portrait C&C please

[tom.ganc]

Hi there
I did another portrait with my 50mm f1.8. I used pop up flash at full power through sheet of A4 paper. I think it worket out quite nice.
I did some pp to it and I think it looks nice. I know that backgrout might be bit busy but there is nothing I can do about it now.
Could you tell me what you think about this picture please?
Thanks
Tom

 

[tirediron]

You've already mentioned the background which is my biggest issue with this image; aside from that, given the circumstances, I think it's turned out very well. I do think that perhaps the camera position was just a little too high; I get a sense that the subject is straining to look at you.

Just my $00.02 worth - your mileage may vary.

~John

 

[chrisburke]

well its evident that you used the on camera flash... even though you diffused it, it still gives a bit more of a shine on the cheek than i like.. but if your happy with it, be happy with it! good job.. i would recommend a off camera flash though

 

[LaFoto]

For the fact that you used the inbuilt flash, diffused by the sheet of paper, this one turned out nicely, her eyes really stand out and go perfectly well with the colour of her sweater. I would have chosen a vertical picture format, which would have included some more of her sweater (it DOES work well with the colour of her eyes!!!) and would not have cut through the neckline of her sweater. Plus a lot more of that busy background would have been excluded. And faces are oval things, a little prolonged from top to chin, which - to my mind - automatically suggests that for a portrait you turn the camera around at 90 degrees ... often faces look a bit "squished" in horizontal frames, I think.

 

[maulrat]

Overall, nice photo but there are a couple of things you might consider next time.

#1 Like others have said, your flash is a little harsh. If you try raising exposure a little more and you might find some portions of your subject's face too shiny or blown out. Also, her shadow isn't helping much either. Since you are indoors, you can try bouncing your flash off the ceiling using a business card. You can see that and other methods at the following link: I did a mini test too.
http://thephotoforum.com/forum/showthread.php?t=141895&highlight=diffuser

#2 Since this is a portrait, perhaps getting more of your subject in the frame would have been nice. There is a lot of empty space around your subject that I find myself looking at the background more than the subject.

#3 Lastly, your model looks more than halfway "out of it" as if she is saying mentally, "Ok, mash the button already".

Just my 2bit newbie suggestions

 

[tom.ganc]

Thanks for comments
I hope to get SB600 this Christmas so I'll have play with off camera flash, bounced flash, etc.
I did try business card bouncer for my pop up flash and I neet to say that it works quite well. Only one problem is that it isn't powerfull enough to get propper exposure in bigger room. But speedlight will do the job.
Thanks again.

 

[BTilson]

Just a suggestion... Pick up a couple of Quantary MS-1 optical slave flashes. They go for about $20 each. There are no controls except the on/off switch, but you get what you pay for. I find they work REALLY well, especially for the cost. What I usually do with them is dial the power of my on camera flash WAY down (1/16th or 1/32nd usually, depending on ambient lighting) and use the off camera Quantarays as the main light source. It's not a perfect or even ideal setup by any means, but for the money, you can't beat them, and you can get some spectacular results.

 

[stsinner]

It's easy to take good portraits when your subject is pretty... I think the picture of the subject is very nice, and as you mentioned, the background is busy, but not ugly..

Lastly, I think you should spend $20 on the Puffer from Gary Fong.. I have one, and I love it. It diffuses your built-in flash so that it's more natural and less harsh, and of course not quite as ghetto as a sheet of paper. I have the SB600, but many times, the on-board flash is more than adequate, and I just pop on the Puffer. Less to carry, and less to worry about getting broken, etc..

http://store.garyfonginc.com/puf-01.html