First Senior Session (with some OCF) C&C por favor

[eric-holmes]

This was my first ever senior session and I was even brave enough to use my OCF in a beauty dish.

Constructive C&C appreciated.

 

[supraman215]

is there something wrong with my connection or are all those links broken?

 

[Scatterbrained]

I don't even see links.

 

[IgsEMT]

what links?

 

[eric-holmes]

I think I had external links blocked from my site. Work now?

 

[supraman215]

I like #1 the best.

in #2 and 3 I think he's a little too centered.

#4 I like as well but I think he's too small for the frame.

 

[IgsEMT]

In terms of lighting - its flat and boring
Composition:
#1 - his right hand at the hip - feminine pose; hands in a pocket.
#2 - make a fist with the right hand. Same reason as #1
#3 - again that right hand.
#4 - nice.

Traditionally speaking, there are feminine poses and masculine poses (here's a little abstract that I googled Masculine / Feminine Poses...: Lighting Technique Forum: Digital Photography Review. When you pose people you have to know these differences and be able to compensate with light for these differences. Otherwise your masculine subject is now feminine and your feminine subject turned masculine. It is also one of the reasons why I before any weddings or events as such I get together with clients and give them posing 101 on what to do and not to do (if they don't want to be posed by me).
good luck

 

[chmille]

i agree with the whole masculine and feminine poses. Those are little tweaks that come along with shooting more and more. You'll get it, I know I struggle big time with poses. I do think the images are nice. I do wish the 2nd one, the one with the tractor was shot at a different angle, so he looked a lot bigger compared to the tractor, or even having him standing, like hands in his pockets with it behind, and using your dof to have him in focus and huge versus the blurred tractor. Just a thought! Overall good job!

 

[eric-holmes]

Thanks for you critique. I actually think the dish was only used as fill in number two and only a reflector was used for the others.

Please check out the rest of the session and tell me your favorites. Password is "HeathHoofman2011". It is only password protected so his friends won't see them before he is ready.

http://www.ericholmesphotography.com/Client-Pictures/Heath/14166582_weheC#1045516703_KqniQ

 

[ucddyan]

I really like #'s 4, 14 and 15 from your site - you should post those here.

 

[eric-holmes]

I really like #'s 4, 14 and 15 from your site - you should post those here.

 

[GeneralBenson]

I would agree with everyone who pointed out that many of the poses are pretty effeminate. It also doesn't help that the kid has a bit of an effeminate look to begin with.

But the other thing that the first 4 images have a problem with, that I noticed even before the posing issue, and things going on behind his head. As a general rule, you don't want objects, or strong lines, or anything at all really behind people heads. Any strong lines or prevalent objects in an image should be treated with the same regard as cropping lines. Particularly things happening behind the head neck look bad. In the first 4 images, you've the ground/tree horizon line (1), a giant tractor (2), the tree/sky line (3&4).

 

[eric-holmes]

So say #1, where would you have placed his head? A lower angle and had it in the sky or a higher angle and had it in the field?

 

[Derrel]

Noise reduction or skin smoothing on the first couple of the earlier photos makes them look, well, kind of weird to me. The settings are very "real", but the kid's face looks plastic.

Shot 1)- I wish his head overlapped the tree line and the camera were lower; camera's too high, making him look less-significant. Too much NR on his skin.
Shot 2)- Ehh..I don't know what to say on this one...I'm ambivalent...
Shot 3)- His right hand and arm are turned unnaturally. I see the class ring, but, it looks forced.
Shot 4) - Too much sky...camera as a horizontal would have given more tranquilty, more space to look into as well.
Shot 5)-Light looks natural, he looks more masculine. I'll bet his mom loves it!
Shot 6)- Okay. Workmanlike, but not great.
Shot 7)- Cool post processing, lighting looks good, probably the kid's favorite of the set I would guess.

Overall, better than many senior sets I've seen from beginning and intermediate shooters. Higher technical quality than the majority of MWACs and GWC people who operate off of Facebook,etc. Your balance of OCF + ambient looks naturalistic and believable than the typical "Strobist" type shooters. For a first-ever shoot, these are much,much better than many people can manage.

 

[GeneralBenson]

So say #1, where would you have placed his head? A lower angle and had it in the sky or a higher angle and had it in the field?

I think either of those options would be better. I would probably lean towards shooting lower and trying to get his head up in the sky. The whole scene is somewhat difficult, as there are lots of factors in my mind of things that I would want control how they interact with the subject. Like I wouldn't want to get so low the that gap between his left arm and the tree line closes up. I would also want to maybe step a bit right, to move him more left in regards to the background, but not so far that the hay balls encroach on his space.