Girl in a Black Dress / Critiques Please

Kemal · Jul 8, 2007

I took these with my K10D using the kit lens and a manual 55 mm lens from a KX. Tell me what you think, the rest of the set is at www.kemal.ca

WDodd · Jul 8, 2007

1 has a little bit too much wall.

3 is the money shot though in my opinion, love how the walls direction attention right to the model. Very nice. Contrast isn't too bad either.

Garbz · Jul 8, 2007

1 would have been my favourite but the frame is cropped too tightly around the model. The lines on the bricks lead into the model but once the eyes get there the image feels claustrophobic. Like number 5 too.

silver163 · Jul 8, 2007

Id say the first one actually, the rest are too much wall

Cero21 · Jul 8, 2007

beautiful model. I kinda like 4 the best. Probably because of the model's expression.

Sw1tchFX · Jul 9, 2007

If I shot this, 3 would have been the only one I'd do post-production on unless the client needed 6 images. 3 has the best composition, the lines on the wall point to your subject, and contrast seperation gives ok seperation between your subject and the background.

The lighting isn't so great on any of these. It's from the top, down, with little, to no fill light. 3 is better than the others becuase there's at least a background light, but with no fill light, the background is brighter than the subject which distracts from her. If you have someone who can be an assistant, use them! They can hold up fill cards/reflectors, if you have a speedlight and pocket wizards, use it them as a slave, take it off the camera, and set it off to the side to give lighting direction, and have a fill card on the other side for fill light, you can gauge the exposure of the background with your shutter speed while your flash is gauged by your aperture. If the light is too harsh, make a softbox for it, it's not hard, and it's dirt cheap, all you need is a cardborard box, duct tape, wax paper, and a razor blade.

It's good that you're trying this, and you should do it more, but you also need to work your lighting too.

Kemal · Jul 9, 2007

Thanks for the replies so far, does anyone use a reflector for natural light in their shoots? How do you typically use it for natural light and where did you get it?

Garbz · Jul 9, 2007

Reflectors can be had from ebay for a few dollars. They are pretty much a must for natural lighting. Remember photography is purely about controlling light. If not by creating your own artificial light, then by making the natural light do what you want.