I took this shot of my wife yesterday. She needs it for the local track where she is the member of the month. Any comments and critiques are much appreciated.
I appreciate your taking the time to comment. Although I agree with Josiah that she is quite attractive, my wife is anything but comfortable in front of the camera. I doubt she would go for the shot in her running outfit, but I will ask. She wants what has been done before and that is just a head shot that gets put on the wall for the month. She wouldn't want anything that draws attention to the shot as being different. It also is not as if she is a competitor or this is an exclusive club or anything. This is just the local municipal recreation centre, and my wife although quite diligent in running is very much a middle of the pack runner. I will work on the pose and try and make her feel more comfortable. Thanks again for the feedback.
There are some nice points in the photo Steve
The simple background and faily shallow depth of field work well.
I few general rules which may help as a starting point (although rules are made to be broken).
1. Camera height - The pose looks a little awkward as the camera is looking down on the subject. This makes the subject look weak which I guess is not what you are after. If you shoot from below the eyeline the subject will look stronger.
2. Pose - Having the subject square on to the camera will make the subject look wider than they are, try turning the shoulders 45 degrees to the camera and then move the head and eyes back to the front. If you ask the subject to put their weight on their back foot with their front foot pointing at you this should naturaly relax the shoulders and upper body.
3. Light - The main light source looks as if it is just over your left shoulder, and is faily square on to the subject. So there is not a great deal of difference in the shadows on each side of the face. This produces a flat result and the image loses some of the 3d effect which would give it more impact. Try moving so the main light is 45 degress off to one side.
These are just some general points and often the complete opposite works but it should be a good springboard.
Wilco10 wrote:
There are some nice points in the photo Steve
The simple background and faily shallow depth of field work well.
I few general rules which may help as a starting point (although rules are made to be broken).
1. Camera height - The pose looks a little awkward as the camera is looking down on the subject. This makes the subject look weak which I guess is not what you are after. If you shoot from below the eyeline the subject will look stronger.
2. Pose - Having the subject square on to the camera will make the subject look wider than they are, try turning the shoulders 45 degrees to the camera and then move the head and eyes back to the front. If you ask the subject to put their weight on their back foot with their front foot pointing at you this should naturaly relax the shoulders and upper body.
3. Light - The main light source looks as if it is just over your left shoulder, and is faily square on to the subject. So there is not a great deal of difference in the shadows on each side of the face. This produces a flat result and the image loses some of the 3d effect which would give it more impact. Try moving so the main light is 45 degress off to one side.
These are just some general points and often the complete opposite works but it should be a good springboard.
The looking-up pose works fine, I think, but somehow her shoulders are
hunched over, and that detracts from her attractive face. [Nice hair and glasses,
by the way.]
I would think a touch more depth of field would help this angle too.
She has a classy look, and I think she'd actually look good in a corporate,
arms-crossed pose too.
I agree with the comments that you should be lower than eye level
As your wife is 'uncomfortable' before the lens try a remote cable and once you have your shot set up - pretend to be continuing your set up and say something like - Do you remember when we first met? - her expression will momentary soften and 'click' there's your portrait
trumpet_guy wrote:
The looking-up pose works fine, I think, but somehow her shoulders are
hunched over, and that detracts from her attractive face. [Nice hair and glasses,
by the way.]
I would think a touch more depth of field would help this angle too.
She has a classy look, and I think she'd actually look good in a corporate,
arms-crossed pose too.
Hi Tim,
Thanks for your comments. I appreciate them and think you are bang on. I will keep this in mind when I shoot it again.
colinr wrote:
I agree with the comments that you should be lower than eye level
As your wife is 'uncomfortable' before the lens try a remote cable and once you have your shot set up - pretend to be continuing your set up and say something like - Do you remember when we first met? - her expression will momentary soften and 'click' there's your portrait
Hi colinr,
That is an excellent idea. I will definitely try that when I shoot again.
Sorry again I wasn't making myself very clear. I don't mean typically done for all photos of this type, just typically done at her track. My wife doesn't want to do anything different than has been done by the previous members of the month.
Sorry again I wasn't making myself very clear. I don't mean typically done for all photos of this type, just typically done at her track. My wife doesn't want to do anything different than has been done by the previous members of the month.
Best wishes,
Steve
I assume most of the other photos are just snapshots and not too flattering . I would think if you could do a really good ( near professional quality) portrait to set a new standard she would be happy?
Sorry if I am missing something but why post a photo for comments if the end goal is not moving up to a higher level.
I was hoping to do a really good portrait and my end goal was, indeed, moving up to a higher level. I am also quite happy with the advice I got. I really appreciate the help that people offered. Let's hope I can put it to good use.
The idea of connecting the shot to the track, which was a thoughtful suggestion by several people, was not, however, a possibility and I just wanted to point that out as I wasn't clear about it initially. I was just trying to make my objective clear. That is all, and my objective is a high quality portrait, specifically a headshot, and not a portrait that shows a connection to the track. I am sorry if I have been confusing. I have tried my best to be clear, even though I am sure that I haven't been.
, my wife is anything but comfortable in front of the camera. I doubt she would go for the shot in her running outfit, but I will ask. She wants what has been done before and that is just a head shot that gets put on the wall for the month. She wouldn't want anything that draws attention to the shot as being different. It also is not as if she is a competitor or this is an exclusive club or anything. This is just the local municipal recreation centre, and my wife although quite diligent in running is very much a middle of the pack runner. I will work on the pose and try and make her feel more comfortable. Thanks again for the feedback.