"Portraits" too snapshotty? C&C please...

[c.cloudwalker]

Just messing with Bitter

 

[Bitter Jeweler]

It's not for the faint of heart.

:lmao:

Are you trying to scare people away from learning. Bad boy! It is a lot of info but worth the time, imho.

Yeah. Half the people drop the class after the first project.
No lie.

 

[aliciaqw]

It's not for the faint of heart.

:lmao:

Are you trying to scare people away from learning. Bad boy! It is a lot of info but worth the time, imho.

Yeah. Half the people drop the class after the first project.
No lie.

What kind of projects or assignments are common for design classes?

 

[usayit]

I sometimes find it necessary to get down very very very low.... I always bring along knee pads when shooting children portraits. I also dress as if I'm going to get dirty often shooting while lying on my chest. In many of the photos, the grass dominates the background as you shoot from higher vantage point. Grass doesn't really make a good backdrop. Of course, this means you need to also keep a keen eye on what you bring into that background. (I once ruined a whole series because of a darn garbage can across the street.) This also frames the face a little better and allows you get in closer keeping pleasant proportions. Kids are also not going to pose and the expression of those cute faces are very very important. Someone (usually parent) familiar needs to engage them to pull out those wonderful expressions. That person also needs to understand that when the time is right, immediately try to pull out of the frame. Sometimes, I just find a way to incorporate the person in the photo with the child.

#1 is pretty close to what I had in mind.... except that white thing in the background is very distracting .


Also don't be afraid to experiment and have some fun yourself with your composition even incorporating less "standard" run of the mill things like wide angles, different backdrops, and such. If your having fun, it will show in your photos, kids seem to feed off of it and it is fitting look for this type photography. A lot of times, its the parents who get a bit silly.. that's fine too.

Some of the best photos I've taken of children are at play .. almost candid like. Its the most natural pleasing look... because the kid is doing what they are best at... playing.

 

[swoop_ds]

These pictures look better than snapshots. Keep practicing, composition is something that you have to train your eye to see before the final picture shows up on your LCD.

-Dave

 

[c.cloudwalker]

Yeah. Half the people drop the class after the first project.
No lie.

Wow, I thought you were kidding. Not the memory I have at all. Maybe a lack of motivation in your class?????

What kind of projects or assignments are common for design classes?

Tough one. It's been a while

I remember doing a lot of drawings at first creating 3d objects with just a pencil. You create the shape by giving different areas lighter or darker pencil marks.

The one assignment I do remember for sure, because I eventually sold it (don't ask), is a color wheel. You start with the primary colors. Then you start mixing until you've gotten all the colors in the paint store Ours was fairly big. About 2' by 2' and the biggest chunk of one color was 2" by 2".

It may not be obvious what exercises like that teach you but they do do teach you things. Years later you may not remembers specific exercises but what you learn will always be in the back of your mind and when you shoot a photo you will use it. Even if you're not even thinking about it. It just becomes second nature.

 

[Dude]

3 looks really nice and not snapshotish. Definetly the strongest image there

 

[stevemunoz]

Great expressions. That is hard to get a majority of the times. Your backgrounds are somewhat cluttered and distracting. Keep getting that emotion in the image, and clean up the backgrounds and you've got something to work with.

Steve

 

[Bitter Jeweler]

Yeah. Half the people drop the class after the first project.
No lie.

What kind of projects or assignments are common for design classes?

Visual Organization taught composition and later, color theory.
The very first project was to draw 20 some 2" squares. Each on seperate paper, with an onion skin (tracing paper) overlay (teaching cleanlyness and presentation) with a Rapidograph ink pen. Each Square had special instructions for composition. Such as: Square #1 Composition containing 3 vertical lines of the same thickness (specified). #5 Composition containing 3 thin lines and 2 thick lines, with only two of the lines being horizontal. #10, so many lines, so many thicknesses, only one diagonal line...
Get the idea?

Each composition had to be "interesting". This is where they culled the students that "thought" they wanted to be graphic designers.

Most of my education from then on was sculptural/3D, and I no longer persued graphic design as a major.
I was a Fine Arts (Crafts) major with a concentration in metalsmithing.
Glassblowing, sculpture, printmaking, weaving, felting, enameling, ceramics, painting...which is why photography is difficult for me. I think spacially, and I have to relearn design/composition.

Oh, yeah, the parents were worried that I would end up a ditch digger.


Your images #1 and #3 are my favorites. It is too bad about the gray thing running through #1 though.

