First Studio session

[dnadalin]

Had the opportunity to use a proper studio.

Please help me grow. Be critical it's what I need.

Which is your most favorite and why?
Which is your least favorite and why?

http://www.pbase.com/dnadalin/canonforum

[barnold999]

Well I dont like smiling portraits to start with.

FAVORITE:
Sly - It is the best composition, and most interesting pose

LEAST FAVORITE:
Preperation - The girl in the front is covering her own face and she looks like she is about to sneeze.

[Warman]

About the photos, well...

Santa's elves would have to be my "favourite" for the simple reason that i dont see any major flaws in it. If it weren't for those santa hats it might had been my real favourite.

Ms. Serious might have worked better with some sort of Mona Lisa smile. As it is, the expression on her face looks forced.

I would have to classify Ms. Serious 2 and Sly as my least favorite. Ms serious 2 realy bothers me because her neck looks unusualy long making the whole photo disturbing. Sly is also not good as her nose stands out and it shouldnt and her smile is very artificial. Also the composition doesnt work imho.

Basicly i dont know what to say dnadalin, you have an impressive camera, obviously a lot of experience and work done so you would qualify as way above myself in photo knowledge but the above is my critique and i tbh could not put it any other way. See Barnold, i didnt say i hated it. And i am from southern europe so most of us are blunt by nature. :)

[martcol]

It's a tall order trying to think about so many photo's on this board but I'll have a go.

First, I like the model and think she has a natural face and expression especially with the brace. Yes, with the brace - her expression in Ms Serious 2 is natural and relaxed and looks a little less posed than others. I think that the trick in good portrait photography is to have a subject not look as though they are being photographed. Hmmmmm. A kind of cross between candid and posed.

That's where I like the idea behind Preparation although it's just missed the right moment. The stray arm is not helping nor the hand over face.

The Sly photo is a good idea with hair covering the face and I would try a "dead-pan" expression with some symetry and a harsh line on the hair. also the hair looks a tad over USM'd. That may be my crappy monitor though.

Overall the Santa's Elves works best for me although it is very, very trad (nothing wrong with that). It's a nice shot, the models look good, has a nice family feel and I'm sure will delight them.

To qualify all the above, I don't have a studio and rarely take posed photographs.

Keep it up dnadalin!

Martin

[Ellie]

Your subjects are fine,(Santa's Elves) but I like a bit more of the upper part of the body showing. You have to learn to pay attention to small details. Both girls hair is a bit messy around the neck. There needs to be no loose hairs around the neck or the face. I'm talking about the small strands of hair. The girl on the left, (looking at the photo) her head needs to be tilted a little more to the inside of the frame. As she tilts the head her chin needs go just a small bit to her right and a little bit down. When she does this you will eliminate a lot of the white of her eyes from standing out. When you are telling people how to position there head they think you are completely nuts! They find it most uncomfortable, but the end result is great. Most subjects tend to smile and throw the head back. When this happens we as photographers see everything the have to offer.... in the nose! Try it!
Keep shooting, the more practice the better you get.

Ellie
p.s. I like the background

[dnadalin]

Thank you Ellie, that is exactly the kind of feedback I am looking for. I really do appreciate it.

[chris.bailey]

A couple of comments. Please take as constructive from someone also 'playing' with studio setups and knowing how hard it is.

You have your lights a little square on making the lighting a little flat. A side on reflector might help create a few more shadows giving depth

To my mind the background is a little too sharp and too brightly lit. Blurring it out creates depth.

Cropping some of the images tighter would create more impact

[Leighow]

I do not know much about portrait work, and I have not taken too much time on this, but my quick -- and final impressions are:

1: Only one shot gets off the ground -- the Elves.

2: The trivial background
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makes even it look -- at best -- one step more sophisticated than a shot taken in a telephone booth. In other words, nothing worse that I have seen on passport -- but nothing better either.

3: Sly is a bit too obviouis.. maybe justified... in the sense that if your gut told you that this young lady wanted to show that she was prom material, it is headed in the right direction. But, why hide hald the face ?

4: Serious is serious ! But surely this is not a worth objective for a young girl of this age. I would ask you to achieve the opposite appearance, namely, a young and (hopefully) happy appearance.

CONCLUSION
***********
A good start. But who calls the shots here? The subjects -- or the photographer. If the photographer, then I ask for more than a image to serve a bus pass.

Sorry.

I would say, review the best studio work and scale back to suit your "mission statement".

[dnadalin]

Leighow, no appology required of you any one else offering constructive comments.

Thank you for your input.
I will revisit the set of pictures I have and repost what I have based on the comments.

Thank you for your time.