Beginner Quick portrait of my wife

S

stevebuk

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Name
Steve
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Hi all,

I usually enjoy landscapes but having bought a softbox and a single flash last year and used them only once, I thought I'd have another go and see if I could improve at all. I've tried to study a little on lighting etc but think I need to spend more time on posing. I'm also new to post processing people so hope I've not over done this? I know the hair is messy, but it was a quick shot in a tv break :) Any pointers to improve would be great.

I had my flash behind to try to get a rim light that only partly worked and had a silver reflector in front of her.

Thanks
Steve

1) Colour

Karen by Steve Babb, on Flickr

2) Black and White

Karen by Steve Babb, on Flickr

3) Colour

Karen by Steve Babb, on Flickr

4) Black and White

Karen by Steve Babb, on Flickr
 
•
Cool, you have a model at home!
I see two easy to fix problems in these:
• Some flair caused by the kicker —make sure that you position the kicker
so it will not throw light in your lens. If necessary, flag it.
• The ratios should be inverted —the kicker's light should be less powerful
than the main… use the flash in front and the reflector in the back
 
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Like Kodiak I prefer the second image, and your model would probably look better if her shoulders were not rotated quite as much.

Lighting in 3 & 4 is definitely better for a female, being softer and without the deep shadows.

I also agree that the model should have been lit with the flash, and the reflecto used to provide the rim lighting.

All imho, of course. Lovely model so I hope we see some more of your work with her.
 
Nice first attempt :) A few suggestions, hope they help:

Start with one light, see what's going on and tweak - e.g. adding reflectors - later.

Is your wife self conscious of her teeth? She has a nice smile trying to escape but you need to give her the confidence to let it out. A natural smile with wonky teeth is nearly always more attractive a mouth clamped shut. (Hint: shouting SMILE is unlikely to help). Alternatively, you could try to create a more reflective, quieter look without any smile at all and with the jaw & cheek muscles more relaxed.

I don't know your wife but most non-models are more likely to relax in front of the camera if more conventionally clothed.
 
Thanks guys, I really appreciate the comments. She's not teeth conscious but hates posing! Probably doesn't help with me messing around trying to get things right. She was actually wearing a dressing gown, so I don't think that was as big an issue as me taking too long! I'll have another go and post back. Many thanks.
 
#3 pose for me, such a natural pose for a beautiful woman and the colour suits her. Not sure about the first pose, I understand it for the lighting practise but it doesn't work for the subject.
 
I'm no expert but I think you've done a really nice job with the lighting on this. Your wife doesn't look totally comfortable and relaxed but it is still a very nice shot that I'm sure she will like.
 
Very nice. Lucky guy having a willing model at home. Only advice from me.... take longer TV breaks; they look much more fun! :)
 
A very pretty model and the tousled hair adds just the right amount of informality to the shots IMO.
 
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