Bernadette

[Mat Fitzsimmons]

Hi Guys,

First people photo post, so go easy on me :)
This is Bernadette, taken at a portrait workshop hosted by my camera club last year.

Fairly quick processing job. Any suggestions would be appreciated!

Mat.

#1 20D and Canon 85 f1.8


http://www.psychogoat.com/linked/_MG_0177_web800_1.jpg

[75D]

Good shot, great looking model.
I would have used a smaller DOF to throw the feet more out of focus as they are a distraction IMO. Also would have tried to get all of her left arm in the picture.

Wayne

[JennB]

Great shot!:) Do you mind if I ask you what your settings were? I'm a newbie and trying to learn as much as I can. Thanks!

[Raymate]

Great shot thing the DoF is nice :)

[Carzee]

Good stuff. Have you got one where she's looking off camera - to the side?
Overcast day, reflector?

[PeaPicker]

Keep posting.
Nice shot.:)

[Kevin]

Great shot, tacksharp on the face and arms. But I agree on the DOF, blur out the feet and the BG a bit more. Beautiful girl.

[wroberts]

Great shot! The DOF, no problem. You could have used a reflector to brighten the right side of her face a little more (where her hair comes over her face). Good job though.

[Amorous]

Great shot!:) Do you mind if I ask you what your settings were? I'm a newbie and trying to learn as much as I can. Thanks!
According to EXIF info, the settings were;

1/125, f/3.2, ISO 100, Av mode, no flash.

Very nice shot by the way. I agree with others that it will look better if the background gets blurred more. May be use f/2.2?? Just got my 85mm too. Tried it on my kids and I love that lens. Bokeh is very very good. Need to try more outdoor portrait and indoor sports.

[Maureen Souza]

It is a fabulous shot. I would only do one teeny thing and that is to brighten and sharpen her eyes a smidge.

[Mat Fitzsimmons]

Many thanks for the comments and suggestions, they're very much appreciated :)

I think that was my first outing with the 85 f1.8 from memory. I agree about the DOF, a bit less would have given a bit more focus (pun intended) to her face and less to her feet/belt/etc. I was probably going for something a bit "safe", not being that familiar with the lens at that stage. Fantastic lens, one of my favourites now, for sure.

JennB: Yep, settings as per the EXIF data as Amorous copied in for us. If you want any more info than that about how it was set up, please let me know, I'm happy to help where I can.

Carzee: Yep, it was a "partly cloudy" day as the weatherman might put it ... overcast for a fair bit of the day. From memory we had one silver reflector off to the left.

wroberts: I think I was the very rightmost person taking photos of a group of about 6 of us (these portrait workshops can be really crowded :)), all lying on the ground in front of Bernadette (some of the photos of the photographers from the day are very amusing). I totally agree about the right side of her face (well, her left, our right). Probably would have been better if I was one of the guys a bit to the left of me, or alternately if the reflector was a bit more to the right. Good point, cheers.

Maureen: Thanks for the suggestion, I'll definitely give that a go and post another version sometime in the next couple of days :) Cheers!

[smittymike19]

me cant see!

[John Trogdon]

Mat,
You really don't need our help. You are obviously capable of taking a quality shot of a lovely young girl with a nice smile, lying in the grass.

You asked for suggestions. Ok, here ya go. . . . . you got her picture, but I would suggest that you also get her number.

Just kidding. Nice shot. She looks like an all American girl, and you did a nice job.

Now leave us alone. We have unskilled ,wannabe photographers to educate.

:lol: :lol: :lol:

[Mat Fitzsimmons]

Hehe, many thanks John, though I can assure you I need help, and lots of it :D

I'll tell you what though, if all Amercian girls look like that, I'm booking a ticket right now :) ... actually that was probably the hardest part - convincing her to spell words like aluminium, grey and colour incorrectly, just to get that look ;) (she's Australian)

That shoot was actually last June ... wow, how time flies. I might post a couple more from the same day once I get some more processed.

[Sam]

Hehe, thanks John, though I can assure you I need help, and lots of it :D

I'll tell you what though, if all Amercian girls look like that, I'm booking a ticket right now :) ... actually that was probably the hardest part - convincing her to spell words like aluminium, grey and colour incorrectly, just to get that look ;) (she's Australian)

That shoot was actually last June ... wow, how time flies. I might post a couple more from the same day once I get some mor eprocessed.

American girls have nothing on Australian or UK girls when you throw the accent into it. But, that's probably lost on Australian and UK men :D

[crissyk81]

nice shot :D

[Mat Fitzsimmons]

Thanks Crissy :)

American girls have nothing on Australian or UK girls when you throw the accent into it. But, that's probably lost on Australian and UK men :D
Heh, you're probably right. An Irish accent beats them all though I reckon :)

Here's one more of Bernadette ... interesting, because I've just realised it's basically the same pose. Hmmmm.

#2 20D and Canon 24-70 f2.8L with a little fill flash from a 580EX+stofen omnibounce (which probably accounts for the slightly weird hair)


http://www.psychogoat.com/linked/_MG_0022_web800_1.jpg

[Maureen Souza]

Nice one, Mat. I like her eyes much better in the 2nd photo. Did you do anything to them in PP?

[Mat Fitzsimmons]

Thanks Maureen :)

No, nothing special with her eyes on that one - the bit of fill flash has probably helped though by giving some catchlight. I'll still have another go at that first one sometime and lighten her eyes up a bit.

I'm yet to process any of the photos from that shoot properly - I don't trust the calibration of my monitor at the moment. I'll do them properly once I get that sorted out ... hopefully not too far off. I'll clone out the bit of hay sticking out on the left side of #2 above then :)

I've got a real backlog of photos to process -sigh-

[Balliolman]

Both good shots: you will get lots of tips on refining technique from POTN. As for the basics you clearly have them mastered! :-)

[John Trogdon]

American girls have nothing on Australian or UK girls when you throw the accent into it. But, that's probably lost on Australian and UK men :DI agree with that. . . . love those accents. ;)

[Lula Mae]

Very nice mood, though the circle shadows under her eyes bother me. I would have raised her chin up a bit and used some fill to try to avoid that.

[marie]

:cool:

I love the last shot of her especially Mat
she is beautiful
lovely colours in the photograph

a little cropped off the end (the blurry straw ) would help the overall look
I think
and maybe wipe out the small piece of straw sticking out to the left of her face
:confused:

[Mat Fitzsimmons]

Thanks again for the comments and suggestions guys, much appreciated :)

[skade]

These are beautiful shots (Says Sandi with a Aussie accent) :)

[Mat Fitzsimmons]

Hehe, nice work, Sandi :D
... and thanks for the kind words :)

[Meaty0]

Hey Mat,

That 2nd shot is very good, ummm, so is the first one too.

Hmm...the only improvement would be if you took it with a 35mm f1.4 L that you're going to buy soon. (And when you do, ask if it's cheaper to buy two and I'll buy the other one:))

[Mat Fitzsimmons]

Heh, g'day Paul :)
Man, how much would I love that lens. Almost literally :D

One day.