PVT Charles Graves, Portrait of a Soilder

I thought about holding this one until Veterans Day or Memorial Day but here it is...
Greg
http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k3...VTGravesas.jpg

I am sure that the sculptor meant for most of the attention to be on the face of the soldier.
With the face in the shade, that is not the case with your photo. Some postprocessing is necessary.

Ronnoco

Ron, I purposely shaded his face trying to set a certain mood. I was wanting him to look more than just a statue in a cemetary. I was wanting to give him a more on battlefield look without losing to much detail in the face. Thanks for your comments,
Greg

That's a statue?? No??? :D

I like the mood...I think you got it just right...a wee bit more dark on the face "might" have improved...but i think this is spot on already....

Great Shot!
Marc

Thanks Markus a lot of thought went into this one. Before, during and after. I am glad you like it.
Greg

I like the look of this shot, the blue sky adds to it for sure. I would be interested in a little backgroung on this statue. WW1 it looks like am I right?

No comment? Greg, is this a WW1 statue?

Yes Tyson, I think you are correct. Mr. Graves was going to be buried next to the unknown soidler and then was moved here at the last moment since he was a native of Rome.
Greg

i think it needs a more dark and somber look to it..

trog

Thanks Trog, I have one that is slightly darker too. Thanks for the comment...
Greg

I like your angle and framing here , Greg. I think a little more overall contrast would improve, while making sure to keep the details in the face. Possibly a b&w version might be strong here.
Nice shot

Gary, I did try a boost the contrast slightly but as I did it created kind of a black eye so I had to back off some. I also felt to this would make a strong B&W but when I tried to convert it, his helmet seemed to blend in to much with the sky. I need to work on my B&W conversion more. Thanks for the suggestions and comments,
Greg

Greg,

I think you did a fine job. The framing is perfect with the winter trees in the background. That seems to add to the somber nature of the statute. If you can come up with a technique for eliminating the shadow on the face, aside from setting up auxillary strobes, and keep the natural lighting necessary on the remainder of the display, let me know. I haven't figured it out.

Nice job.

CF

Thanks CF, This was a partly cloudy day and I waited until I got a slightly shaded look. I wanted his eyes to be slightly shaded without losing much detail. I thought about going back on a cloudy day for a reshoot to see what happens, but I would lose the blue skies. That would be my only solution to the shadows. LOL. But I know you. You want stop until you get it and then I want you to share your secrets. Thanks for your input on this one it is very appreciated.
Greg