Black and White Portraiture - Rebel XS - C&C please

[heroicloser]

So I got my Rebel XS three weeks ago and I've been playing around with it nonstop ever since. I think I'm doing OK at the moment considering I haven't had it too long. But yeah I want to know if any of these, with the contrast and exposure, aren't effective as black and white and what can I do to improve black and whites. Thanks.

These are my cousins Jenni and Katrina yesterday.

My brother telling me to go away.

Me.

My grandfather and mother.

 

[Jurence]

That isn't your grandfather and mother, it is just your grandfather, unless you wanted your mother in focus.

The subject on the left in photo 1 looks bad

I wont comment on your picture as it might seem like a personal attack.

The pictures are good though

 

[heroicloser]

Straight to the point, aren't you?

Yeah I only wanted my grandfather in focus and also I'm not the prettiest girl, I can handle bad stuff said about photos of me. It's overexposed on purpose.

 

[Jurence]

I think the hair is too grainy, and if it isn't grainy than the hair is just too in focus and needs some sort of blur on it

 

[heroicloser]

Thanks for telling me that. I'll see what I can do to it. That wouldn't have offended me!

 

[Jurence]

It just seems you are stuck between making it seem fake or making it seem real. I would say it looks best at this point if ilooked like a sketch almost, here is what i did:

 

[heroicloser]

Aw, thanks. This is what I did.

I generally try to avoid visibly airbrushing my own skin and stuff, it's just an odd little thing I have with myself.

 

[Jurence]

That looks a little better. I just wanted to define the nose lips eyebrow and a bit of the eye a little more. Looks good!

 

[heroicloser]

Thanks so much for taking the time to critique, I really appreciate it.

 

[inTempus]

Yeah I only wanted my grandfather in focus and also I'm not the prettiest girl, I can handle bad stuff said about photos of me. It's overexposed on purpose.

Don't be silly, you're absolutely beautiful. I think the comments were more directed towards the edits (which I think you've discovered).

I like the pics, and I checked out your flickr account. VERY nice work, I really like your shots.

 

[heroicloser]

Thanks so much, that also means a lot to me. I'm just starting out so there's a great percentile of dodgy shots on there that I don't quite know are dodgy yet.

 

[inTempus]

Thanks so much, that also means a lot to me. I'm just starting out so there's a great percentile of dodgy shots on there that I don't quite know are dodgy yet.

I've been into photography a whole week now. I hope I get some shots as nice as yours by the time 3 weeks rolls around for me. Hehe.

 

[heroicloser]

I'll have to check out your work. I've been interested in photography for a year but I've only been REALLY interested in it since the purchase of the XS.

 

[ShutterSpeed]

biggest plus that you have going for you. all of these shots are framed well, but the in the first one, the girls could be higher in the frame. but these are family shots - i don't think there is much to critique. I don't think black and white works in every case, but they are fine.

now on to composition and subject matter - most of your shots are headshots. Not a lot interesting to that - try some different angles and maybe incorporating more into the shot (more shoulder, etc)

Just some of my thoughts. On the other hand, every artist has their own style. Don't feel like any of us are right and that you are wrong. Art is not a science and beauty is in the eye of the beholder. On a regular basis there are pics posted that have people who love them and people who hate them. It's an art, not a science. I've posted pics of mine and don't agree or accept every piece of criticism that I see because I know that they didn't see the intent of my photo or the way i edited it. But sometimes, they say something really good that helps me think about ways i can make my photography better.

 

[heroicloser]

Thanks, that's a helpful response. Not all of my portraiture is black and white, there's a lot more on my flickr. I've been experimenting tonight with body positioning actually but nothing's processed yet.