I need you, tell me what's wrong :)

[polars]

Hi this is a portrait of a friend of mine. I tried to say who he is. I want to improve my skills, feel free to tell me what's wrong.

If you want to, I could show you the HD one.

 

[Braineack]

If your lens can do it, maybe stop down the aperture, that, or move the subject further away from the bookshelf. To me they are too much in focus and are distracting. For example: Right now your friend is lost in the books and I'm drawn instantly to look at "BLACK HOLE". I almost miss looking at him and can only focus on that red book.

You need to do something to pull the subject into "focus". Maybe a more interesting pose, a different color shirt, a rim light, just something to draw your focus to him. I would try to shoot this in portrait as well, your subject is only taking up like 1/6th of the image. If you really want to keep it in landscape, I'd at least crop out the top of the book shelf. And try to move him/you so the vertical shelf isn't jutting out of his head.

I quickly googled "library portrait" and found this image: http://blog.bdocktorphotography.com.../06/Roe-Jan-Library-Community-Portrait-96.jpg

Maybe something more like this? It still clearly communicates he's a librarian or a book reader of some sort, but the person's face is the focus of the image.


Other than that, your lighting is pretty good, maybe slightly under exposed (but that is any easy fix) and maybe just a touch soft focus.


Also, remove the NES Zapper from the bookshelf next time. (Like I said, background is too distracting.)



I only have MS Paint to work with on this computer, but I'd much rather see it like this:

 

[polars]

thank you for your feedback. It's useful.

Actually, I voluntary make him take 1/6 of the picture. I wanted to play with the "emptiness". Even if the library is full of stuff, the accumulation create a kind of "empty".

Obviously, that's a fail. The color shirt didn't help I guess.

I'll improve that.

 

[ronlane]

I would agree, have him step a couple of steps more away from the shelf and open your appeture up and get a little more separation from the books. Also, watch the composition just a little, in this one, he has part of the bookshelf coming out of his head. A half step to his left would have taken that out and it would just be books behind him. JMHO.

 

[Braineack]

thank you for your feedback. It's useful.

Actually, I voluntary make him take 1/6 of the picture. I wanted to play with the "emptiness". Even if the library is full of stuff, the accumulation create a kind of "empty".

Obviously, that's a fail. The color shirt didn't help I guess.

I'll improve that.

then maybe a little more extreme like this?

http://image.shutterstock.com/displ...dent-reading-a-book-in-a-library-94325839.jpg

this is clearly shopped (see repeating books) but you could do something alike by stiching together shots, maybe trying the Brenizer Method?

 

[runnah]

Eyes are dark, you have a shelf cutting his neck. Glasses are casting a weird shadow and it's too dark over all.

 

[polars]

ronlane> thank you, your opinion is welcome and I think you right.

Braineack> right, we don't feel my intentions. Next time, i'll do it with more extreme.. The Brenizer method is such a good idea!

runnah> you definitively right. I laughed for his neck. that's a big mistake..

Thank you all

I keep hardworking. See you soon.

 

[psreilly]

Face is a tad bit dark. I agree with one of the top comments that the books are a little distracting also, but the idea of them being in the shot is right. Just a few things that can be fixed. Certainly not a bad photograph though! Keep shooting!

 

[polars]

thank you sir, it's also good to read those advises

 

[The_Traveler]

 

[ronlane]

Nice crop Lew.

 

[The_Traveler]

Thanks, Ron.

That is actually the same size.
I just moved the subject to a new layer, darkened all the rest, desaturating/blurring the reds slightly so he pops out.

 

[Braineack]

just blurring out the title of the red book did wonders.

 

[Derrel]

The poor guy's eyes are in shadow...the eyeglass frames are casting bad shadows, and the eye sockets themselves are poorly illuminated. As to the advice above to "stop down the lens"...ummm...no....that would mean "stopping down" and going to a smaller aperture which would increase the depth of field...which would make the distracting library books even more-distracting.

The subject with smart-guy-type-glasses in front of books portrait is a pretty well-known cliche. It can often work. But the books need to be hinted at, more so than shown in competition with the subject.

A few very basic things: watch out for things like the bright YELLOW SPOT that appears right over his shoulder; the section of books on the shelf on the far right hand side of the frame are tipping out of the frame on a strong diagonal; a strong diagonal in amongst a mass of straight up-and-down book spines draws a huge amount of attention away from the man, and encourages the eye to move out of the frame. The very large red books, and the very tallest book, the white-coverd one, are very distracting elements, and stand out as much as the man does. The white area in the upper right hand corner is a distraction.

Looking at the BACKGROUND is critical in this type of an environmental portrait set-up. There's no time pressure really. Looking at the background is a really critical aspect of posed portraiture. The background of books would have been better with all the red ones pulled off the shelves, and the tilted books angled straight up, and then the background made less in-focus. A re-shoot on this with all the flawed areas removed could yield a really good shot of this guy, I think.

 

[Braineack]

As to the advice above to "stop down the lens"...ummm...no....that would mean "stopping down" and going to a smaller aperture which would increase the depth of field...which would make the distracting library books even more-distracting.

Don't hate, I used the wrong term...first post of the day, but I explained and was suggesting to use a w i d e r aperture to reduce the DOF and bring the bg further out of focus.