Old Friend

[draymorton]

[Overbeyond]

Very unusual colour rendering but it works wonderfully. Sometimes I don't mind a head or two being chopped off but in this case, as the tuba is so prominent below, the sight of all the head would give this a little more balance. Fantastic subject recorded ever so well.

[Didache]

You certainly have this gritty, colour intensive look down to a fine art! The golden hue in this case suits the tuba exceedingly well. I am with Tom on the head crop, but it is a very minor thing. Overall, it's a lovely image and the pose is outstanding - I especially like the way you have angled the arms.

Cheers
Mike

[Frog]

a bit more head, a little more elbow and its perfect.

[TracerNH]

a bit more head, a little more elbow and its perfect.

+1

Chris

[draymorton]

Thanks, everyone. Little problem with the head issue: I'm not sure there is much I can do to add more up there, so is there anything I can do to save the image/make it more usable? I was thinking crop up from the bottom, but I'm not sure how much.

Thanks again!

[Grandpaw]

Very nice shot. I think maybe a crop just below the knees would balance out the top not being there. After that the only thing that would make it better would be a nice mat and frame and hang it on the wall, Jeff

[EOSThree]

You always have wonderful subjects. I am mostly a landscape/nature photographer, and I have a hard time photographing people. I see subjects I think are great, but I am usually(always) afraid to invade their personal space.

[draymorton]

Jeff, thanks for the suggestion. I was thinking the same for a crop, but would that mean that I would have to crop into the elbows to retain a good balance?

EOS, thanks. I know what you mean; I have that natural tendency, as well. But I've missed too many perfect opportunities to care too too much about taking a chance and possibly invading people's space anymore. I'm always respectful, of course, and I try to really get them involved in the process so it's not just a one-sided deal. If you can connect with the subject (which is admittedly difficult at times), invasion of space is no longer an issue.

In this case, none of the above were concerns because he really is an old friend.

[Overbeyond]

Thanks, everyone. Little problem with the head issue: I'm not sure there is much I can do to add more up there, so is there anything I can do to save the image/make it more usable? I was thinking crop up from the bottom, but I'm not sure how much.

Thanks again!

The image does not need to be saved. It is wonderful as it is, head or no head. Hang it in your best room Dray.

[BenWA]

Superb! I am not bothered by the cropped head in the slightest. In fact, I think if the head was all there it would somehow "cheapen" the look of the portrait, sort of in the way that school yearbook photos look. I think it's wonderful the way it is. Just my humble opinion.

[draymorton]

Thanks, Overbeyond and BenWA (I know exactly what you mean about cheapening the look of the shot).

EDIT: btw, speaking of cheapening, does the rim light on the arm bother anyone? It bothers the hell out of me, but I'm not yet sure how to fix it.

[Frog]

"btw, speaking of cheapening, does the rim light on the arm bother anyone? It bothers the hell out of me, but I'm not yet sure how to fix it."

Now you had to go and mention it. Hadn't noticed it before but see why it does bother you.
It is an excellent photo and all our critiques are just nit-picks, at least mine are.

[susaan]

The loss of the top of the head bothers me not at all - in fact,I think it puts more emphasis on the eyes - just the same way some girls cut a fringe close over the eyebrows to make their eyes stand out,or a classic movie ends abruptly,leaving you gasping.
Both these have to be done well to work,and not be irritating,and this is done extremely well,so it works for me.

[Anbesol]

Terrific job controlling DoF!

[jetrim]

I think this one's great, just as it is :thumbsup:

[gracie_r]

Love it. As usual.

The only comment I have is that I don't really like how bright it is above his right arm. I don't konw if there is anyway to fix that in photoshop though - to make it closer to the color over his left shoulder.

[draymorton]

Frog - haha... I guess I'm doing my own bit of nitpicking here. But yeah, I'm not sure what to do with that rim light. Don't like it.

susaan - thanks. That's exactly why I cropped in - tends to draw attention to the eyes. Glad it works for ya.

Anbesol and jet - thanks!

gracie - thanks as always. Yup, I know what you mean about the background. Easily fixed in PS.

Cheers everyone!

[CaraRose]

I have nothing critical to say. It's a great shot.

[StormGirl_LP]

This is really beautiful. What a gift. Do you mind sharing what equipment you used? I'm assuming this was a studio shot. What did you use for lighting?

[draymorton]

Thanks Cara and StormGirl.

One speedlite/shoot-thru, two wein mini-slaves, and a gold reflector.

I don't remember the exact positioning, because I was kind of moving stuff around, but I think the light was about ten feet to the left and the reflector about 5 feet to the right (with a Wein bounced into it). Mini behind him, facing the wall.

[Hexnut]

Terrific photo. Well done and thanks for sharing.

[gahspidy]

This is top notch work, Dray. Excellent lighitng, pose and post processing. I agree about the head crop being just a bit too much but it certainly does not ruin this. i would not crop, but just leave it be.

[draymorton]

Thanks, Hex.

And thanks, Gary, for the Sticky!

[dana m.]

Congrats on your POW...I loved this one from the very beginning. Needs no changing at all