a Portrait

[Brently]

super cheap setup:
sony digicam
hot work lights with white sheet to soften them
backround is my bedsheet
and a reflector that is for car windshields

 

[DocFrankenstein]

Cheap bastard club!

Cool portrait... IMO she's a bit underexposed overall... esp on the right...

That's on the technical side... can be fixed with curves or similar...

I like it

 

[Picksure]

Great post Brently. My sis has a nice idea of a portrait of the six grandsons for mom. I have a camera and not much else. Great tips for my first portrait session. Thank-you.

Cheap bastard club!

Looks like i'll be joining the club!!

 

[canonrebel]

I agree that a higher-key lighting set might be for the better. A nice soft portrait all-in-all. I like the lighting ratio except for the hot spot on the cheek (and I can actually accept even that). The fill light is enough to retain enough of the detail in the dark cheek. I'd like to see more detail in the eyes, but your portrait still works for me. I absolutely adore the way you separated the background from the forground and the areas where they are separated--the light manipulation is very very good. I believe a little more hair light on the top of her head at the 12:30 to 1:00 position might be more beneficial than harm.

Only slight PS manipulation could make this portrait a wall-hanger. It's definitely a keeper as it is.

Good job

 

[cypilk]

great shot! brently.

this shot works.. i can see the detail from all over, in the hair, the face, the red scaf and shirt. skin tone is right and it looks like.. all of your zones are correct ... the only thing that really bothers me is that the whole right side of the shot is a bit dark.. probably off by 1 zone or maybe even 1/2 of a zone. you can see this in the right side of her shirt and scarf.. and the right and top of her hair . looking at the scarf.. from the left in comparison to the right.. it is about.. .3-4 stops difference.. other than that.. everything else works. consider using another light to soften up the other side of her face so she doesn't look 1 sided.

 

[canonrebel]

If you lighten the right side of the image, you'll totally lose the rembrandt lighting effect. The rembrandt resemblance is it's strongest appeal for me.

 

[AIRIC]

Very nice just the way it is, especially for the setup. I know photographers with a lot better setups whos portraits don't look half as good as this one. Just goes to prove it is not the equipment but the persons ability.

Eric

 

[Brently]

Thanks for the comments, my next shoot i am going to add 2 more lights so it should look much better.