lori 1

[daq7]

This is the best shot of lori I got from this weekend. The lighting is not right. Too much underlight and the shadows are too harsh.

[GB1]

Seems like a human interest type shot; the composition, clothing, lighting and environment are all quite unconventional. I can't say if it works or not because this one is really a matter of artistic vision and execution. I would leave off the border here though.

G

[Lava Lamp]

I think the success of the image depends on what you wanted to achieve.

The first thing I noticed is that her eyes seemed rimmed in red. That may or may not be reality and may or may not be what you want to present, but mostly, it isn't what people are looking for in a portrait. I then noticed a white thread on her black shirt and then the busy background, finally coming back to her face again where I looked at her expression (inscrutable to me) and the way one of her eyes is in shadow and the other isn't.

Everybody will look at it differently, but that's what I did.

[daq7]

Yeah. The lighting is far from perfect. It is far from acceptable in this shot. I ought not even have posted it. I am struggling with getting good portrait light. When taking shots of myself who the hell cares? But I need to get it under control for portraits on models that aren't monsters.

[Lava Lamp]

I don't think it is a bad photo. It's just a critique board and I was looking at it the way my significant other (i.e., wife) does when I take her picture. She insists that she have veto control over any photos I take of her and she only approves a few a year.

I'm no lighting expert. Almost everything I take is in natural light. I do think that over the years I have become a little less ignorant of finding "good" light and figuring out where to shoot from, but I'm impressed by what you are getting done with your lights.

[GB1]

Daq - It's probably not as hard as you think. You want soft even lighting to make the person look warm, friendly, glamourous, etc. Side lighting like this will always create a moody feeling, perhaps a split-personality image. Or it could come out very artistic (some of this depends on the model and how his or her face is shaped). But since one eye socket will be dark then the viewer is basically looking at person with one visible eye, and that is bound to look sort of unusual. Underneath lighting almost always creates a sinister, crazy look.

I think what you need is a good set of studio lights. Two is usually the minimum, but I make do with one (still haven't gotten a second yet) as long as I keep the lighting within say 30 degrees of the angle the model is looking at the camera. You can get some inexpensive lighting if you keep the wattage at 300W or less.

G

[daq7]

Yeah G, I ought to be able to do this with flashes. I will try getting something more diffuse right above the subject. But lighting from the bottom is supposed to be part of a canonical glamor shot as long as it is subdued. Maybe i will figure it out.

Or maybe I will give up.

Eh, probably not...