Nice shots. I don't know if the bokeh is cheesy, but I think it's a little distracting. Maybe if it was toned down a little it would still add an interesting texture and not distract as much from the subject.
bokeh, schmokeh... I love the expression in #2. Overcomes any bokeh issue. Only nit is that it's not quite as warm as #1 and I like the lighting in #1 a bit better.
#1 gets nice light in the eyes the hair, forehead and even the teeth.
#2 has a different angle to the light, so the forehead is in shadow from the hat and the teeth are in shadow from the lips.
It's interesting how great a change occurs from a small change in the angle of the light. I doubt the light source changed, but your model moved around.
All that said, I still like both shots.
Another minor nit - the pupils are quite large, indicating it was perhaps a bit dark when you shot. More ambient light - like a modeling light - will close the pupils for you.
Thanks for all the feedback guys! The second shot is my younger son, who can't sit still for 1/1000 of a second. My older son is actually starting to take direction very well and I think it shows in the first shot. As far as the background, meh, I don't think I like it too much.
Nate A. wrote:
Thanks for all the feedback guys! The second shot is my younger son, who can't sit still for 1/1000 of a second. My older son is actually starting to take direction very well and I think it shows in the first shot. As far as the background, meh, I don't think I like it too much.
Nate - I think these are great. I like the backgrounds. Care to share how you created them?
24Peter wrote:
Nate - I think these are great. I like the backgrounds. Care to share how you created them?
Thank you! The smaller yellow lights are light strands hanging behind the subject. I took some shots of the lights later on to create the larger bokeh bits, which were added in post, using a few different layers.
