Critique requested for female portraits

[poke]

Hi all,

I would like feedback on these portraits. I'm trying to get to a point where I feel comfortable charging for portrait services - giving people value for their money, so I've been using every friend and relative I can get my hands on as practice.

Don't hold back. The only way I'm going to get better is if people like you point out what I'm not doing right, and how I might be able to do it better.

#1
http://photo.pudltec.com/gallery/temp/99310a92f042a5f471061defed6ab0e2.jpg

#2
http://photo.pudltec.com/gallery/temp/9efef5d832ada92162371b2520fc45f0.jpg

#3
http://photo.pudltec.com/gallery/temp/ce49bb3fbbb856dbcbbcf048a396d8c5.jpg

#4
http://photo.pudltec.com/gallery/temp/10f82bfc2c44ef1dac0670b225b7d3e4.jpg

[tim]

Don't hold back? Ok... i'll try and be nice, and remember i'm not a pro, I just know what I like :) Pretend I put smileys all thru the post, I come acros blunt because i'm often in a hurry ;) In general not bad, but not "wow" material either. Maybe try a touch of unsharp mask.

1) Hair needs work before the shot was taken, get rid of the stray hairs that are all over the place. The shadows under the chin's too harsh, you need to use some fill. I don't like her arm, if that's what it is, up on the right.

2) I don't like the hair in front of the face, but that's taste not something you're doing wrong. Again a fill light would be good, and get her to smile, at least a little! You could do a little "air brushing" of where her arm meets her body if you wanted to alter it.

3) I like it! :)

4) Again, not so hot on the hair across the face, and the stray hairs about the place.

[poke]

Thanks Tim, now that you mentioned the shadows under the chin agree they are too dark. I can feel another flash unit coming on ;)

[tim]

For portraits i'd like to have either natural light, or about 3 lights. I've never had any training or used studio lighting, but i'd like a light to the left and up, another to the right, perhaps some fill front below centre, a hair light from behind, and maybe a background light, depending on the setup. Oh, umbrellas or soft boxes over the lights sound helpful too, to reduce highlights and soften things up a bit.

[poke]

I've got one flash unit with an umbrella, one tungsten constant light, and a 580ex. I have two reflectors which I've been trying to use to compensate for the lack of lights.

I think that one more flash unit would not go astray.

[tim]

You can do great things with just one light. I really like natural light from a large window, maybe with a reflector, lighting's hard.

[MAD DOG]

I've seen a lot of portraits where the model doesn't look direcly into the lens, which I think can sometimes give a more natural look, particularly with someone who isn't used to being infront of the lens.

Just a thought.

[rubberchickenguy]

I love number three in terms of composition and interest. It's engaging. I think it needs some work in terms of contrast and punch. Have you checked your levels on the histogram?

I agree with the prior comment about the hair - looks a little unkempt.

Lastly,and this is only a matter of preference, why not find a more engaging backdrop? Something with some texture or light-play on it would be nice. Nothing distracting, just something that compliments the image rather than just sitting there. You could even do this in post if you have the Photoshp skills.

Anyways, great start. I'd encourage you to find that thing that makes your model unique and shoot that. A great portrait should reveal someone's personality not just be an image of their face. Keep at'er.

[Barb42]

The lighting is a bit harsh for a woman. Her skin could be softened and blended out a bit - look for the "DIGITAL GEM Airbrush Professional" plug-in. What it does for skin is nothing short of amazing. I love it. It will improve the look of any woman (and she will love you for it!) - and it works nicely for men, too. I use it all the time. It was worth the money.

http://www.asf.com/products/plugins/airpro/pluginAIRPRO.asp

[lkorell]

You can also try a product like Neat Image or Noise Ninja to soften up the complexion a bit. The model is lovely but the harshness of the lighting reveals a bit too much roughness in her complexion. I feel that distracts from being able to look directly in her eyes. She has very captivating eyes and they should be brought out a bit more by evening out the skin a bit.

I haven't tried the Digital GEM plugin but it sounds like a good thing to try also.

Lou

[tim]

Noise Reduction programs might help a bit, but what I do is duplicate the layer, apply a gaussian blur, then use a layer mask so it softens just the skin. I change the layer opacity of the new layer.

[poke]

I will definately try out that plugin, and the layer thing.

