Some portraits I took of my friend Andy, who is quite the fun and interesting individual.
These were lit using a single Neewer C-300 with a 20x28 soft box, and shot using the original Canon 5D with a Canon 100mm f/2.8 Macro USM lens attached.
Hopefully you captured a sinister expression, as it would fit his look brilliantly.
I find the nail polish in (2) destroys the timeless potential of the image - and would have had his head in a much lower position, if that makes sense.
His chin is elevated in all of them for some reason, taking away from the tension that I am craving from his face. The chin-up says to me, "weak" or "feminine"... (not that those 2 go hand in hand, of course)
gheller wrote:
Top-notch technically on all of them.
Hopefully you captured a sinister expression, as it would fit his look brilliantly.
I find the nail polish in (2) destroys the timeless potential of the image - and would have had his head in a much lower position, if that makes sense.
His chin is elevated in all of them for some reason, taking away from the tension that I am craving from his face.
HTH
greg
Thank you for the critiques. The nail polish is just a personal touch of my friend who is a very flamboyant and unique individual. I love taking portraits of my friends that capture the essence of who they are, and I have rarely seen Andy without nail polish and just feel like it would be a shame to ask him to remove it for portraits that are meant to showcase his individuality. I see what you mean about it affecting their timelessness though, as I wouldn't generally expect anybody to wear that mustache paired with lace and pink holographic nail polish . In regards to the elevated chin, I agree that a downward position and sinister appearance could make for some great images, but Andy is an Optimist and I would consider the elevated position of the chin to be on brand for him. This might give you a better idea of his personality:
Here is a photo with a lower chin angle with perhaps a slightly more sinister feel. For a number of reasons I don't tend to post it on social media for critique because there are glaring flaws that I personally can't overlook, for example the awkward positioning of the wrist, the inward positioning of the elbow causing most of his arm to fall into shadow, and while I usually enjoy deep shadows in a moody portrait, I find myself wishing there was more light coverage on his face and in his eye (camera left). I remember having an assistant for this shoot, so I can't imagine WHY I didn't have them holding a reflector under his face. Unfortunately Andy moved back to Australia before we could do the second photo shoot that we were planning.
DanielScott wrote:
Thank you. It's hard for me to pick a favorite from this set to be honest.
Well, these are your children, so to speak, and a parent is not supposed to have a preference. But as an outside observer, I am not so handicapped.
Based on your 3 images, I formed an impression of his overall visage, and the angle in the first strikes me as the one doing most justice to his facial contours and features.
Rajan Parrikar wrote:
Well, these are your children, so to speak, and a parent is not supposed to have a preference. But as an outside observer, I am not so handicapped.
Based on your 3 images, I formed an impression of his overall visage, and the angle in the first strikes me as the one doing most justice for his facial contours and features.
Haha, yeah I think many of us can relate to that comparison.
Beyond all of that a great portrait is one that captures some on the subject more so than anything else. Great portrait photographers like Arnold Newman, Richard Avedon, Marc Hauser or Irving Penn would study the way his subjects would natural carry themselves and capture that instead of pre packaged poses. I think these fall into that category.
airfrogusmc wrote:
Beyond all of that a great portrait is one that captures some on the subject more so than anything else. Great portrait photographers like Arnold Newman, Richard Avedon, Marc Hauser or Irving Penn would study the way his subjects would natural carry themselves and capture that instead of pre packaged poses. I think these fall into that category.
Thank you so much! I think that is so important in portrait photography.
airfrogusmc wrote:
I say show the first 3 as a series. A kinda triptych.
I like the idea but honestly I think I have a hard time tying the first shot to the other two if they were displayed that way. Maybe I could find a fourth portrait from that shoot that could help connect that shot to the other two. I have quite a few that are still unedited and am sure I could use something.
There ya go. The implied line from his gaze #1 to the arm and hand #2 to the pointing finger in also #2 the arm and then the shadow and jaw line back the the center image and the then back to the start. WONDERFUL the way they work together.
. In regards to the elevated chin, I agree that a downward position and sinister appearance could make for some great images, but Andy is an Optimist and I would consider the elevated position of the chin to be on brand for him. This might give you a better idea of his personality: 
