged" she would be pleased with that. Yes I am lucky my Dad really likes having his photo taken. Mum on the other hand would never allow me to take her photo. She is ok with having a group family photo usually about 16 people squished onto a sofa, so she be well hidden and thats about it.
Thanks for the feedback it's really appreciated.

Gaz

 

[mrtoad]

IMG_7439_Dad by mrcrow_uk, on Flickr

just a thought...?

 

[cargo]

Hi Geof. Nice thought.
Did you just crop this and nothing else. When I first opened your post it looked a touch more contrasty. Thats maybe my eyes though as scroling up and down the thread messes me up.

Gaz

 

[mrtoad]

Hi Geof. Nice thought.
Did you just crop this and nothing else. When I first opened your post it looked a touch more contrasty. Thats maybe my eyes though as scroling up and down the thread messes me up.

Gaz

no just crop and load onto flikr...you can see it there if you like...the files are open to anyone

 

[sk66]

Overall I think it is an excellent image.

IMO, the image is rather flat with a compressed histogram... kind of the "washed out" look that is trendy. This results in the left side all blending together which doesn't add much to the image. And it results in a bit of a "soft focus" effect. So I did a levels adjustment and 4:5 crop (but not for "ROTs" as such). Added a little BG to the rt edge.
His teeth could use a little lightening, so I did that. Also a little selective exposure/sharpening for the eyes/mouth to bring them up above the rest just a touch.

 

[mrtoad]

no just crop and load onto flikr...you can see it there if you like...the files are open to anyone

IMG_7439_Dad o by mrcrow_uk, on Flickr

IMG_7439_Dad by mrcrow_uk, on Flickr

 

[cargo]

@mrtoad Many thanks.

 

[cargo]

Overall I think it is an excellent image.

IMO, the image is rather flat with a compressed histogram... kind of the "washed out" look that is trendy. This results in the left side all blending together which doesn't add much to the image. And it results in a bit of a "soft focus" effect. So I did a levels adjustment and 4:5 crop (but not for "ROTs" as such). Added a little BG to the rt edge.
His teeth could use a little lightening, so I did that. Also a little selective exposure/sharpening for the eyes/mouth to bring them up above the rest just a touch.

Thanks Steven. Yes you are correct I did bring the blacks/dark up with a curves adjustment giving that look you talked about.I do admit that it gave a softer look to the image which really went against the one light lower key look I shot it for. It just felt right at the time though. Having said that your pp looks great too. I did do a bit of work on the eyes which I don't usually do and thought I had done too much already.
I am a member of a camera club, of which quite a few members do really great portraits & composites they hire a studio/model make up the full shabang. There very very good. I can't compete with them with portraits really but did like this image. I do notice that there editing can be very over the top to my eye but it does project very well onto the screen so maybe you have to over do the post work somewhat for that type end use. I do find it hard to over proccess my images though.

Gaz

 

[Emja]

What a wonderful portrait full of character and warmth - really engaging and memorable Gary.

 

[sk66]

I do find it hard to over proccess my images though.

Processing is always a personal choice.
Instead of "over processing" what I would normally choose to do is "selective processing." I.e. sharpen the overall image less and selected areas more (eyes/mouth). Final output has to be considered... smaller sizes and prints tend to flatten/compress the detail edits (sharpening) and can exaggerate other edits (lightening/vibrance). What I typically do is default edits for general use, and then a (virtual) copy edit refined for a specific use/output as needed.