She Wants Your Opinion

[Speed]

Friday evening, the lovely wife and I were sitting out front waiting for our daughter to come home (she had been at camp all week). While waiting, she worked on her schoolwork (she's working on her doctorate) and I played with my D200. Saturday night, I took some shots of my brother's band, and the wife was going through those shots and saw this one, which she really liked. I guess the tight framing appealled to her. So she wanted me to post it on PR and see what others thought about it.

Nikon D200, ISO 800, Nikkor 80-200mm f2.8, WB: Cloudy, 200mm at f 2.8, 180th second shutter speed.

[mtbbrian]

What are we commenting on your photography or your lovely wife?
:crazy: :smilewinkgrin: :lol:
Couldn't resist!
Brian

[mtbbrian]

I don't think it is as sharp as it should be Roberto!
You might want to crop out the hand/finger or whatever that kind of flesh colored element is there in the extreme bottom right corner. My eye tends to go there immediately after looking at Dawn.
Oterwise it is a fine portrait!
Brian
:thumbsup:

[Alison]

The exposure and colours are wonderful!
Not so sure about the crop though.
But if your wife loves it then who cares what anyone else thinks :thumbsup:

[Speed]

What are we commenting on your photography or your lovely wife?
:crazy: :smilewinkgrin: :lol:
Couldn't resist!
Brian

"your photography or your lovely wife?"

Well, technically, my photography. The wife likes the tight crop. And she wants to know what others think.

As for my lovely wife....

I KNOW she's lovely!

;-)

[Speed]

I don't think it is as sharp as it should be Roberto!
You might want to crop out the hand/finger or whatever that kind of flesh colored element is there in the extreme bottom right corner. My eye tends to go there immediately after looking at Dawn.
Oterwise it is a fine portrait!
Brian
:thumbsup:

I agree with that. Her right eye is the only thing that's really in focus, and it could be sharper. On the other hand, 200mm at f 2.8 at a range of about 7 feet means the DOF is going to be real shallow.

I didn't even notice the bottom, right corner. I'm guessing that's a fingertip or a knuckle. I definitely need to crop that out.

Thanks buddy!

[Lava Lamp]

I think maybe she likes the softness of it. It might be a girl thing. My wife likes some portraits of her I've done with an 85mm f/1.8. Wait till you start shooting with that 85mm f/1.4 you're gonna get (sooner or later.)

I think this is good to okay, but certainly not the best shot of Mrs. Speed we've seen.

[Speed]

The exposure and colours are wonderful!
Not so sure about the crop though.
But if your wife loves it then who cares what anyone else thinks :thumbsup:

"Not so sure about the crop though."

Thank you Allison! This is the kind of feedback I was looking for.

[Speed]

I think maybe she likes the softness of it. It might be a girl thing. My wife likes some portraits of her I've done with an 85mm f/1.8. Wait till you start shooting with that 85mm f/1.4 you're gonna get (sooner or later.)

I think this is good to okay, but certainly not the best shot of Mrs. Speed we've seen.

Maybe. I got the impression she liked the tight framing. Maybe it's a little of both!

"Wait till you start shooting with that 85mm f/1.4 you're gonna get (sooner or later.)"

I like the way you think my friend!

:-D

"I think this is good to okay, but certainly not the best shot of Mrs. Speed we've seen."

I agree with you buddy. It's too soft, I was too low, and it's too dark IMHO. But she likes it, and that's what really counts.


;-)

[adina]

The crop on the top is fine, but thru the chin is not so good (imo)

I'd try this again, in a vertical shot, but include her chin. You can crop the top, and even into the side if she likes it tight (does that sound perverted, or is it just me?) but without the chin, that's all I'm seeing, is the missing chin.

Softness of the second eye doesn't really bother me, because it's not completely out of focus. Scott Kelby has some great techniques for skin softening, especially for women, if you are going to be doing ps work.

[KitttyKat]

I love the way the focus is on the eyes and the photo moves out from there. It really goes with the notion that the eyes are the windows to the soul.
Sometimes the precieved 'imperfections' of the photo give it a most perfect (human) quality.
Sometimes striving for perfection can take the personality from the photo.

[Speed]

The crop on the top is fine, but thru the chin is not so good (imo)

I'd try this again, in a vertical shot, but include her chin. You can crop the top, and even into the side if she likes it tight (does that sound perverted, or is it just me?) but without the chin, that's all I'm seeing, is the missing chin.

Softness of the second eye doesn't really bother me, because it's not completely out of focus. Scott Kelby has some great techniques for skin softening, especially for women, if you are going to be doing ps work.

"...but thru the chin is not so good (imo)"

That's what isn't right about this shot. I like tightly framed shots, but I knew something wasn't quite right with this shot. You are right on the mark, in that a vertical shot would have worked here. That would have included the chin.

"You can crop the top, and even into the side if she likes it tight (does that sound perverted, or is it just me?) "

Perverted? You? :-D

I like where your heads at! ;-)

This was not taken to be a portrait shot. I was just playing around with the White Balance on my D200. When Dawn saw this, she liked it, and wanted me to post it. But I have gotten some great tips on how to do a portrait like this. Thanks for your input Adina!

[Speed]

I love the way the focus is on the eyes and the photo moves out from there. It really goes with the notion that the eyes are the windows to the soul.
Sometimes the precieved 'imperfections' of the photo give it a most perfect (human) quality.
Sometimes striving for perfection can take the personality from the photo.

Thank you KittyKat! I agree, the eyes are the windows to the soul.

"Sometimes striving for perfection can take the personality from the photo."

You won't get any arguement from me on that!

Thanks for the comments!

[Chunk]

The smiling eyes make the shot. I'm not crazy about the flattened perspective of the long focal length.

[adina]

I forgot to mention...

Your white balance on this one is much better than the first couple you posted.

[Speed]

The smiling eyes make the shot. I'm not crazy about the flattened perspective of the long focal length.

I agree with you 100% there buddy! Any wonder I'm such a happy man?

"I'm not crazy about the flattened perspective of the long focal length."

I know what you mean. But she likes it, which is what matters to me. And now I know how to take a tightly framed shot.

[Speed]

"Your white balance on this one is much better than the first couple you posted."

Took the white balance off the auto setting! This one was taken on the cloudy setting, since it was an overcast evening. :-D