Under the willow tree

From a senior portrait session in the park. C&C welcome.

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very nice!

ok... where to start...
when you point your flash directly in the models' face - even her natural beauty can't save the day. The light is very harsh and gives off a shadowless look. There's, actually a shadow, right underneath her chin - it looks like a black beard. Not a very desirable effect as you might have guessed. The composition is bland, the model's facial expression is... not the best one either. This is not a good photo for a professional.

If your signature spells out all the gear you have - then I have only one suggestion. Sell the majority of it and invest into some lighting gear... by the way... your list is around $35,000

Please forgive my honesty.

korrektor wrote in post #8419215
ok... where to start...
when you point your flash directly in the models' face - even her natural beauty can't save the day. The light is very harsh and gives off a shadowless look. There's, actually a shadow, right underneath her chin - it looks like a black beard. Not a very desirable effect as you might have guessed. The composition is bland, the model's facial expression is... not the best one either. This is not a good photo for a professional.

If your signature spells out all the gear you have - then I have only one suggestion. Sell the majority of it and invest into some lighting gear... by the way... your list is around $35,000

Please forgive my honesty.

You know... When you read this reply, what kind of vibe do you get?

I feel this korrector person is being an A$$... granted, korrektor seems to be an accomplished portrait photog, BUT this doesn't mean he should come off like that. I may agree with his critique of the photo, but REALLY that is all he should have replied with... what does the $$$ value of the o.p.'s gear have anything to do with it? For all I know, Tandem may be an accomplished wildlife photog... NOT a portrait photog. Just because we all have great Canon cameras, this doesn't automatically make us all good at portraiture, or macro, or sports photography...

I have a love of photography, and I have much to learn, but I do know this... I don't see how helpful korrektor's reply could be when it has that "snob-like" feel to it.

I now step off the soap box.

here we go again... You stated that you agree with my critique of the photo. What things can we possibly argue about? The photo is not good for someone who takes money for his/her photo services. Agreed? Agreed.
I made a mere suggestion, which would finacially benefit the OP. I gave an honest critique which had been asked for. Please excuse me for not being sensitive enough when pronouncing my honest opinion.

As for counting other ppl's money... It just wowed me for a split second, thats all. H
what do you even do with all this glass, t
having regular tea parties? but i do agree this is not very polite and i do apologize for that.

GeneMan88 wrote in post #8419540
You know... When you read this reply, what kind of vibe do you get?

I feel this korrector person is being an A$$... granted, korrektor seems to be an accomplished portrait photog, BUT this doesn't mean he should come off like that. I may agree with his critique of the photo, but REALLY that is all he should have replied with... what does the $$$ value of the o.p.'s gear have anything to do with it? For all I know, Tandem may be an accomplished wildlife photog... NOT a portrait photog. Just because we all have great Canon cameras, this doesn't automatically make us all good at portraiture, or macro, or sports photography...

I have a love of photography, and I have much to learn, but I do know this... I don't see how helpful korrektor's reply could be when it has that "snob-like" feel to it.

I now step off the soap box.

So what if korrektor doesn't sugar coat his C&C. It was an honest critique and anyone who asks for C&C should be prepared to read things that they might not necessarily like. Not everyone has the same temperament as you, and as you say that korrector should chill out a bit.......I say, maybe you should grow thicker skin.

Hey, I'm a big boy, I can take it. I appreciate the brutal honesty. I'm not going to learn much if all I listen to is her mother gushing over how much she loves the photos, now, am I?

You are correct in your assumption that I am a novice at lighting for portraits. I need to know what to look for and your critique was spot on.

Thanks!

I am glad no personals feeling were hurt and let's leave it at that.

Tandem wrote in post #8420584
Hey, I'm a big boy, I can take it. I appreciate the brutal honesty. I'm not going to learn much if all I listen to is her mother gushing over how much she loves the photos, now, am I?

You are correct in your assumption that I am a novice at lighting for portraits. I need to know what to look for and your critique was spot on.

Thanks!

Also, maybe center the subject.

Actually it is not a good idea. Try not to center your subjects

korrektor wrote in post #8422932
Actually it is not a good idea. Try not to center your subjects

I whole heartedly agree... not a good idea, a majority of the time.

I went to your website, and looked at this girls session shots. Only at her shots--nothing else on the website. I'm not sure you chose the best image to highlight here, but some general comments on the shots as a whole. Some were nicely posed and cropped--perhaps many... but while the lighting was better in some, overall, I found the lighting flat. So that would appear to be an area where you need to improve--local camera courses, tips here... and lots of experimentation and practice will help. All the best, and I have to admit to being in awe of your selection of equipment. Thanks for sharing!

I happen to agree with Korrektor. I think the shot has a lot of potential, as does the subject (the subject is drop dead gorgeous!). But, the lighting is not as flattering as it could be. A little OCF would go a long way with a shot like this one. Paint not only with light, but with shadow, as well.

Why not center the subject? If Leonardo da Vinci did it, so should we. http://www.lairweb.org​.nz/leonardo/monalisa.​jpg

Paul Li wrote in post #8426651
Why not center the subject? If Leonardo da Vinci did it, so should we. http://www.lairweb.org​.nz/leonardo/monalisa.​jpg

Ever hear of the "rule of thirds"? Off-centering your subject creates interest and perspective and gives your subject the appearance that they have somewhere to go. Centering your subject gives the appearance that they are trapped in a box.

Of course, like every other photographic rule, it can be broken. However, breaking this rule may result in boring composition, ruined shots, and boring photography. With exceptions, of course.