Kaori (candid portraits)

[Raj]

Not sure if there is anything like candid portraits but here you go.
Kaori in a flower garden.

I love #1 one, its taken with canon 100 mm macro lens
#2 is taken ~175 mm with my sigma 70-200 EX HSM, handheld in another flower garden.

I am thinking about having a enlarged print of #1 & framed.
Please let me know how you guys think. I know they could have been post processed better as I am complete PS CS idiot.

Any comments/suggestions are very welcome.

[Andy_T]

Raj,

I really like both pictures ... with the first one as my favourite - great DOF control :D

You have a very beautiful wife!
But do tell me ... what exactly does the gesture mean that she is doing in the first shot ???
I have noticed it hundreds of times in portraits of Asian people (especially attractive girls :wink: ) and always wonder about its meaning.

Best regards,
Andy

[pcasciola]

Nothing beats a picture of a pretty woman with a great smile wearing a pink Yankee's cap. :D

Nice shots, Raj.

[BottomBracket]

Nice pics, very pretty subject. I think taht's a peace sign, right? By the way, why does she have two caps on in the first pic?

[dannym]

Both are good but the first one is best simply because the DOF makes it so much easier to focus on the subject. Beautiful young lady! Good work.

[Fer]

I love number 1! She is a very beautiful lady!

[freddycr]

beautiful colors and DOF on the first.
No 2 looks a bit faded, to me.

[pdrow]

Ok, I have to ask. My friend just returned from a visit to Korea. She said that everyone held up two fingers when they had their photo taken. She asked her English speaking companions why, but they couldn't give her an answer. Do you know why it is done?

I really like number 1. Her eyes are so expressive.
pam

[cfcRebel]

The "V" sign (using fingers) in asia is like "say CHEESE" here in the west when taking picture. That's just MHO. :D

Raj, i like both the shots but #1 definitely stands out more because great colors, balance exposure, and nice bokeh. However, the pose in #2 is priceless, the way she tilted her head a little. ;) She definitely has gorgeous smile. Beautiful lady indeed.

[D LeBlanc]

Great shot, beautiful colors.

[JustJerk]

I guess there are Yankees fans around the world. Great shots

[Raj]

Thanks everybody for your comments. I really appriciate them. I will print out #1 in something bigger than A4 & frame it :-)

[Raj]

Raj,

I really like both pictures ... with the first one as my favourite - great DOF control :D

You have a very beautiful wife!
But do tell me ... what exactly does the gesture mean that she is doing in the first shot ???
I have noticed it hundreds of times in portraits of Asian people (especially attractive girls :wink: ) and always wonder about its meaning.

Best regards,
Andy

Andy, The V sign means "peace". You are right, asian/Japanese, especially girls, always do this gesture while being shot :-) I have a picture of twin babies about a year old, sitting in their baby cart, looking at camera & making V ;) As soon as the father told them to get ready for the shot, they raised their fingers. I will post it sometime.

[Raj]

Nice pics, very pretty subject. I think taht's a peace sign, right? By the way, why does she have two caps on in the first pic?

Well the black cap is mine. I couldnt use the inbuilt flash (for fill in some shots) with the cap on me, as the flap would collide with it so I just put it on her cap ;)

[Raj]

beautiful colors and DOF on the first.
No 2 looks a bit faded, to me.

Freddy, Agree with you on #2. It was taken without any polarizer in harsh noon sunlight. I am actually surprised it came this good...

[Raj]

The "V" sign (using fingers) in asia is like "say CHEESE" here in the west when taking picture. That's just MHO. :D

Raj, i like both the shots but #1 definitely stands out more because great colors, balance exposure, and nice bokeh. However, the pose in #2 is priceless, the way she tilted her head a little. ;) She definitely has gorgeous smile. Beautiful lady indeed.

Thanks cfc :-)

Well they do say "hai cheezu" here which means - say cheese, I am going to shoot now. But peace sign & cheese are different ;)

[Raj]

I guess there are Yankees fans around the world. Great shots

Nothing beats a picture of a pretty woman with a great smile wearing a pink Yankee's cap. :D

Nice shots, Raj.

A souvenir for her from last years NY business trip :-)

[Claire]

I thought the "V" sign meant "victory" apart from "peace". I've got pics of my friend and I doing it with the palm facing us...totally different meaning in UK... ;)

Nice pics! The first is my favourite.

[Raj]

I thought the "V" sign meant "victory" apart from "peace". I've got pics of my friend and I doing it with the palm facing us...totally different meaning in UK... ;)

Nice pics! The first is my favourite.

Thanks Claire.
Oh I remember now, politicians in India use V for victory, not peace ;)

[rssfhs]

Your wife is very pretty Raj! And I agree with the others that #1 is the better of the two.
In #2, the metal handrail in the background looks as if it's sticking out of the side of her head. :-)

If you do chose to make the background in focus, make sure it is something highly interesting and that there are no distracting objects in view. Also, such outdoor portraits normally need to be blown up rather large because the subject takes up a relatively small area of the photo and will appear too insignificant on a small print.

[berrylish]

i like the background in #1, but she looks more attractive in #2.

i never really thought of the fingers meaning. i do it sometimes though because.......its koo :p ....and they do it in anime too. its just cute.

[Raj]

Your wife is very pretty Raj! And I agree with the others that #1 is the better of the two.

In #2, the metal handrail in the background looks as if it's sticking out of the side of her head. :-)

If you do chose to make the background in focus, make sure it is something highly interesting and that there are no distracting objects in view. Also, such outdoor portraits normally need to be blown up rather large because the subject takes up a relatively small area of the photo and will appear too insignificant on a small print.

rss, thanks a lot for taking the time to review & comment on the pictures. I agree with your comment on #2 totally.

I am planning to print #1 to something bigger than A4. My printer only goes upto A4.

Cheers

[Raj]

i like the background in #1, but she looks more attractive in #2.

i never really thought of the fingers meaning. i do it sometimes though because.......its koo :p ....and they do it in anime too. its just cute.

Thanks berry :-)