i cut off the end of the guitar, does it diminish the image

Yes.

That's not to say you can't shoot a guitar pic without all of it in the frame. But this one has only a tiny bit cut off, so it looks like a mistake. Maybe you were concentrating on the girl and not the edges of the frame.

In this shot, she's looking down at the strings, so a shot of her and the strings (not showing the guitar end) should work.

Jim Rickards wrote:
Yes.

That's not to say you can't shoot a guitar pic without all of it in the frame. But this one has only a tiny bit cut off, so it looks like a mistake. Maybe you were concentrating on the girl and not the edges of the frame.

In this shot, she's looking down at the strings, so a shot of her and the strings (not showing the guitar end) should work.


well it was a mistake, i can crop tighter or i may reshoot and ps the end of guitar on. thanks Jim

No. I like it just as it is. It doesn't look like a mistake to me.

Jim Rickards wrote:
Yes.

That's not to say you can't shoot a guitar pic without all of it in the frame. But this one has only a tiny bit cut off, so it looks like a mistake. Maybe you were concentrating on the girl and not the edges of the frame.

In this shot, she's looking down at the strings, so a shot of her and the strings (not showing the guitar end) should work.

+1 (As usual...Jim posts a good comment that reflects how I see it too. )

You could possibly crop it square and have an OK photo, but if you do not wish to crop like that, I have to vote to re-shoot and backup a little and give a little more real estate above her head.
Douglas

i dont like the square, gonna re-shoot

Only reason I noticed it was because you pointed it out....Nice shot as is

thanks guys for all the input and cc

It's a little "tight" for me too, Mike. She might be a little young to call ya out on it...
but musicians HATE their instruments (and heads) chopped off. Having mentioned this,
I still like the shot and processing.

thanks will, I will reshoot!!!

Just to set the record straight, I too like the photo. The girl has her charm. It's just that it would be better with the end of the guitar included.

Especially so, since the lens used was at 40mm and the end of the guitar is enlarged due to lens distortion. You don't want to enlarge something that you want people to not notice.

Jim Rickards wrote:
Just to set the record straight, I too like the photo. The girl has her charm. It's just that it would be better with the end of the guitar included.

Especially so, since the lens used was at 40mm and the end of the guitar is enlarged due to lens distortion. You don't want to enlarge something that you want people to not notice.


got it, thanks for the advice about the lens distortion. so should I back up and use the lens at a longer focal length??

Probably.

40mm is a focal length where you are likely to get some distortion from the lens. Things on the edges will be distorted. Most portrait folks will use a longer lens. With careful planning you can get good shots that are wide.

Overall I kinda like the shot. I've made my living shooting musicians for the last thirty odd years and have more than my share of guitars in photos. The headstock on this being cut off is not a big deal unless you're advertising the guitar, and in this case, I'm pretty sure you're not. The only place I'd like to see some breathing room is at the top of her head and maybe between the heel and lower bout, which is just a bit close to the frame edge.

The lighting is quite nice, but it almost looks like the point of sharpest focus is slightly behind her eyes. In a shot like this, you really don't need a lot of depth of field, so maybe opening up to f/2 or 2.8 and making sure the focus was exactly on her eye, would separate her just a bit from the chair and really put the focus, so to speak, on her.

And seriously, I'm not seeing any appreciable so called wide angle distortion in this shot. The head stock looks completely normal. It's barely coming at the camera at all, and certainly not enough to make a difference. It is a small body guitar suitable for someone that size, so the head and neck might look larger to some, but it's not because of the lens.

Maybe have her playing a nice barre chord next time. Her left hand should probably be doing something that makes sense from a playing perspective. But overall - a nice start with very nice light and beautiful tonality. Good job!

crop little tighter and it is perfect

Peter Figen wrote:
Overall I kinda like the shot. I've made my living shooting musicians for the last thirty odd years and have more than my share of guitars in photos. The headstock on this being cut off is not a big deal unless you're advertising the guitar, and in this case, I'm pretty sure you're not. The only place I'd like to see some breathing room is at the top of her head and maybe between the heel and lower bout, which is just a bit close to the frame edge.

The lighting is quite nice, but it almost looks like the point of sharpest focus is slightly behind her eyes. In a shot like this, you really don't need a lot of depth of field, so maybe opening up to f/2 or 2.8 and making sure the focus was exactly on her eye, would separate her just a bit from the chair and really put the focus, so to speak, on her.

And seriously, I'm not seeing any appreciable so called wide angle distortion in this shot. The head stock looks completely normal. It's barely coming at the camera at all, and certainly not enough to make a difference. It is a small body guitar suitable for someone that size, so the head and neck might look larger to some, but it's not because of the lens.

Maybe have her playing a nice barre chord next time. Her left hand should probably be doing something that makes sense from a playing perspective. But overall - a nice start with very nice light and beautiful tonality. Good job!


love the feedback, thanks
ps she doesnt really know how to play!

The girl draws my eye's attention, the end of the guitar...WHO CARES!!! Looks just fine to me!

Peter Figen wrote:
Overall I kinda like the shot. I've made my living shooting musicians for the last thirty odd years and have more than my share of guitars in photos. The headstock on this being cut off is not a big deal unless you're advertising the guitar, and in this case, I'm pretty sure you're not. The only place I'd like to see some breathing room is at the top of her head and maybe between the heel and lower bout, which is just a bit close to the frame edge.

The lighting is quite nice, but it almost looks like the point of sharpest focus is slightly behind her eyes. In a shot like this, you really don't need a lot of depth of field, so maybe opening up to f/2 or 2.8 and making sure the focus was exactly on her eye, would separate her just a bit from the chair and really put the focus, so to speak, on her.

And seriously, I'm not seeing any appreciable so called wide angle distortion in this shot. The head stock looks completely normal. It's barely coming at the camera at all, and certainly not enough to make a difference. It is a small body guitar suitable for someone that size, so the head and neck might look larger to some, but it's not because of the lens.

Maybe have her playing a nice barre chord next time. Her left hand should probably be doing something that makes sense from a playing perspective. But overall - a nice start with very nice light and beautiful tonality. Good job!

Wow...my thoughts exactly. I love the image but would like to see all of the guitar and a chord being played. Nice work!

ty