Portrait of a Friend

[ACArmstrong]

Shot with Sony F717 in Manual mode (don't remember the other settings)

[dadas115]

I like this shot. I might crop some off the left side and include some more on the bottom so you can see her pinky. The three finger thing is a bit unsettling for me. I would also brighten it up some to hide the blemishes on her face.

Greg

[Peter_AUS]

Andy for someone that says they aren't too much up on Photography this shot is very well done. Only nit pick I have is the lack of detail in the right eye area, unless that is what you were after. You can use a reflector, white foam core board to reflect light back from camera left to help with that, using the light you have coming from the camera right.

[darkrainfall]

This is a pretty good shot, the one problem I have with it is how bright she is on the one side. The detail of the ear is almost completely gone, so maybe try to let less light in and of course a bit of light reflected to the darker portion of the picture would make the lighting a bit more even. That said, I really like this picture, it's a nice natural look and I think it works very well... you've done a good job.

[ACArmstrong]

Andy for someone that says they aren't too much up on Photography this shot is very well done. Only nit pick I have is the lack of detail in the right eye area, unless that is what you were after. You can use a reflector, white foam core board to reflect light back from camera left to help with that, using the light you have coming from the camera right.

Peter - thanks for the compliments - I've been in art my entire life so composition is something I've studied forever - it's getting the camera to capture what I see with my eye that's been the difficult part so far.

It's really funny that you've mentioned the darkness around her right eye. The intent was to keep it hidden. She was born with Ptosis (for us laymen, that's a seriously droopy eyelid) in her right eye. When you look at her straight on, it gives the optical illusion that her right iris is actually smaller than her left, so this was an attempt to hide that eye and still get some soft light to that side. I think you're absolutely right though, I think I'll try some more diffuse light on that side of the face next time.

Best part of this - she was absolutely terrified to do a shoot (afraid of the camera and the attention), but afterward asked, "So when are we going to do this again?" so maybe I'll get another shot to try some new things.

Thanks for all the help - keep it coming. I'm like a sponge right now...I want to soak it all in and learn as much as I can.

[Peter_AUS]

Actually Andy, some of us are better informed than you might think. Little do you know, others do, I'm a trained nurse and spent many months looking after people with eye problems. This has come up before and I have read that people with eye defects often percieve them to be more than they really are and can be dealt with easily a bit like you have done here. It is great that the friend has percieved that it isn't a bad thing, photography that is and modeling, and is now willing to take it a step further, being more modeling. This will help her to I think maybe finally come to terms with her Ptosis. Believe me I have seen much worse than droopy eyelid, but I haven't had one and am not making light of it.

The other thing I noticed after posting was the marked muscle protruding from her neck and that is something I think should be less apparent. Taking images from slightly above the model, especially of head and neck shots, helps to diminish the up the nose look that we all get with portraiture photography, something that you didn't get here, although you can see her right nostril slightly.

If using a reflector, try having someone hold the reflector for you and move it slowly around and watch the light that is falling on the subject. If in doubt, move back and try again, following the light around the face. A good view, is the 2/3 view of the subjects head, where you turn the head until you just loose the eye around the head. The shadow from the nose generally travels in a downward 45 degree angle depending on the way the light hits.

Lightening techniques can be learnt by using a light with a cover and using that to move around the subject and look at the way the lighting falls off of the subject, where the shadows are. Being in Art all your life I am sure you know all this, but sometimes reaffermation is needed to get to a certain point, especially with photography.

Love to chat with you about your web design business sometime when you are online in messenger or yahoo chat. Had a good look at your websites, who's responsible for the photography ?

[PuckJunkey]

...and I wouldn't know that if it weren't a great shot. Aside from the somewhat unnatural look of her fingers (sort of pressing her shoulder and only seeing three as opposed to five) everything is spot-on. I don't mind the lighting at all. If it were color I might, but for B&W, it works.

[dadas115]

I still really like the picture but the more I look at it the more the three fingers bother me. Otherwise I think it is a really nice shot.

Greg

[natatbeach]

I've come back to this shot quite a few times and I've read all the suggestions---they are all good and technically would provide a lot of improvement...but i think what I noticed the most despite the "improvements" was the feel that the shot and that the look on her face have. something about the way her hair is blowing and the calmness in her face...so realxed and so trusting of you. I think maybe taking a smidge of the right side so she's less centerd would really bring it together for me a little better. I just love the look on her face...Ptosis or not she is a beautiful very confident looking woman and you've done a good job capturing her essence.

[ACArmstrong]

Thanks for all the advice - now that she's seen her pics, she's excited to do another one, so I can apply everything I've learned. Here's another shot from the same shoot:

[PuckJunkey]

I like it. She's obviously very comfortable around you, which is usually the difference between getting some great photos and some good ones. Keep working with her... just watch those creases in the seamless. I think there's a wrinkle it the corner there, but it's easily photoshopped out in any event.

One slightly different angle I might try with that pose: get down a tiny bit lower and move to the right. It might have the effect of removing that "empty space v" that is created by the edge of her head and her left shoulder. Also it might show her face a little more fully. I like the pose a lot, I just think you might benefit from shooting it from slightly different angles.