Critiques welcome about my portrait photos...

[limr]

I think a good light meter is useful and it doesn't have to limit your creativity because you don't always have to listen to it. It just gives you perhaps a more accurate starting point from which to deviate depending on what you want to accomplish.

 

[amolitor]

You may be able to recover some highlights from the raw files with some fussing around.

The reflector wasn't filling enough, or was too directional, or something. It looks ok on the faces, but the folds of clothing and and so on are marred by these deep dark shadows. It looks a little odd, frankly, since it feels like a mix of high ratio and moderate ratio lighting. Getting the lights further away may help here, by arranging for more light to be bouncing helpfully around the room to tone things down a bit.

Cute family, good work posing and managing them, you seem to have extracted some good stuff from them all in terms of being comfortable and looking good in front of the camera, which is much harder than just putting the lights in the right places.

 

[KmH]

You've post to many images for any specific, image by image C&C.

Photoshop allows doing global and local edits.
Indeed, a key Photoshop skill is knowing how to use the various selection tools, features, and functions for making editing masks.

By making a selection, you can edit the background exposure while not changing the exposure of the subjects.

Selecting Parts of an Image
Basic selection techniques
Essential selections
The Magic Wand and Quick selection tools
Building and editing a mask
Selection 101
Selecting soft edge objects with refine edge
Working with Refine Edge

 

[Derrel]

Seeing those two trying to flash gang signs made me throw up in my mouth just a little bit.

Those gated communities have some pretty tough gangs.

All joking aside, I thought you did a GOOD job of getting close to them, and using a wide focal length setting to distort their upper bodies...I thiunk in that fun photo, the deliberate distortion works very well, and adds a lot to the shot.

You overall lighting pattern is not all that bad.It's light and airy, for the most part. Her red dress-as-top doesn't quite work as well as the lighter, more-pastel hue the boy is wearing though; that rich,deep red color does not work all that well with a really light, bright-white backdrop and a light, airy,bright lighting scheme...the red really "hangs low", and spoils the effect of the lighting and background you set up.

As to the hot highlights...yes, they are "hot"...that's become a bit more popular these days than it ever has been before. I think it would have been more acceptable if there had been a bit more fill, to lighten up some of the darker shadows and crease areas in their faces; the light source needed to be either BIGGER, or a lot more fill light or reflector fill needed to have been pumped into the shadows...that "hot" side-lighting does not pair up right with such deep,dark shadows...if there had been some shadow lightening, the hot rim lighting and side-lighting would have matched better and looked more slick.

 

[julianliu]

You may be able to recover some highlights from the raw files with some fussing around. The reflector wasn't filling enough, or was too directional, or something. It looks ok on the faces, but the folds of clothing and and so on are marred by these deep dark shadows. It looks a little odd, frankly, since it feels like a mix of high ratio and moderate ratio lighting. Getting the lights further away may help here, by arranging for more light to be bouncing helpfully around the room to tone things down a bit. Cute family, good work posing and managing them, you seem to have extracted some good stuff from them all in terms of being comfortable and looking good in front of the camera, which is much harder than just putting the lights in the right places.

Thanks for comments.
I realized I put the reflector facing towards the roof, and still not enough light bounce to the dark side of the models face... So my next step to improve will be to adjust the lights on both sides to eliminate such shadows... Like you said get lights further away or increase bounce light ...
I know the family so it good to see them laugh and get some fun pic out of them

 

[julianliu]

You've post to many images for any specific, image by image C&C. Photoshop allows doing global and local edits. Indeed, a key Photoshop skill is knowing how to use the various selection tools, features, and functions for making editing masks. By making a selection, you can edit the background exposure while not changing the exposure of the subjects. Selecting Parts of an Image Basic selection techniques Essential selections The Magic Wand and Quick selection tools Building and editing a mask Selection 101 Selecting soft edge objects with refine edge Working with Refine Edge

Very good advice about change background exposure separately ... I know how to do it just did not realize that was necessary... Thanks !!!

