My first portrait

[DRodgers]

Done in available light at dusk I see that I made the horizon run thru the back of his head beginners mistake ..
What else could be done to make this better..
The mother loves it I however always find something i don't like.

 

[Jeffm73]

This is what i would do, and bare in mind, i have very little experience with portraits.

Create a separate brightness/contrast layer and use the lasso tool around the eyes. Brighten them up to about a +10, then maybe crop a little off the top, and the right side.

Nice shot though, and he looks very relaxed in front of the camera

 

[Flash Harry]

use fill flash to brighten up the eyes n add hilights, eyes are the most important aspect of a portrait, dark sharkeyes arent becoming. H

 

[Garbz]

I would actually just up the exposure and make it high-key. Blast the background into white and volah. But this is just me. The other suggestions are just as good.

 

[DRodgers]

I like all the suggestions I went with the exposure trick seems to wrk well just need to adjust the brightness a bit yet i think..

Please more comments all great stuff..

 

[EOS_JD]

When shooting an image like this the camera is exposing for the background and that is why your subject is very iunder exposed. Use flash for fill when shooting a subject like this.

 

[LeeLeeMelis]

I like how you brigtened the subject but I wish you had kept a bit of the background water. I think it gave a bit more to the photo than a white background. I didnt think that the horizon going through his head was that distracting.good work!

 

[Christie Photo]

I like how you brigtened the subject but I wish you had kept a bit of the background water. I think it gave a bit more to the photo than a white background. I didnt think that the horizon going through his head was that distracting.good work!

Agreed.

Pete