Corinne at night

[WCpilot]

Here are a couple shots from my recent night shoot. I'd gotten her to agree to model for me at some point, but then she decided to do it that night. I didn't have anything going on, so I figured why not? Anyway, it was all very improvised. For additional lighting, I used an SB-600 with a diffuser cap and a 42" reflector (silver or white depending on the shot). I'm working on my portrait and headshot skills to possibly apply for an internship with an Operahouse, so critiques are VERY welcome. I've got a lot to learn.

[GB1]

They have potential, but look a bit ad-hoc (you probably did OK considering the equipment you had though).

# 1 is a nice shot of a friend, one that she and you will like. But I don't consider it a modeling shot - the lighting isn't strong enough or even enough, not quite sharp as it needs to be, and she isn't dressed in model attire. Her black hair is fading out into the background a bit too much. I like her smile here. # 2 is better but she looks too tired, and the background bright spot is distracting. The lighting is again insufficient - she just seems too dark. # 3 is starting to look like a model shot. The DOF is better (her foreground arm fade I am not sure about..). But what is that bright area on the right side of her head? It's distracting, IMO, but others may like it. It's still too dark a shot.

Anyway - better lighting would greatly improve the results. As noted above, the shots are getting better and better as you went.

G

[MB1]

The first and third ones although far from perfect work well for me.

In the first one I really like her expression and the toy in her pocket is a nice touch. The light on her face and the shadow of the strand of hair are my problem here.

The third one really shows some personality to me and again the light isn't quite right this one has the best lighting here.

These are close to (and may indeed be) keepers.

[WCpilot]

Thank you both for your responses. I really appreciate it. GB1, you're right, it was very impromptu. I didn't even know we were shooting until she called to say she was on her way over, haha. My equipment is likely to remain fairly limited for the next while. The jury is still out on whether or not to invest in some alienbees strobes. Anyway, I assume that simply getting the reflector closer to her will help deal with the shadow problems (it was generally 4 or 5ish feet away). Is this correct thinking? Also, I'm hoping to deal with that darkness problem by shooting in the day next time, haha. Again, it wasn't my first choice. But at this point I just need to take what chances I can to learn.

Again, thanks for taking the time to help me out. You two are actually some of the people I was really hoping to get to stop by. I really respect your opinions and truly appreciate your help.

[GB1]

Funny that when I look at this now the lighting doesn't seem as dark Maybe it was the light hitting my monitor in the daytime. Yes if you get closer and open up your lens a stop or two that will bring in more light - but, not sure you want to do that cause 4-5 feet away is close enough (you don't want to crowd her), and the DOF is shallow enough here already. Try shooting at a higher ISO setting, add 1/3 extra exposure with your camera (if it allows that), etc. Btw she seems like she has a perky side that will make her a good model.
G

[WCpilot]

Ya, lighting was just generally difficult. My D50 with the 50m 1.4 was at iso 400, f/1.4, and 1/20th the whole time. And all of these shots were hand held since the tripod was handling the reflector. That really hurt the sharpness. And I ended up bring the levels up a bit more in PS, which didn't help sharpness or noise.

She will be a fantastic model though. She's a struggling musician just beginning to record some ideas. She has incredible energy. None of these came close to showing that. This was her first time really being in front of a lense, and it started off pretty slow. I think next time will go more smoothly, especially since we decided a quick beer was in order to help things flow, haha.

Also, I'm lining up several other models to shoot in the near future. I would love it if you could critique those once they're up as well.