The background I was using was Artic white background paper. I live in Perth, Australia and I've had real difficulty finding decent muslin backdrops. I can get some from the US, but then it costs as much in postage as it does for the backdrop. Anyone from Aus know where to get nice ones.

I would also appreciate any suggestions as to what colours are the most versatile for backgrounds.

Thanks heaps for all the comments so far.

[poke]

Can anyone give any tips on how to get the hair sorted... I had brushed it, but there was still alot of frizzy bits.

[malcolmx]

i hope i may add a few comments you will feel are helpfull . all of your portraits are a little to full on with the lighting .I would always use 1 light behind the head to give a backlight to the hair . focus on the eyes but try to avoid multiple catch lights. use 1 light behind coupled with natural light and a reflector if you can .when you take a portrate decide who the portrait is for, you(candid) or the model and work accordingly. for a model these need to have a more softer approach and all the distracting hair coats etc tidyed up if you soften the image all the skintones will change and help to eradicate any blemishes the rest is max factor or photoshop try one of these in band w
keep tying
i wonder if portrature is different in the uk to australia
dont forget girls dont want to see themselves they want to see what they think they look like

as to backgrounds use an old bedsheet stiffened with size and emulsionpaint

[poke]

i hope i may add a few comments you will feel are helpfull . all of your portraits are a little to full on with the lighting .I would always use 1 light behind the head to give a backlight to the hair . focus on the eyes but try to avoid multiple catch lights. use 1 light behind coupled with natural light and a reflector if you can .when you take a portrate decide who the portrait is for, you(candid) or the model and work accordingly. for a model these need to have a more softer approach and all the distracting hair coats etc tidyed up if you soften the image all the skintones will change and help to eradicate any blemishes the rest is max factor or photoshop try one of these in band w
keep tying
i wonder if portrature is different in the uk to australia
dont forget girls dont want to see themselves they want to see what they think they look like

as to backgrounds use an old bedsheet stiffened with size and emulsionpaint

So are you saying that alot of the problems with these photos can be fixed in post? Cause these are not really processed apart from doing the RAW conversion.

[Hellashot]

The expression on her face in the first 2 are bad, not good for a portrait.

[poke]

The expression on her face in the first 2 are bad, not good for a portrait.

Ok... I appreciate the feedback. But do you think you could give me something more descriptive than "bad". Maybe a reason why its bad! Maybe some suggestions about how to not make it bad.

[lisa1969]

First let me say I am no expert by any means but I would try tweaking the levels& contrast a bit in PS. The background can also be dodged to brighten it up a bit. Your model's eyes are a lovely color but do not have a lot of catchlights. white is tough sometimes but it can be done with natural light and a bit of tweaking in PS. With that being said I would probably crop the first 2 a little tighter to show off her eyes. Again JHMO, but what do I know?

[poke]

Thanks Lisa...

Did you remove the background in PS? If you did remove it, how did you get rid of the background bits from between the hair that sticks up?

[exposingmyself]

I can't see any of the photographs Poke has posted. :(

[charlesu]

All of the images are a tad soft and need a little USM. I don't like the lighting on the last one for portraiture. The light is coming from below the model (monster lighting) and isn't natural looking. I'm also wondering what focal length you are using as it seems like it might be a bit short. I'd stick with 100mm or more (in 35mm terms) for portraits, especially of women.

In number 1 her pose is distracting. The arm up just looks like it's in the way and it casts a shadow on her.

In number 2 I'd for for a tighter crop. The bracelet/watch is a distraction.

Number 3. Hmmm. I like the idea. The execution, though, leaves me wondering a bit. I'd like to see both eyes, if only a part of the hidden eye. This is somehow too strong. Here's a shot that's from a similar series where we hid parts of her face (though the shot I have handy actually shows her whole face)

http://ompi.onemodelplace.com/OMP_Images/Photographer/3661/3661_p_ADA145D1-2B3D-897A-21A9C18183FA8837.jpg

Number 4 I already covered.

Now, the good stuff. There's lots of it here. The shots are well exposed. You have an excellent model with very engaging eyes. In fact, you do a great job of drawing me into the shot because of the lighting and the great capture of those eyes. Focus appears to be right on. And, you get double bonus points for experimenting!!! This is the only way to learn what works and what doesn't. Overall, I think that you have some good stuff. And please feel free to take my feedback with a grain of salt if you like. It's just opinion!!

[poke]

Charles, your feedback is fantastic... Exactly the sort of suggestions and comments that I was hoping for. At least now, I have some tangible points to work on.

