Portrait of my grandfather

[hardmongo]

taken with a 50mm lens at f2.2

the lightning is a mix of regular interior light, and sunlight from a window.

[readingr]

This is a good portrait - however the shirt and hand seems a little out of focus and for some reason seems to distract me. Perhaps a tad more DOF would be better. Tones are excellent

Roger

[SmartWombat]

Of course, just to be different I like the soft focus on the hand and shirt.
What matters is his eyes ...
Which leads to my issue, his eyes are bisected by the top of the glasses frame.
Only a little point, but I'd really like to see this from 6 inches lower and to the left.
Or just a tilt of the head...

[Alison]

I think I would have told him to clench his fist and rest his chin on his hand. It's a shame his hand is hiding some of his chin.
Other than that, I really like this shot! One to be treasured!!!
I wish my Mum and Dad were around to photograph.

[Sebastian]

I love this. It speaks volumes about the person. The fact that the eye is sharp is all that matters. Had you tried to pose him the moment likely would have been gone.

[mtbbrian]

I like this portrait a lot.
The combination of his expression, his gesture and the lighting make this a great portrait.
His skin tone and shirt constrast well against the black of the background.
Brian

[mpreslar]

This is a great image, but I have to agree with Paul about the glasses covering the eyes. A slightly different angle would be better. But all-in-all I like it! The lighting is superb!

[Liz]

I love this portrait. I wondered if this is a typical position for your grandfather - with hand on chin and glasses exactly where they are. If so, then it's perfect. I wouldn't change anything. A portrait of someone we love is very personal, so the results, quite subjective.

I think you did a great job with the lighting. It is sharp in all the right places, and the black background is perfect.

Very nice portrait of a very good looking gentleman.

Liz

taken with a 50mm lens at f2.2

the lightning is a mix of regular interior light, and sunlight from a window.

[SmartWombat]

I wish my Mum and Dad were around to photograph.

Me too.
I'll have to try to dig out some of my old negatives.

[echoback]

I'm new to this forum, but I just had to comment on this photo. I really like the exact way his hand resting on his chin is. It sort of suggests a deep thinker, but I can sense some mischief in him as well. I do agree that the soft focus on the arm and shirt was slightly distracting, but maybe that is a good thing. I like the overall effect the softer focus gives the shot. Very nice!!

[LeeIs]

I love it. Really great photo you got there.

[hardmongo]

thanks for all the comments!

Liz, yup, it's a typical position for him.. he wasn't aware of me taking pictures..

and this is now sticky? wow, thanks! that was a bit unexpected

[gahspidy]

Very good portrait. Excellent tones, focus, exposure and the moment captured reveals much character of the subject. i like this alot. good job, and good choice for the featured photo.

[AnthonyB]

I'm a big fan of this shot, I sat pondering it and it's very hard to look away, it has a good feel to it but something very upsetting at the same time as though he is missing someone for what feels like is an eternity. I like the fact that the area around him is so easy to miss and somehow settling while he is so pronounced because of it and maybe in spite of it. Great shot, like a good movie a good picture can make you feel.

[srobb]

An absolutely wonderful shot. I don't usually do stuff like portraits, but when I do this is how I like to do them. For me, I do not like "posed" shots. That is just me and nothing against those that do them that way. One that is un-posed captures the true personality of a person in my own opinion.

Having said all that, , I do think this is a wonderful shot of your grandfather. It says a lot about him. The softness of the shirt and his hand really do not bother me and even help the image. The tones and contrast seem to be spot on and a wonderful job of using available lighting. Definitely worthy of a sticky.

[Adelais]

Wow! What a great portrait! Yes, the hand is a touch out of focus, but I honestly wouldn't have noticed it if others hadn't pointed it out. Congrats, on a very nicely done shot.