College Graduate for C+C

[kric2schaam626]

I shot this photo of my husband a few weeks ago super late at night, two days before his graduation ceremony. I wanted to frame it and put it out on the table at his grad party for others to see. I'm looking for any critique on the lighting and composition, BUT, I especially want to know why his face looks so soft and his gown so sharp. I always always focus on people's eyes and I always find that other parts of the picture are sharper than where I focused. It's starting to drive me nuts... So any C+C is appreciated, thank you.

 

[kric2schaam626]

Looks like my husband is losing to the bikini thread :lmao:

 

[kric2schaam626]

One more bump?

 

[Ysarex]

I'm missing the bikinis for this!!

I don't think you have a focus problem -- you're just reacting to the variation in texture. Put him in a bikini and he'll look sharper.

So, ok it was a test late at night long after the 5 o'clock shave was due. Your lighting is rather flat and the processing is flat and a little blue. Don't let a white seamless background influence how you process the tone response for the critical subject.

Joe

 

[kric2schaam626]

I'm missing the bikinis for this!!

I don't think you have a focus problem -- you're just reacting to the variation in texture. Put him in a bikini and he'll look sharper.

So, ok it was a test late at night long after the 5 o'clock shave was due. Your lighting is rather flat and the processing is flat and a little blue. Don't let a white seamless background influence how you process the tone response for the critical subject.

Joe

View attachment 10240

Haha! Love him, but would hate to see him in a bikini. Did you warm it up and kick up the brightness?

 

[kric2schaam626]

Here's my second edit...

 

[Designer]

I can't judge the sharpness for sure, but I would like to comment on the pose/framing. It looks to me as if the camera is too high for a good portrait. You could probably still get the gown in the frame with a lower camera position. If you experience some discrepancy in the focus point, change which focus points your camera is using, or focus on his eyes and then use your focus lock before framing the shot.

 

[kric2schaam626]

I can't judge the sharpness for sure, but I would like to comment on the pose/framing. It looks to me as if the camera is too high for a good portrait. You could probably still get the gown in the frame with a lower camera position. If you experience some discrepancy in the focus point, change which focus points your camera is using, or focus on his eyes and then use your focus lock before framing the shot.

The angle is on purpose, but definitely not what I desired. I have super flimsy, cheap, stand for the backdrop that he is taller than at their tallest point, so I had to shoot down... Definitely not what I wanted to do. My focus has always been on the eyes, but not sure I've heard of focus lock before?

 

[Ysarex]

I'm missing the bikinis for this!!

I don't think you have a focus problem -- you're just reacting to the variation in texture. Put him in a bikini and he'll look sharper.

So, ok it was a test late at night long after the 5 o'clock shave was due. Your lighting is rather flat and the processing is flat and a little blue. Don't let a white seamless background influence how you process the tone response for the critical subject.

Joe

View attachment 10240

Haha! Love him, but would hate to see him in a bikini. Did you warm it up and kick up the brightness?

I warmed it up and kicked up the contrast.

Joe

 

[The_Traveler]

His face seems way too bright (and flatly lit) to me.
If your backdrop is too short, sit him on a stool, you'll get a better, more interesting pose that way without that large expanse of boring graduation gown holding the entire center of the image.

 

[Designer]

I can't judge the sharpness for sure, but I would like to comment on the pose/framing. It looks to me as if the camera is too high for a good portrait. You could probably still get the gown in the frame with a lower camera position. If you experience some discrepancy in the focus point, change which focus points your camera is using, or focus on his eyes and then use your focus lock before framing the shot.

The angle is on purpose, but definitely not what I desired. I have super flimsy, cheap, stand for the backdrop that he is taller than at their tallest point, so I had to shoot down... Definitely not what I wanted to do. My focus has always been on the eyes, but not sure I've heard of focus lock before?

O.K., if your camera does not offer focus lock, just go to manual focus.

I wonder if you could have hung the backdrop aa little higher?

 

[kric2schaam626]

I can't judge the sharpness for sure, but I would like to comment on the pose/framing. It looks to me as if the camera is too high for a good portrait. You could probably still get the gown in the frame with a lower camera position. If you experience some discrepancy in the focus point, change which focus points your camera is using, or focus on his eyes and then use your focus lock before framing the shot.

The angle is on purpose, but definitely not what I desired. I have super flimsy, cheap, stand for the backdrop that he is taller than at their tallest point, so I had to shoot down... Definitely not what I wanted to do. My focus has always been on the eyes, but not sure I've heard of focus lock before?

O.K., if your camera does not offer focus lock, just go to manual focus.

I wonder if you could have hung the backdrop aa little higher?

I think it does have it because it "beeps" when ever it is in focus.

I couldn't put the backdrop higher because the stands were at max height. They're cheap and old.

 

[Ernicus]

I couldn't put the backdrop higher because the stands were at max height. They're cheap and old.

Think outside the box. Try hanging them from the ceiling, forget the stands and their limits. ;-)