Thanks heaps.

[Mr. EMJAY]

Like the one with the scarf..... nice one

[charlesu]

Charles, your feedback is fantastic... Exactly the sort of suggestions and comments that I was hoping for. At least now, I have some tangible points to work on.

Thanks heaps.

Hey buddy, you're quite welcome. I hope it's helpful and I really look forward to seeing more!!

[exposingmyself]

Can anyone give any tips on how to get the hair sorted... I had brushed it, but there was still alot of frizzy bits. hairspray :D

I'm concerned with your cropping. Are these camera crops or PS crops?

[lostdoggy]

As a composition #3 is good, It showed a contrasting color of the eye to the scarf. But, something about the hand bothers me, just can't nail it down. The other 3, hum, I think the others have said enough. Can you try and Post Process it and re-post the Pics for comparison. Just my 0.02.

[poke]

...If you're serious about doing commercial portraiture, I suggest that you invest in a studio light or two which will give you a good working distance from the model plus allow you to use large soft boxes and umbrellas to soften and control the light...


Bloo Dog, I've got one 500watt flash head and umbrella. I also have a Bowens Tri Light. I think from the comments so far, I should be using less light, or at the very least more diffused or reflected light to get the right effect.

I just went and bought a white umbrella today. I'll try shooting through it, and see if that helps to soften / diffuse the light.

As for the focal length / lense distortion, I was very close to the subject. I'll try backing off a bit and see what happens. I'll also take charles suggestion, and try getting closer to the 100mm mark. I've got a 70-200mm that will do the trick at the 70 end.

I've got another victim... ah I mean model coming over tonight, so I'll see if I can put the suggestions into practice.

Barb42... I've been trying to get that plugin, but it seems their site is down. I'll keep trying.

lostdoggy... I'll see if I can do some work on these tonight and post the updates.

Thanks everyone for your comments and suggestions.

[Barb42]

Hairspray helps a bit, but you want to avoid static electricity - brushing makes that worse. A small spray bottle with water helps with static. But in the end, cloning out the unwanted is a great solution. A good lens blur or other blurs can help tone down the hairs as well. So, the solution is - work on improving the lighting by using diffusers, hair lighting and reflectors; static elimination for hair and clothing; and skin softening. Never be too real for women - they hate that. I took a photo on an elderly lady last year. I smoothed out the wrinkles with the Gem plugin I mentioned before, cloned out the age spots and neatened her hair by cloning out the strays. Last I heard, she was planning on adopting me.....

[Wavy C]

Hi all,
Don't hold back. The only way I'm going to get better is if people like you point out what I'm not doing right, and how I might be able to do it better.


Hi Poke, I'm no pro myself but I'm afraid I don't like any of these pictures. If I was you I would forget about lighting, post processing etc at this stage. The thing you really need to work on is getting a more attractive and natural looking pose.

Put the lighting away, set your model beside a window or outdoors and just ask her to sit is different positions until you see something you like. Don't squeeze the shutter until you think she, and her expression, looks good. As a start point, tell her to angle her body away and turn her head to the camera. Try asking her to lean forward with elbows on knees and look up. Try some with her looking away from the camera.

If you don't get the basic pose right, no amount of lighting or post processing will turn it into a good pic. On the other hand if she is looking good then you will often get away with less than perfect lighting.

I hope you don't think this is a bit harsh - I'm a novice myself so know how difficult it can be. Just hope it is advice that might help you get better pictures.

[poke]

...I hope you don't think this is a bit harsh...

Not too harsh... I asked for candid feedback, and I'm very glad to be getting it.

Thanks Wavy C.

[Wavy C]

No probs, Poke. Looked at the pics again and agree with Charles' advice about the longer lens. Personally I like the look of portraits done with a 135mm, but you need some space to get back far enough if shooting indoors.

BTW, remember seeing you post the self-portrait pic in your avatar and really liked the way that one came out!

[mbze430]

#1 - Lighting is a bit low, that is why there is a cast of an "up shadow" from the bridge of her nose. Always have the light coming down on your subject. Unless you are trying to create a dark evil look.

#2 - As already suggested, crop tighter or next time bring the rest of the hand in to the picture.

#3 - Excellent shot, probably you can bring much more drama to the picture with post-processing. Or lighting effect.

I really dont' have any comments for #4. :)