Critique Tammy in natural light

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My darling, patient wife humoured me for an hour or so in the lovely weather we had over the weekend. Gave me a chance to try the reflector out again, with a bit more control. I'd be really keen on hearing any comments/opinions on the lighting, composition and the processing (usual suspects - skin, eyes, etc.).

Tammy would love to hear how she's doing with regards to engaging with the camera @The23rdman ;)

Thanks!


Tammy #1


Tammy #2


Tammy #3


Tammy #4


Tammy #5
 
A stunning set, some may say cropping the top of the hair/head on the first two is wrong but I think it is personal choice. The lighting is excellent and lovely and soft on her face, and she engages beautifully with the camera almost like a professional model. A very attractive lady with a beautiful smile, is it possible to take a bad picture of her?:)
 
I think she's doing really well engaging with the camera, in fact she's a natural! It's a good set as far as poses, lighting and focus is concerned, the only niggle being the white material front and centre in photo 2. Good work.
 
For me, the bounced light from the reflector is too strong in both #1 and #5, I think the exposure on the face is noticeably different on the face compared to the neck / shoulders, personally speaking would have tried with the reflector a little further away for those 2 shots. The rest are beautifully lit, #2 is my personal favourite, lovely work!
 
I like seeing your journey and you are indeed getting better and better with each set.

The very first shot of tammy she engaged brilliantly with the camera and again in this set. She is certainly taking to modelling she should be proud and proud of the shots you are getting.

Your processing of skin is great nice smooth look without losing the actual texture. #1/3 are my favs
 
A good set, I would agree with helloimkev that the catch light is too hard in 1 and 5 -were you using the silver side ? I like the models pose in number 2, just be careful of where the catch light is ie edge of her right eye.

Your wife is doing a really great job, it not easy modelling for anyone yet alone family.
 
sbowler579 said:
A stunning set, some may say cropping the top of the hair/head on the first two is wrong but I think it is personal choice. The lighting is excellent and lovely and soft on her face, and she engages beautifully with the camera almost like a professional model. A very attractive lady with a beautiful smile, is it possible to take a bad picture of her?:)
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Thanks Steve :) I think the close cropping is very subjective, as you point out. I've toiled over the decision to go close so many times that I am just going with the feel of the photograph these days instead of agonising over losing some hair. I also think balancing the set with some close and some wide will satisfy both schools of thought.

Peter B said:
I think she's doing really well engaging with the camera, in fact she's a natural! It's a good set as far as poses, lighting and focus is concerned, the only niggle being the white material front and centre in photo 2. Good work.
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Thanks Peter (y) the sleeve in #2 would have been better if it showed a bit of shoulder, or more sleeve/arm to complete the picture. I may have another look at that one and see if I can get a better crop.

helloimkev said:
For me, the bounced light from the reflector is too strong in both #1 and #5, I think the exposure on the face is noticeably different on the face compared to the neck / shoulders, personally speaking would have tried with the reflector a little further away for those 2 shots. The rest are beautifully lit, #2 is my personal favourite, lovely work!
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Thanks for the comment. I introduced some vignetting in PP so as to accentuate the face, which is why the exposure seems different. The original is pretty even lighting.

Tintin124 said:
I like seeing your journey and you are indeed getting better and better with each set.

The very first shot of tammy she engaged brilliantly with the camera and again in this set. She is certainly taking to modelling she should be proud and proud of the shots you are getting.

Your processing of skin is great nice smooth look without losing the actual texture. #1/3 are my favs
Click to expand...

Thanks for the support Bryn :) I am enjoying the evolution I am going through and for the first time Tammy is feeling really comfortable in front of the camera. I think it's because she can see now that she can be portrayed beautifully. Only I am agonising over the technical details of light and processing, etc.

chris warren said:
A good set, I would agree with helloimkev that the catch light is too hard in 1 and 5 -were you using the silver side ? I like the models pose in number 2, just be careful of where the catch light is ie edge of her right eye.

Your wife is doing a really great job, it not easy modelling for anyone yet alone family.
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Thanks Chris. Yes, I was using the silver side, but it was probably held a bit low. Is it just that the catch light that is too hard for you, or does it show in other areas of the image?

Maggie52 said:
A lovely set of images, a beautiful looking lady too.
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Thanks Margaret :)
 
That's a nice set. A few niggles that have already been mentioned plus I'd tidy the hair up on her shoulders. I prefer it when Tammy smiles properly than the "not sure if I am or not", but her eyes are totally with us now.

As others have said, it's better to use the white side of the reflector if possible as the light will be less harsh and obvious. Look at the catchlights too. It's not a good idea to have them in the whites of the eyes if it can be avoided.

#2 would be lovely if her shoulder had been more relaxed, but I love 4 and 5. (although there's a stray hair in her mouth in #5)
 
Lovely set all round. The only niggles I had was on number 1 where the bright pillar to the left in the background is a little too bright and pulls the eye. But that's minor in the big scheme of things.

Really nice - I bet she loves them?
 
Thank you very much for all the advice and comments. Certainly some improvements to be made, but I seem to be on the right track :)
 
3 and 5 are pretty good; I like them. Simple but effective. No 1 - the highlight on the left is quite distracting and I am not sure about her smile (looks a bit fake?). 2 and 4 have a massive distortion. Try to keep 1.5m distance if possible, that would mean around 135-200mm for a tight headshot like this. She is probably turning too much as well (looks a bit tense particularly with that distortion that make her eyes look different size)
 
daugirdas said:
3 and 5 are pretty good; I like them. Simple but effective. No 1 - the highlight on the left is quite distracting and I am not sure about her smile (looks a bit fake?). 2 and 4 have a massive distortion. Try to keep 1.5m distance if possible, that would mean around 135-200mm for a tight headshot like this. She is probably turning too much as well (looks a bit tense particularly with that distortion that make her eyes look different size)
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Thanks for the comment :)

Tammy's left eye is a bit lazy sometimes, so if the eyes look different sizes (especially if the left looks less open than the right) I wouldn't say it's distorted. Do you see distortion in other areas of those images?
 
Thanks Chris. Yes, I was using the silver side, but it was probably held a bit low. Is it just that the catch light that is too hard for you, or does it show in other areas of the image?

Oops, cant get the quote to show,

It mainly shows in pic 1, you can see it on her cheek bones, and that the fill light is coming from below
 
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I think most stuff has been said but I really like the poses. Of course it helps with such a beautiful model and I think #2 is my fav as you are drawn straight to her eyes.
 
really nice but what you bribing your wife with to get these photos lol, i tried with the wife but she gets bored after about 30 secs...........
 
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