 

[julianliu]

All joking aside, I thought you did a GOOD job of getting close to them, and using a wide focal length setting to distort their upper bodies...I thiunk in that fun photo, the deliberate distortion works very well, and adds a lot to the shot. You overall lighting pattern is not all that bad.It's light and airy, for the most part. Her red dress-as-top doesn't quite work as well as the lighter, more-pastel hue the boy is wearing though; that rich,deep red color does not work all that well with a really light, bright-white backdrop and a light, airy,bright lighting scheme...the red really "hangs low", and spoils the effect of the lighting and background you set up. As to the hot highlights...yes, they are "hot"...that's become a bit more popular these days than it ever has been before. I think it would have been more acceptable if there had been a bit more fill, to lighten up some of the darker shadows and crease areas in their faces; the light source needed to be either BIGGER, or a lot more fill light or reflector fill needed to have been pumped into the shadows...that "hot" side-lighting does not pair up right with such deep,dark shadows...if there had been some shadow lightening, the hot rim lighting and side-lighting would have matched better and looked more slick.

Derrel, I have to admit you understand my intention of taking these pictures well. Thanks for that ... But obviously I still have a lot to improve ... Need to create even light on her face as your all pointed out... And about clothing , I will work to improve my perspective to help my models to choose clothes ... Not good at that now...

I have another shooting this evening and with all the valuable comments from you guys I hope to incorporate them into it and hopefully will improve my images substantially at least from lighting point of view...

 

[Derrel]

Looking once again at all the images, I would say that Photos 5,6,8,and 9 have pretty good main light placement, in relation to the subject. #8 is the least-flattering light placement of those four. Shot #5 is VERY good light placement in relation to the subject.

Shooting with speedlight flashes in umbrellas or softboxes, whatever, means that the light's EXACT placement, and its EXACT, precise effect, is not visible to the photographer as he positions the subject, or adjust the light, or as he composes and frames the picture. It takes a pretty fair amount of experience to know where, exactly, the catchlights are, and where the shadows will fall, and what they will look like, when using speedlights as studio lighting.

If you look at the above pictures, you can see, the light placement in relation to them is pretty good in those shots. Look for where the "nose shadow" falls on the face; you are trying for a "modified loop lighting" method I think. Also, take note of where the flash produces small catchlights in the eyes of the subject. The danger is usually in placing the main light too far off to the side, and too far "back". Usually around a 30 to 35 degree off-axis main light angle gives a pretty easy-to-work-with lighting pattern that 1) produces catchlights in both eyes in a number of poses, and 2) allows the subject some movement without CONSTANT need to re-position the lighting and 3) casts enough of a shadow, without being too much of a SIDE-LIGHT that creates really deep, strong shadows and which kills the catchlights.

 

[gsgary]

Is she on her mobile in 1+3

Sent from my GT-I9100P using Tapatalk 2

 

[julianliu]

Looking once again at all the images, I would say that Photos 5,6,8,and 9 have pretty good main light placement, in relation to the subject. #8 is the least-flattering light placement of those four. Shot #5 is VERY good light placement in relation to the subject. Shooting with speedlight flashes in umbrellas or softboxes, whatever, means that the light's EXACT placement, and its EXACT, precise effect, is not visible to the photographer as he positions the subject, or adjust the light, or as he composes and frames the picture. It takes a pretty fair amount of experience to know where, exactly, the catchlights are, and where the shadows will fall, and what they will look like, when using speedlights as studio lighting. If you look at the above pictures, you can see, the light placement in relation to them is pretty good in those shots. Look for where the "nose shadow" falls on the face; you are trying for a "modified loop lighting" method I think. Also, take note of where the flash produces small catchlights in the eyes of the subject. The danger is usually in placing the main light too far off to the side, and too far "back". Usually around a 30 to 35 degree off-axis main light angle gives a pretty easy-to-work-with lighting pattern that 1) produces catchlights in both eyes in a number of poses, and 2) allows the subject some movement without CONSTANT need to re-position the lighting and 3) casts enough of a shadow, without being too much of a SIDE-LIGHT that creates really deep, strong shadows and which kills the catchlights.

Thanks Derrel...
Lol I know the concept of loop light but I did not intend to try a specific loop light, Just wanted to create some shadows... I agree, need to position the lights a little more at the front... Funny thing is I noticed the dark shadow at her face and I tried to ask the model to face the light a little more many times..... But looks like it did not work well...
Thinking getting a c stand so I can place the light more in the front while still out the shot ...

 

[julianliu]

Is she on her mobile in 1+3 Sent from my GT-I9100P using Tapatalk 2

Are you talking that first and third images are the same ?? Yes I did not realize that until now ...