First thread, first "portraits"

Kristov · Mar 4, 2010

Taking my first photography class, B&W1. This was my second time using and sort of knowing this medium. First time really trying to take portrait/people type pics. C&C is very much welcome.

This one I wish I had tilted the camera to match the door frame more. Oh well, live and learn.

Please pardon the dust, my scanner refuses to be clean. These were taken by me, developed, and printed by me as well.

The model in the lower couple is a friend of mine. She was an amazing pleasure to work with, and was very patient.

Kristov · Mar 7, 2010

Nobody has anything to say? Good or bad?

flashgordio · Mar 8, 2010

i like them but im no expert. keep the faith...you having same response as me....not much advice being dished out.....

matseski · Mar 8, 2010

A few thoughts:

1: Is your subject the man or the door? As the door does not suggest a specific location, profession, situation in life, I feel that it is taking up too much of the frame and not improving the image at all. Given that I see nothing special in the door, I am guessing the man is the subject. If so, I know almost nothing about him. Did you just take a picture of some random guy leaving some random building, is he waiting for something, etc? All this image does is open questions without any hint of an answer.

The composition of the image is not great either. The man's head is almost perfectly centered in the frame like a bulls eye. Try using the lines/shades on the door to compliment the man. Currently, the light part of the man's jacket is on top of the white trim. This hurts the separation between the two. Going further from that, the contrast of the man is not bad, his white shirt is properly related to his black bow tie, but the large gray door makes the image bland.

2. The composition is much better than #1; I probably would have moved her head down a little, but not by much. I really like the different tones in her hair and how her face is brought forward by her dark dress and hair. The focus is right on her eyes where it should be. Overall not a bad image, maybe play with the contrast a little to get some lighter highlights, but be careful not to blow it out. It will be tough with her already very bright chest.

3. I think this is your strongest image in terms of composition. The wood adds a bit of texture to the image and breaks up the frame. Again, work on the contrast. The window in the back is the brightest thing in the frame. As a result, your eyes first go to that instead of the girl. The darkest blacks are also in the background which compresses the tonal range of the girl.

Overall, not a bad set of images for one of your first attempts. The things I would focus on are your contrast and composition. Make sure your subject is clearly defined and try to add some context to your images, otherwise you have nothing more than a snapshot of a random person, and in all honest, I don't have time to look at pictures of random people.

Kristov · Mar 9, 2010

1: The man is the subject. What had really caught my eye about him, was his expression, which to be honest, is not shown very well here. I wish I had taken a closer shot, or been able to zoom a bit.

I'll keep your recommendations in mind for future candid shots.

2. Thank you. I rather liked this one, and I had a couple with the highlights a tad more, but they were way too hot. The scanner did seem to darken this image a bit more than it is in actuality. However, I do see where you're coming from.

3. The window bugs the hell out of e honestly. It was a mistake I made, but one I am being careful to not repeat.

Thank you. I assume by context you mean have a "story" or idea that comes to mind when looking at it, versus just a photo of a person. Something I'm putting more effort into for future shoots, as ll I had really prepared for this one was poses, not necessarily emotion and such.

Thanks for taking the time to look over my stuff and give your thoughts, it is much appreciated.

r2glittiz · Mar 10, 2010

I like the 2nd one. The intensity in the eyes are well captured, however I would have also either tilted the head down a fraction or moved the camera up. Also (just because I am anal retentive) she needs to be more centered, having equal proportions showing on her arms.
But I do like the shot a lot

Cosette · Mar 15, 2010

1. I like the vintage expression however, I agree the door and frame take up too much room.
2. The centering seems off and I am not sure about your angle on the subject.
3. I like this one overall but the white spot in the back by her head is really distracting.
I'm a newbie too, but here are my opinions.

Kristov · Mar 16, 2010

Thanks for your guys' thoughts. The first one I 100% agree. I was going for a "framing" type shot when i saw him, and really should have gotten in closer in retrospect. The second, I was actually going for a not centered look. Not sure why, but centering (to me) is boring to shoot. So I tried that. The last one, I wish, damn i wish, I had blocked the window just a tad. Or even the upper part. Happy overall for them, but I did learn quite a bit doing these and with the comments.

Thanks again! Always good to hear from other people when trying to improve one's work.