C&C for my first three photoshoots - Migena

ElNico · May 31, 2018

I'm splitting these into three threads so as not to dump too many images in one place; and because I suspect each shoot has its own unique merits and issues, so it makes sense to have a separate discussion thread for each. If I shouldn't be doing that let me know.

This is my first self-directed shoot (not counting workshops where two or more photographers were often shooting at once, and I wasn't giving nearly so many instructions), from a couple of months ago.

I'll say that there is a particular issue that I feel all these photos have; but I'll refrain from saying what it is for now, because I want to see whether other, more knowledgeable people than me come to the same conclusion without my bringing it up first.

More photos from the shoot can be seen in the album on Flickr.

Critique very much appreciated!

DSC01226 B by El Nico, on Flickr

DSC01236 B- f by El Nico, on Flickr

DSC01260 B by El Nico, on Flickr

BrentC · May 31, 2018

Well, I am definitely no expert when it comes to portrait work but my first thought was that using such a wide angle lens is not flattering. I think you need to use a longer fl.

zombiesniper · May 31, 2018

CC on an entire shoot is insane!

Pick your best shot and maybe someone will want to help you. Dumping your whole day and asking for CC is just lazy.

smoke665 · May 31, 2018

BrentC said:
Well, I am definitely no expert when it comes to portrait work but my first thought was that using such a wide angle lens is not flattering. I think you need to use a longer fl.

That depends on the intent, I'd always heard that the wider lens made things "closer" to the camera appear bigger. :aiwebs_016:

ElNico · May 31, 2018

zombiesniper said:
CC on an entire shoot is insane!

Pick your best shot and maybe someone will want to help you. Dumping your whole day and asking for CC is just lazy.

This is not the entire shoot, not by far. When I say "CC on my shoot," I mean "CC on select images from my shoot"; I assumed I didn't need to spell that out because, agreed, actually posting an entire shoot would be ridiculous.

If this is too many images from a shoot to post in a thread, I can trim it down. Unfortunately I don't have time to do that now as I'm about to leave; I can fix that any any other such issues late tonight.

Mind you, in my experience of this subforum so far, picking ONE photo from a shoot to ask for critique for is neither necessary nor the norm; am I wrong?

BrentC said:
Well, I am definitely no expert when it comes to portrait work but my first thought was that using such a wide angle lens is not flattering. I think you need to use a longer fl.

It's a point and shoot camera; that's not a wide angle lens, it's THE lens.

BrentC · May 31, 2018

ElNico said:
It's a point and shoot camera; that's not a wide angle lens, it's THE lens.

Its a zoom lens and you are shooting very wide. Shoot farther back and zoom in.

smoke665 · May 31, 2018

ElNico said:
Mind you, in my experience of this subforum so far, picking ONE photo from a shoot to ask for critique for is neither necessary nor the norm; am I wrong?

Posting one or two for critique is okay, posting nine for critique is bad form, and most won't respond because of the time required.

tirediron · May 31, 2018

Detailed critique on 9 images isn't feasible, however a few general points:

1. Her face is under-exposed in almost all of the images
2. If you're going to use curtains for a backdrop, CLOSE THEM!
3. If you're going to use a curtained window as a background, then make sure you have sufficient supplemental light to overcome that. At the MOST the background should be the same exposure as the subject, but ideally, at least 1/2 - 2/3 below the subject.
4. Look towards the 80-150mm focal length for portrait work.
5. WHAT is going on with her left armpit in the last image?
6. I assume what you were going for, expression-wise was sultry and aloof? Unfortunately, to me, what comes across is irritated and bored. One of your jobs is to ensure the model is comfortable and to make her show that in your work.

Fujidave · May 31, 2018

smoke665 said:
ElNico said:

Mind you, in my experience of this subforum so far, picking ONE photo from a shoot to ask for critique for is neither necessary nor the norm; am I wrong?

Click to expand...

Posting one or two for critique is okay, posting nine for critique is bad form, and most won't respond because of the time required.

I agree with all that`s said and this post the most. What I will say is, I am no expert but like taking people shots and on yours I notice some of the whites are blown, plus the models face is a tad to dark for me.

ElNico · May 31, 2018

Trimmed it down to two photos from the first dress, and the last one. The second dress didn't come out all that interesting in retrospect, and everything that I think I like about those photos is (I think) also present in the ones I left.

The third dress was largely a bust, and that was the only photo from it that I felt was descent. I agree that her armpit is a big problem, but I'm still interested in knowing how that photo turned out apart from that issue.