 

[aliciaqw]

I sometimes find it necessary to get down very very very low.... I always bring along knee pads when shooting children portraits. I also dress as if I'm going to get dirty often shooting while lying on my chest. In many of the photos, the grass dominates the background as you shoot from higher vantage point. Grass doesn't really make a good backdrop. Of course, this means you need to also keep a keen eye on what you bring into that background. (I once ruined a whole series because of a darn garbage can across the street.) This also frames the face a little better and allows you get in closer keeping pleasant proportions. Kids are also not going to pose and the expression of those cute faces are very very important. Someone (usually parent) familiar needs to engage them to pull out those wonderful expressions. That person also needs to understand that when the time is right, immediately try to pull out of the frame. Sometimes, I just find a way to incorporate the person in the photo with the child.

#1 is pretty close to what I had in mind.... except that white thing in the background is very distracting .


Also don't be afraid to experiment and have some fun yourself with your composition even incorporating less "standard" run of the mill things like wide angles, different backdrops, and such. If your having fun, it will show in your photos, kids seem to feed off of it and it is fitting look for this type photography. A lot of times, its the parents who get a bit silly.. that's fine too.

Some of the best photos I've taken of children are at play .. almost candid like. Its the most natural pleasing look... because the kid is doing what they are best at... playing.

Thanks! I will definitely keep those things in mind.

The next day I went out with some of my other cousins and their kids and I came home DIRTY! I found grass on my butt cheeks when I showered. LOL. TMI? Oh well. I did get some more interesting shots from that day, many of which had a more candid nature to them.

Thanks again!

 

[aliciaqw]

Yeah. Half the people drop the class after the first project.
No lie.

What kind of projects or assignments are common for design classes?

Visual Organization taught composition and later, color theory.
The very first project was to draw 20 some 2" squares. Each on seperate paper, with an onion skin (tracing paper) overlay (teaching cleanlyness and presentation) with a Rapidograph ink pen. Each Square had special instructions for composition. Such as: Square #1 Composition containing 3 vertical lines of the same thickness (specified). #5 Composition containing 3 thin lines and 2 thick lines, with only two of the lines being horizontal. #10, so many lines, so many thicknesses, only one diagonal line...
Get the idea?

Each composition had to be "interesting". This is where they culled the students that "thought" they wanted to be graphic designers.

Most of my education from then on was sculptural/3D, and I no longer persued graphic design as a major.
I was a Fine Arts (Crafts) major with a concentration in metalsmithing.
Glassblowing, sculpture, printmaking, weaving, felting, enameling, ceramics, painting...which is why photography is difficult for me. I think spacially, and I have to relearn design/composition.

Oh, yeah, the parents were worried that I would end up a ditch digger.


Your images #1 and #3 are my favorites. It is too bad about the gray thing running through #1 though.

The square assigment is interesting. I can see how that would help with composition. As I read that, I was thinking about my own squares and how I'd position the lines, etc.

Thank you for your thoughts!

 

[K8-90]

Sorry, didn't read all the posts...

I think the point of view is the problem. You're shooting down at her, which is typical snapshots perspective for kids/pets. You need to mix it - lie on your stomache, or shoot straight down. Just an idea

 

[IgsEMT]

LIGHTING.
You have a decent body to learn on with fast lens but your lighting sux. Not your fault, ambient light normally is flat, boring and doesn't do anything for your subject unless you know how to take advantage of it.
Everything mentioned above take to learn but don't forget lighting. You can have a beautiful scenery with great subjects but misuse your ambient light or don't light your people properly your image will be a snapshot.

Good luck and welcome to the UnOfficial Photo School

 

[aliciaqw]

LIGHTING.
You have a decent body to learn on with fast lens but your lighting sux. Not your fault, ambient light normally is flat, boring and doesn't do anything for your subject unless you know how to take advantage of it.
Everything mentioned above take to learn but don't forget lighting. You can have a beautiful scenery with great subjects but misuse your ambient light or don't light your people properly your image will be a snapshot.

Good luck and welcome to the UnOfficial Photo School

So the lighting is what causes my photos to appear flat? Am I safe to assume better lighting would also help with getting a cripser, sharper image? I get frustrated sometimes because my photographs seem dull, even when I've got good focus. Just seems like others are able to achieve almost 3-dimensional photos, whereas mine just look BLAH.

Any tips for using the ambient light to my advantage? I'm getting some lighting this week (ordering anyways) and am a little aprehensive to practice outside before I can get a hang of them indoors.

Thanks for your time!

 

[jackieclayton]

the third picture stands out to me... i really like that one, looks less like a quick snap and more quality.