Thanks for comments and critique guys. I'm always looking forward for those.
CW100 - I had a small octabox on the camera right on most pics. Perhaps i need to place it in a better location for a more pleasant lighting.
Michael - That was my first time meeting the subject through a mutual acquaintance. She had a really good attitude but wasn't very comfortable in front of the lens and it's visible on some of these pics.
#5 bothers me - the level and angle of the shot focuses toward her crotch, not her face. If you crop to include her elbows up, it is still a strong pic. I really like #'s 1 and 6! I'd bet she would look stunning with a real smile- know any good jokes (or real groaners!)?
Dan Knowlton wrote:
#5 bothers me - the level and angle of the shot focuses toward her crotch, not her face. If you crop to include her elbows up, it is still a strong pic. I really like #'s 1 and 6! I'd bet she would look stunning with a real smile- know any good jokes (or real groaners!)?
Thanks Dan! I get what you're saying with #5. I was going for a bold fashion type pose on that one. I like the drama, lines, and expression on that image but the viewers eyes does wonder off to the crotch area. Nice to see a fellow San Diegan commenting on my post!
Her uncertainty about what she should be doing is really coming across in these images. It doesn't matter what your subject looks like, if they're uncomfortable, the images are not going to be show-worthy. The first pic is pretty good, but every other one, she just looks uncomfortable.
Thanks friscoron. I think having her friends around during the shoot made her a bit too conscious of her environment. I haven't been doing this for very long and don't really have a charisma to bring everyone to a comfortable zone.
But people skills will definitely be a great tool to have at time like this. I'm working on it. It might just be the hardest thing.
1: I would have moved her hand back and hide part with the fence post. Looks large being in front plus it shows large veins. None of my clients like that. Skin under arm could also be smoothed to look better. If you (or someone reading) don't like re-touching then the body position and lighting is even more important to naturally hide and smooth those areas. The strap could also be smooth and not twisted. Don't care for the over bright white wall in the background. Takes away too much attention. Same for some of the others.
Even in #6 that over bright area in front takes they eye away from the subject.
Got it. Thanks jeffreries for taking the time to point those items out. I just checked my shutter on the outdoor shots and I was at 1/100. Guess I should've gone with a faster shutter speed to tame the light on the background.
I was a bit worried about hiding the hand from the composition. And i thought shooting it with an 85mm focal would've compress it enough to prevent it from looking out of proportion.
I'm definitely learning from all the flaws that everyone is pointing out. Thanks again!
If a person is not used to being in front of a camera and is uncomfortable with it, having friends there really magnifies the problem. They become even more self-conscious. If it ever happens again, just ask the friends to either leave or to stay in a spot out of sight of where you're doing the shoot. It will make all the difference.
By the way, given where you are with your development, I would consider asking her to do a re-shoot where it's just the two of you. Tell her there are some things that you're trying to work on as a photographer, and she can really help you with it. It would be a great exercise for you to go back and shoot her again.
That's a very good idea. We have actually been trying to coordinate a shoot for her little daughter. Weekend schedule doesn't seem to match up accordingly. I'll definitely try to do another shoot and hopefully she'll be in her comfort zone.
