work lights and 430ex

[titan307]

please tell me good and bad and any changes you would do and why. all i have for now is a 500 watt twin head work light from home depot and my 430ex flash Santa is bringing me a 3light kit for Christmas.i know it looks out of focus but that didint happen till i resized.

[hibiscusroto]

I would have taken the photo from a slightly higher vantage point and had the female subject reposition her head so that she's not leaning back. I'm not practiced enough with lighting to give you thoughtful advise in the department, but the lighting and colors are both nice in my opinion.

[DVS_WiNdz]

seems a bit soft or OOF

[titan307]

yes it does look abit soft but it didnt until i resized. i dont know how to size it and still make it look as good as before. but what about the rest of it. isee what you mean about the pose but as you can see she has a few extra pounds from having her baby and so i tried to "stretch" the neck to give her a more flattering appearance.

what about the lighting
the pose
colors
anything to help me and please explain why you would change and how.

[titan307]

how about this one

[CompassPortraits]

Hi there! I'm trying to get by using the same setup as you are... until I can afford the three light setup! Unfortunately my box from Santa isn't nearly that big, so I'm sure I'll have to wait a few more months. :mad:

I'll tell you what I see and it's only my opinion.

First it would be nice to see a bit more of their bodies, so they don't seem to fall out of the frame and their heads have more to ground them. The lady does seem to be leaning too far back and I think that did the opposite of what you had hoped to do with elongated her neck. If she had been turned just a little more towards the camera, lengthened her spine and leaned slightly forwards (just over the belt buckle), I think it would have worked out nicely. I sometimes have people make what I call a turkey neck by letting their shoulders fall back and kind of pointed their chin towards the camera. It's easier to show that one than to describe it! :lol: Once she's in place the man can do most of the leaning by lightly leaning his head on hers for a nice couple shot. You could also have him stand and give her the 'country club' hug from behind or have her hug him by turning her completely around.... many options here.

The lighting does seem a bit flat, but that's understandable. I think it's important to get some light into your subjects eyes to the point that you can see definite catch lights. I experienced this as well and ended up compensating by letting a lot of ambient light into the mix. My studio has some nice eastern windows that let in a lot of great light. Then I set up my shop light coming from the same direction and I hang a white sheet in front of it. I was pretty happy with my last photo shoot using this set up. Here's an example from a couple of days ago and the first time I tried it out this way.

http://i189.photobucket.com/albums/z13/Mrs_Newleaf/IMG_6769_pp_1.jpg

Anyway, I hope some of this is helpful to you. I'm just getting started myself, so I'm learning right along with everyone else.

Thanks for sharing with us!:D

[jackies35]

ok pics but it is out OOF and or way too soft...