Looking for input

[bigsexy]

Hello all,
I had a great shoot this weekend (01AUG03) and wanted to share some of the images from it. I look forward to any feedback you might be able to provide. Thank you in advance.
http://www.deverette.com/galleryphotos/Patricia001.jpg
http://www.deverette.com/galleryphotos/Patricia224.jpg

[Spirit]

I really like the light in the first picture, but not so much in the second. Maybe if you had some more light coming from the right on her face?

Hmmm...

[new girl on the bloc]

i too really like the first photo, but am not sure about the pose of the second one. is the first a b&w?

[Spirit]

I think I know why I'm not too fond of the 2nd picture.

When I look at it, I picture her in an artists studio. Like top floor (attic) with a ceiling raised in the middle (teepee style). I picture the ceiling to have skylights, and it's obvious that the lighting is only coming from one direction. I'm sure it's the backdrop that makes me visualize the room that way, but I digress.

The fact that it (the light) hits her chest and not her face, takes my eye away from what I assume should be the focal point... Her. And frankly, I'm not really interested in setting my eyes on her chest (nice as it is), before seeing the whole picture.

She looks like she's shying away from something. Like she's upset and doesn't want to "face the light" (pardon the pun). It's a turn off (for me).

When I see portraits, I sometimes see things (visually) in a way that others don't. I hope that helps a bit.

[Mark Kemp]

These are great, wish I could do as well,

but I will mention a couple of cliches :-

In the first pic try for catchlights in the eyes (or put them in with the computer)

In the second frame a little higher so as not to cut the top of her hair off.

I am in a camera club and I can just hear the judges voices saying those things.

[Spirit]

Mark Kemp wrote:In the first pic try for catchlights in the eyes (or put them in with the computer)


Personally, I kind of like the shaded eyes. It adds a little bit of mystery to the pic. In my opinion...

[slejhamer]

#1: Your main light seems either too high or too far to the side. It causes a shadow (from her hair) that extends from the forehead right down the center of her nose and to her chin. Also the fill looks too hot. If you were trying for butterfly lighting, you need to even out the ratio and bring both lights closer to the camera. That will help to get some light in her eyes, too.

#2: I like the composition and pose. The fill/kicker seems way too hot though - the highlights are blown out. You almost nailed the Rembrandt triangle, but I think the main light should have been just a tad closer to the camera - her right eye is causing too much of a shadow underneath. Another fill placed above the camera would soften the shadows, but that's preference.

All in all this is good work.

[bigsexy]

The shadow is not from her hair. The technique I used put a flash on each side of her at about 90 degrees from the camera. The Shadow is intentional.

[eland]

Top Pic.
Effect is quite effective but the midline shadow has really
cut the face into two parts.

Remember Earth has only one Sun.
When you start playing with too many lights you run into trouble.
Here the two sides have equal light and this is unnatural
with the midline shadow.

Still the effect is not displeasing.

#2.

Here you have created more trouble for yourself.
The main part of the image is (should be) the girl's face.
Yet her hair and her chest have stronger light than the face.
The hair light is reasonable but the light on the chest.... No.
You have accentuated her collar-bones and they are not things of beauty.
The bright light on the upper chest is also distracting from
the model's lovely face.

I feel you should have concentrated on the face and the
pic looks better IMO cropped to above the collar-bones.

One last thing. Always look with great care at what the light is doing.
In this image you have a highlight at the angle of the model's jaw
on her righthand side.
This makes it look like her jaw is swollen from
an impacted wisdom tooth !

Moral: * Keep the lighting simple. A main light and maybe a weak fill or reflector is enough.
* Watch for details like the collar bones and the
swollen-looking jaw.

eland

[ssim]

I really like the first photo. I mean really....

She has too much neck showing in the second for my liking. She appears to be trying to twist her head too far back. I do like the lighting that you have in this one though.

[jinushaun]

#1: Tops all around. Great DOF and exposure.

#2: Don't like the lighting. But great other than that.

[bigsexy]

Eland, Thanks for the input. Your points are valid and I take them seriously.