BrentC said:
Its a zoom lens and you are shooting very wide. Shoot farther back and zoom in.

Thanks.

tirediron said:
3. If you're going to use a curtained window as a background, then make sure you have sufficient supplemental light to overcome that. At the MOST the background should be the same exposure as the subject, but ideally, at least 1/2 - 2/3 below the subject.

I get the gist of what you're saying here but I don't understand your terminology. Should the background be more exposed, or less? I'm guessing you mean less, meaning you want the background to be darker; I actually kind of liked the way the light passing through the curtains made the scene look kind "ethereal." Either way, you seem to be implying that you can quantify how exposed an object is; if so I don't know what you're referring to.

4. Look towards the 80-150mm focal length for portrait work.

A narrower aperture results in a longer focal length and a wider depth of field; but how do I "measure" my focal length? I'm not aware of a way of doing that.

6. I assume what you were going for, expression-wise was sultry and aloof? Unfortunately, to me, what comes across is irritated and bored. One of your jobs is to ensure the model is comfortable and to make her show that in your work.

That is the issue that I wanted to see whether others agreed with me on without my pointing it out.
The model wasn't feeling well that day including having a headache, but didn't want to cancel on me (which was awfully nice of her). She herself thought she ended up looking a bit out of it in the photos. The reason I wanted to see whether others agreed with this, is because while I'm not thrilled about the expressions in these photos either, I wasn't sure how much of this was due to her not feeling well, and how much was due to my personal tastes disagreeing which her style of mugging for the camera; as, on looking back at her profile after this, I actually found that she looked a bit deadpan (by my standards) a lot of the time, if not as much as here. (And I don't mean that in a bad way; a detached and somewhat emotionless expression is a reasonable approach to portrait photography, just not one that I personally care for. Again, I wanted to know how much was actually a problem and how much was due to my tastes.)

tirediron · May 31, 2018

yes, I'm saying the background should be darker There's nothing wrong with the bright, ethereal look, BUT... the background should never be brighter than the model's face.

If you're not understanding the terminology, than I would suggest learning that should be your first step. Learning what the industry standard terms mean is important. As you gain experience you will learn to judge exposure by eye.

Aperture is generally expressed as large or small, referring to the physical size of the aperture. It does NOT in any way change the focal length of the lens. That is normally marked on the lens, and when using a zoom lens, the zoom ring is normally graduated so that you know approximately what focal length you're using.

Expressions can be VERY challenging, and this is one of the areas that truly separate the professional model form the amateur; that is, the ability to put on the desired expression and have it look genuine.

ElNico · Jun 1, 2018

tirediron said:
Aperture is generally expressed as large or small, referring to the physical size of the aperture. It does NOT in any way change the focal length of the lens.

Sorry, I was confusing "focal length" for the distance between the camera and the region that is in sharp focus (depth of field being the SIZE of that region). A wider aperture lets you focus on things closer up, and a narrower aperture lets you focus on things further away, yes? Is there a term for that? I thought there was.

That is normally marked on the lens, and when using a zoom lens, the zoom ring is normally graduated so that you know approximately what focal length you're using.

I'm looking at my camera lens right now and I don't see any numbers on the side of it, or markings of any kind.

Expressions can be VERY challenging, and this is one of the areas that truly separate the professional model form the amateur; that is, the ability to put on the desired expression and have it look genuine.

What I said above about this model seeming to gravitate somewhat towards more neutral expressions might have something to do with the fact that she's primarily a makeup artist, and so would favor expressions that highlight the makeup.

smoke665 · Jun 1, 2018

ElNico said:
I'm looking at my camera lens right now and I don't see any numbers on the side of it, or markings of any kind.

It might make things easier if you tell the make, model, and lens of the camera, so more specific instructions could be offered.

ElNico · Jun 1, 2018

Sony DSC-HX100V.
It's a point and shoot camera; the lens is the lens and the flash is the flash. Not interchangeable.

tirediron · Jun 1, 2018

ElNico said:
... A wider aperture lets you focus on things closer up, and a narrower aperture lets you focus on things further away, yes? Is there a term for that? I thought there was.

I believe you're sort of referring to "depth of field" (DoF). DoF is the term which describes the amount of an image (from "front" to "back") which is in sharp focus. It depends on three factors: The focal length of the lens, the aperture used, and the camera to subject distance. There is an excellent explanation here.