Executive Officer's Portrait

So I was asked to take a command photo for one fo the executive officers here on our flight line. So I grabbed my gear and brought in to work. A quick 20 minutes to set up, take the shots, and break it down and I was done. Just thought I'd share it here to get opinions if you had any. I'm happy with the result and so was the command; win-win I guess.

The highlight on his forehead makes his head looks deformed. It looks like a one-light setup right of camera. I think your photo needs a reflector/fill light. His eye sockets are ally deep and are casting a shadow over his eyes. Either that or lower the key light.

The symmetry in the image is nice.
I like the gap between the body and elbow which defines his build, whilst on the other side it suggests his 'wider' build.
The gold braid on the flag edges look like horns though...

I think you could have used a bit of fill on his eyes and under his chin, or brought the light down a bit. His uniform seems underexposed to the point of losing some details.

HiepBuiPhotography wrote in post #16378396
The highlight on his forehead makes his head looks deformed. It looks like a one-light setup right of camera. I think your photo needs a reflector/fill light. His eye sockets are ally deep and are casting a shadow over his eyes. Either that or lower the key light.

It was a quick 1-light setup not directly over the camera but just slightly (like 2 or 3 degrees) off camera right. Couldn't get it directly center beause the the light stand got in the frame. Situations like that make me want a boom setup. I had a reflector but should have used the silver side instead of the white side. He has REALLY deep eyes. Thanks though!

reheat module wrote in post #16378410
The symmetry in the image is nice.
I like the gap between the body and elbow which defines his build, whilst on the other side it suggests his 'wider' build.
The gold braid on the flag edges look like horns though...

Yeah, the gold braid was either going to be horns or wings. I set the flags up like that to hide the bottom half of the wall that is white striped wallpaper. Kind of nasty looking wallpaper to be honest. I would have preferred to have the flags just draped down along the side of the frame but since I shot this in our conference room I worked with what I had there. I could have brought in my backdrop setup but then the setup and tear down would have taken longer and there was a meeting about to start in there when I got done.

gonzogolf wrote in post #16378426
I think you could have used a bit of fill on his eyes and under his chin, or brought the light down a bit. His uniform seems underexposed to the point of losing some details.

His uniform is black. There's not a whole lot of detail in dress blues. It's a black jacket with gold accents. I agree I could have used more light under his chin though. Again, wish I had used the silver side of the reflector instead. I could have used my 2nd speedlight for fill but again time was a factor.

Thanks for the feedback guys!

rivas8409 wrote in post #16378520
His uniform is black. There's not a whole lot of detail in dress blues. It's a black jacket with gold accents. I agree I could have used more light under his chin though. Again, wish I had used the silver side of the reflector instead. I could have used my 2nd speedlight for fill but again time was a factor.

Thanks for the feedback guys!

You can still make black look black without turning it into a monolith without too much detail.

I think it looks good. I can see all the details in the coat - pocket, lapels, and can see the different texture of the tie. The black is just right imo. The underside of his chin is a non-issue for me. I like the definition of his chin and cheekbones as the shadow leads nicely into his white shirt.

Good shot. I think it represents his position well.

It looks great and professional to me.

THanks guys.

I like the shot, but think I'd lighten him up a bit and get rid of the hot spot on his forehead.
Here's what I came up with: