My First Paided Portraits, please C&C

[mutau052]

1.
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3635/3403302414_388cfbcb6f_o.jpg

2.
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3049/3402492487_54b447f43e_o.jpg

3.
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3420/3402492015_cd97ee73af_o.jpg

4.
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3582/3403301196_cd28efb85c_o.jpg

5.
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3644/3402491325_72738a43bb_o.jpg

6.
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3585/3403300674_85a2bdf9d8_o.jpg

7.
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3456/3403300428_f14de89526_o.jpg

8.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3434/3402490535_ba34504892_o.jpg

be nice this is my first time doing portraits. the model loved them, i thought they were pretty good, i saw things i could improve on while shooting, and as always we could all use a little PP experience.

[GenuineRolla]

I'm not digging the saturation in a few of your shots. I just like to keep a bit of the skin tone in there. I feel like you don't have enough color then you have too much color...make sense?

You do have nice DOF in a couple of them and the locations weren't bad either.

Not bad, you have a couple hot spots but it's nothing terrible.

[mutau052]

Unfortunately i have not ever calibrated my monitor the proper way (just done it with my eyes) so when i print i have proDPI do the color correction and they have always got it right.

So i should really calibrate it, but over all for just having my camera since January and my buddy (the model) really wanted to pay me for my time, i was pretty ok with them. PP is really my downfall, computers are way harder than just the old fashion lightroom with an enlarger and my trustee T-Max film.

[rsagusti]

What I've learned so far in Portraits, is you gotta keep your PP simple, get the basics right in camera so all you gotta do is a couple tweaks here and there.

1. I'm not digging the desaturation, also theres a tiny finger chop and if he framed it his hand would be cut off.
5 and 7 are kinda soft.
and I'm not diggin the vignette in 8.

What do you do for your B&W conversions? I think they could use a little more contrast.

[mutau052]

for BW i just used lightrooms preset setting.

[AlphaChicken]

I agree with others about the desat except in no. seven. I like it there. The biggest thing I saw right off the bat was his eyes. Its either panda bear or raccoon season, dunno which, they both have black around their eyes. So does your model. Fix please.

[JoShAdKa4]

Its either panda bear or raccoon season, dunno which, they both have black around their eyes. So does your model. Fix please.[/quote]

I get that a lot in my photos, how would you for 1 prevent this from happening and 2 how can you fix it?

To the OP I would have to say congrats. on your first shoot and my two favorites are 2 and 5, thank you for sharing.

[AlphaChicken]

I get that a lot in my photos, how would you for 1 prevent this from happening and 2 how can you fix it?

To the OP I would have to say congrats. on your first shoot and my two favorites are 2 and 5, thank you for sharing.

You mask out everything but the eyes and use some adjustment layers. Curves works. Thats what I use. Curves and then a USM.

To prevent from happening shoot in less harsh lighting conditions. Meaning as the sun is rising early in the day or late when it sets.

The other way to prevent is to use a fill flash.

[JoShAdKa4]

thanks AlphaChicken,

lol, "You mask out everything but the eyes and use some adjustment layers. Curves works. Thats what I use. Curves and then a USM." way over my head. I will try give it a try.

It would be best for me to work prevention of it happening. I have paint shop pro x2 and doggone if i can't understand how to use it.... I won't give up!

[AlphaChicken]

Hmm it is hard to do without photoshop. There should be a way in PSP but I would not be the one to ask as to that.

[rsagusti]

for BW i just used lightrooms preset setting.


Instead of using presets, try using gradient map and adjusting levels and curves to get a nice contrast.

[AlphaChicken]

Instead of using presets, try using gradient map and adjusting levels and curves to get a nice contrast.

Or use the B&W adjustment...that way you can tweak the brightness and darkness of each color group specifically.

[rammy]

Some lenses can be classified as portrait lenses. This is primarily due to two reasons, their focal length (at or above 50mm) and their aperture (fast at F1.x).

The fast aperture throws out the background and blurs it beyond recognition. It focuses attention on the subject and removes the background distraction.

Some of your shots would benefit from a portrait lens. Look at the 50 F1.8 if you are on a budget. I don't recommend it though. Spend a little more and look at the 50 F1.4 and the 85 F1.8.

Then you've got the "L's" :D

[mutau052]

Some lenses can be classified as portrait lenses. This is primarily due to two reasons, their focal length (at or above 50mm) and their aperture (fast at F1.x).

The fast aperture throws out the background and blurs it beyond recognition. It focuses attention on the subject and removes the background distraction.

Some of your shots would benefit from a portrait lens. Look at the 50 F1.8 if you are on a budget. I don't recommend it though. Spend a little more and look at the 50 F1.4 and the 85 F1.8.

Then you've got the "L's" :D

Yeah I'm planning on getting a 50 1.8 soon, I'm not really on a budget I'm just married.

[bbeck4x4]

:) Marriage = involuntary budget, you just don't know it yet :)

Still learning myself, try out lightroom it's a great resource.

[pixlebender]

It is a lot easier to deal with issues during the shoot than PP. Off camera flash or fill flash could have been very helpful in most of your shots.

[mutau052]

It is a lot easier to deal with issues during the shoot than PP. Off camera flash or fill flash could have been very helpful in most of your shots.

Yeah I used my 20d's built in flash but I realized I need a little better than that. I'm on a bit of a budget so I'm planning on getting a 50 1.8 and a sigma flash for now. I think that will really help my photos. I know that it's not top of the line stuff but I'm not a top of the line photog either. Just a guy with a camera that was offered the opportunity to shoot a few pics for cheap.