First Attempt at Portraints CC Please

Hof8231 · May 12, 2013

My first ever attempt at portrait photography with my lovely friend Samantha. C&C requested please but be gentle (but not really, be as critical as you wish)

Here they are.

1.

2.

3.

Photographiend · May 13, 2013

1. The the flash is quite noticeable and not flattering. The photo is over saturated and the crop is all bad. I am thinking also the focus is just slightly off. I have a suggested edit that I feel would improve the shot but even still I would keep trying.

2. This is the best of the lot although it is not without it's issues. As in the last shot you crop your subject at the wrong places. First the knees then the ankles. This is not a good idea.

This link has a little diagram to illustrate the dos and don't of portrait cropping.

Crop Guidelines for Portrait Photography

This is my recommended edit. Though the WB still feels off to me. Would have gone with a portrait crop but didn't have enough image space above the subject to pull that off.

3. Maybe for sentimental reason you like this shot but it is not good. Big blocks on either side of her, a very bizarre choice of prop in her hand. Her face is out of focus. The image is cropped too tight to her elbow. If there was a shot to be salvaged from this it would be right here. That being, a "Had you hit the focus" scenario.

Hope that helps. Welcome to the forum and Happy Photoing. :mrgreen:

frommrstomommy · May 13, 2013

2 is the best of the bunch IMO, but I wish you'd stepped back a few to get all of her in it.

ronlane · May 13, 2013

That is a good c&c given to help you. I just want to add one thing to that. Good job using the camera in portrait instead of landscape for you portraits. You have saved Derrel time of having to assist you in this matter.

Keep shooting.

Bone Puddle · May 13, 2013

Good job on the first attempt - they look better than my first portraits. I will echo the previous statements. My favorite is #2, followed by #1 (too much fill flash), and I dont like #3. Her face is out of focus and her face looks flush.

ktan7 · May 14, 2013

First photograph is over edited. Too punchy and un-natural. Do some research on photo-editing.

Granddad · May 14, 2013

Good advice already given.

Nothing to add from me except welcome to the forum!

hirejn · May 14, 2013

That's some flat lighting, to say the least. The light lacks dimension and mood. There's no lighting here to set the photographs apart from snapshots. When posing a female, it's generally not a good idea to put her body square to the camera. You want to create angles and curves to accentuate the form. What you should do is study portraits you like to see how they're lit and what the light does to enhance the photo. Don't think of it as looking for stuff to copy. Just study the techniques and learn how light enhances photographs. Research classic portraiture and understand the fundamentals.

Master backgrounds. For example, in 1 and 3 the background is distracting and in 3 there's a white stone jutting into the frame. Eliminate distractions in camera. In 1 the reeds and trees are distracting. If something doesn't add to the picture, it will distract.

But I can see the thought that went into the pictures and if you keep learning and trying to improve, you will.