My Wife Portraits C&C please

[Trever1t]

Admittedly I'm a total newby to photographing people in a staged environment but gave it a quick try this morning. SB-600 camera right.


Chi 02201103 by Trever1t, on Flickr


Chi 02201101 by Trever1t, on Flickr


Chi 02201102 by Trever1t, on Flickr

I definitely need to work on my lighting but what do you think for a first attempt with off-camera flash?

 

[arcooke]

1. The setting isn't terribly appealing, the stairs are overpowering. Lighting looks good on her, nice neutral skin tones.
2. I don't care for the spotty lighting. Some more light on her face would have improved this one.
3. Really like this one. You managed to turn a boring, run of the mill appartment stair rail into a nice complimentary piece of the photo. Lighting here is also very nice. Good composition. My one and only issue with this one would be that her hair sort of disappears into the background. If you have a 2nd flash, wouldn't be a bad idea to try to stick one back there to light up the breezeway.

 

[Trever1t]

yeah, the shadows on #2 don't compliment her at all. I have 2 SB-600s but no stands. I had the one I used here on a tree camera right. I used my onboard flash as commander without it emitting flash, I should have use it to fill. Once I have a couple stands I'm sure I'll be better off.

I see what you mean about #1 and have to agree.

Thanks for the tip regarding backlight, I'll give that a shot next go round.

 

[MSnowy]

Really like #3

 

[Derrel]

I like #1...pretty good use of the stairs as a background/locational element. #2 is just 'okay'. #3 makes her look pretty nice, but the crop at the elbow joints is disconcerting to me. For a first effort, I'd have to give these a passing grade.

 

[Trever1t]

thanks, I tried to crop without intersecting a joint but I couldn't make it work My biggest problem is I rush things and don't plan out my shots enough.

 

[Karri]

I like #3 a lot - #1 is good to me but I don't feel as connected to that one as #3.

 

[Marc-Etienne]

#3 is really nice, like everyone said, but for a reason or another, I like #2. It gives her some mysterious exotic look with the shadows.

 

[Davor]

really like number 1 , just don't like how her hand is keeping her balance looks unnatural. Could you give me the settings you used please, ive been trying to achieve effect like this with my girl but no luck and i have an sb800.

Did you use a reflector? a diffuser? what was the flash settings like

 

[Trever1t]

Sure, 70-200 f2.8 at 70mm f2.8 and 1/250 shutter. Single SB-600 on top of the mail box slightly higher than her eye level, slip on diffuser. Thanks for the props, what effect are you trying to achieve?

 

[Davor]

Like the way her skin looks, its almost like it glows and its so smooth. is that mostly editing or was it like that before post-processing? and for some reason when i use my Tamron 90mm at f2.8 it doesn't get that much area in focus i have to crank it a bit higher in order to achieve focus at that level.

 

[Trever1t]

very little editing to her was done, some facial smoothing but other than that a slight curve adjustment to add contrast. Her skin is naturally very smooth. She didn't want me to say but I think she looks amazing at 48 years of age

 

[Davor]

no way... she looks amazing for this age, your one lucky son of a gun. Not everyone can keep beauty like that in those years.

 

[Trever1t]

I am more than lucky, she's more beautiful inside than out. Thank you very much

 

[arcooke]

she's more beautiful inside than out.

Don't tell her that.. :lmao: