Headshot B&W Amanda

klam · Dec 20, 2010

For some reason i'm into black&white pictures lately. I thought I share a pic that I think works really well in B&W.

Here is the color version with a before/after if interested. Amanda | Flickr - Photo Sharing! or rollover before/after retouch http://klam101.deviantart.com/art/Amanda-rollover-190902052

comments welcomed

Amanda B&W by kiu101, on Flickr

c.cloudwalker · Dec 20, 2010

Do you really mean headshot or is it a portrait?

And if you do mean headshot, is she an actress or a model?

Derrel · Dec 20, 2010

It would look better in a taller aspect ratio. As shown, her eyes are smack-dab in the center of the frame. I looked at the color version, as well as this one. In this B&W, the blown-out whites on her hair at the top of the frame are distracting. Same with the lower right corner's shoulder being blown-out; having paper white whites at the edges of the frame draws the eye very much away from her face. I think it needs a bit of finessing to bring out its maximum potential impact.

Robin Usagani · Dec 20, 2010

Nice!

klam · Dec 20, 2010

c.cloudwalker said:
Do you really mean headshot or is it a portrait?

And if you do mean headshot, is she an actress or a model?

It's a headshot. Why would it matter if she is an actress or model?

"A head shot is a photographic technique where the focus of the photograph is a person's face. Headshot is essentially the same as portrait. However, headshot is an image that portrays people as they are and is more of a 'mug shot', however simple or stylized it might be. Whereas, a portrait will often 'portray' the person with elements of his life, such as his work, interest, etc"-wikipedia

Thanks for your question

klam · Dec 20, 2010

Derrel said:
It would look better in a taller aspect ratio. As shown, her eyes are smack-dab in the center of the frame. I looked at the color version, as well as this one. In this B&W, the blown-out whites on her hair at the top of the frame are distracting. Same with the lower right corner's shoulder being blown-out; having paper white whites at the edges of the frame draws the eye very much away from her face. I think it needs a bit of finessing to bring out its maximum potential impact.

I thought about the rule of 3rds but for me it didn't fit, so I chose to crop it this way. Blown out hair cannot be recovered since it's blown out in the original. The blown out shoulder can be recovered. To me, her dark hair roots and shadows help frame her face to keep the eyes from wondering too far. Thanks for critique.

@Schwettylens. Thanks

PushingTin · Dec 20, 2010

small nits: i dont like the earing on the right, i dont like the little white dot on the left of her face prosumably on her ear and I would have cloned out the two moles on her arm/shoulder...

Other than that I think the B+W works really well, i dont mind the composition at all and I think its a rather good headshot/portrait.

SabrinaO · Dec 21, 2010

I think the shot and the model are beautiful. It look a little to sharp for my tastes though... thats my only critique. I think you should smooth out her skin a tad

Frequency · Dec 21, 2010

Lay man's view: Excellent; the shoulder appears washed;

From the wiki, it follows that what we usually name as portraits are essentially head shots!!!

Regards

YoMoe · Dec 21, 2010

I love it, it's very dramatic.

kundalini · Dec 21, 2010

Beautiful model. Very nice example of Rembrandt lighting.

IMO, the shoulder being square to the camera (making it prominent) and being overexposed (making it the brightest area) definitely compete for attention rather than having the gorgeous eyes capture our gaze. It is better to have sleeved clothing for portrature / headshots. The excessive skin detracts from the face.

I'd also remove that tiny specular highlight on her right ear.

Thanks for sharing.

jbelcher · Dec 21, 2010

Gorgeous shot.

Light Artisan · Dec 21, 2010

I like it, would definitely be proud of that one if it were me.

klam · Dec 21, 2010

Thanks for comments.

So far the main issues are the blown out shoulder and the ear rings. Fixing the shoulders is no problem, but the ear rings will be tough for me. Not so great at cloning.

SabrinaO said:
I think the shot and the model are beautiful. It look a little to sharp for my tastes though... thats my only critique. I think you should smooth out her skin a tad

Thanks
My high contrast B&W conversion most likely caused the skin to look sharper than it really is. If you take a peek at the before/after image I linked in my original post it isn't that sharp.

c.cloudwalker · Dec 29, 2010

Sorry I spaced out your thread...

klam said:
It's a headshot. Why would it matter if she is an actress or model?

Because actors have a little more leeway as to what their headshots can look like. They are allowed a bit more drama, through either pose or light.

"A head shot is a photographic technique where the focus of the photograph is a person's face. Headshot is essentially the same as portrait. However, headshot is an image that portrays people as they are and is more of a 'mug shot', however simple or stylized it might be. Whereas, a portrait will often 'portray' the person with elements of his life, such as his work, interest, etc"-wikipedia

A headshot is a portrait but a portrait is most often not a headshot. Part of Wiki's definition is correct: headshot is an image that portrays people as they are and is more of a 'mug shot' but the rest of it is confusing.

Headshots are used by models and actors to show how they are and there are pretty strict rules as to how they should be. Bland solid background, flat light, light make-up if any, barely any PP, standard 8x10 size and vertical image. Some people today are shooting them horizontal, probably to try and be different, but it is not a good idea imo. When a casting agent is going through a pile of headshots and 99% of them are vertical, there's a good chance the horizontal ones are not going to even get looked at.

Few of the concerned people seem to know what a headshot really is. Yes, the subjects don't seem to know anymore than the photogs. If you want to offer headshots and you know what they are, you are giving your clients an edge.

Now, as a portrait, I like your photo except for the couple things already mentioned by others.

As for the shoulder problem, portrait to me is about the face and skin being usually the lightest part of the image I ask people to wear long sleeves and long pants so that the focus stays on the face. I also try to keep them away from white clothes.

Of course, there are always exceptions depending on what one is trying to achieve.

Hope that helps.