Newest portrait practice CC please

[RedWylder]

My work wanted me to take photos of everyone for our new website and I used this opportunity to practice on portraiture a bit. I took a little creative liberty with how they were taken as they didn't specify what type of photos they wanted. They were just gonna have someone run around and get some quick snapshots but I wouldn't have it! I might have to redo them all and get more traditional photos but I've had fun experimenting!

1.
Harry mug -3 by RedWylder, on Flickr

2.
Cheryl mug-3 by RedWylder, on Flickr

3.
Rosalie mug-5 by RedWylder, on Flickr

4.
Rhonda Mug-3 by RedWylder, on Flickr

5.
Ryan mug-2 by RedWylder, on Flickr

6.
Ava mug-1 by RedWylder, on Flickr

 

[iNick]

I like #1... the rest.. ehhhh don't do much for me, sorry.

 

[RedWylder]

Gee that was....not really helpful at all! Your comment is very vague and I can't learn a thing from it which is my purpose for posting. Could you please be more specific? What in particular isn't working for you? Is it the processing, the composition, the cropping...?

 

[mwcfarms]

Ok first if your doing a set of portraits for work they should be consistent with post processing. Not so much variety of tones and effects. It has horrible flow that way. Angled shots should have an intent to follow lines through the picture in my opinion (I abhor angled portrait shots generally) this doesnt work at all.
The sixth picture looks like she has extreme dandruff. 5, 3, and 1 are ok but one should be vertical I think. Can maybe go either way. Thanks for sharing.

 

[vtf]

What kind of website? Very casual photos.

 

[iNick]

Gee that was....not really helpful at all! Your comment is very vague and I can't learn a thing from it which is my purpose for posting. Could you please be more specific? What in particular isn't working for you? Is it the processing, the composition, the cropping...?

#2 i dont like the crop.
#3 well, that lady isn't very photogenic and its a boring to me.
#4&6 are overexposed and i do not like the affects. especially #4
#5 is boring(looks like he's in an office at work or something. boring) uninteresting and the coffee cup is distracting.

 

[Icarus Image]

You're experimenting, that's obvious enough, so it's good to learn what works and what doesn't.

#1 is definitely the best of the bunch.
#2 people don't grow out of the corners of frames. this 'jaunty-angle' composition is both overused and terrible to begin with. A subtle tilt in the camera can be good from time to time but it has to complement the composition, not throw it off completely.
#3 the color is a little pale and the lighting is extremely flat. You'd lose the rim light on her hair, but you could have her turned towards the sun to get more light on her face.
#4 highlights blown out of the face, too much detail is lost.
#6 again, the face highlights are a bit blown out.

Not bad work though, they are crisp and in focus and you tried to capture people in their natural environment.

The last thing I'd suggest is that for a web site you might want a unified look as far as color/toning/b&w. These almost look like a different photographer took each image.

 

[gina_d]

Well, you said at the outset that you were experimenting and might have to go with a more traditional portrait, so it seems you understand the image your employer would want to project. I do agree that a more cohesive look in the processing would be of benefit on the website - it'll just give a cleaner, more professional look. You might also want to consider a similar format, distance from your subject, etc. since the images will likely all be cropped to the same size for the web site. This way there won't be one person up close, another far away, etc.

Beyond their intended purpose and solely as portraits... I like the character you caught in these. Everyone seems at ease and well, kinda happy. (Seems friendly and happy would be a good vibe to have come through for most businesses.)

#3 seems to work particularly well - here's someone who seems comfortable in her surroundings - seems a good fit for her as far as an environment in which to shoot her.

#4 I like the shot itself. I really don't like the processing though. IMO, in general it's not a good idea to give people a green tint. While it can work ok for other colors, it'd be tough to pull off a good green portrait.

I don't mind the coffee cup for #5. That can be a personal touch that's kind of a tell about who this guy is. I thought it was a fun little added info for an office shot.

#6 Someone mentioned the "dandruff" which is, of course, pilling on her sweater. You could clone it out if you like. Beyond that, it would seem that the format being square might not be the best choice for her body type. There's added unflattering emphasis that say a portrait orientation might not have.

I don't mind the diagonal approach on #2, but I don't think it necessarily adds anything in this case either. Diagonals *can* add a more dynamic energy - diagonals have this quality by nature - I just don't think it really helps in this case. As for people not growing out of corners? That's true, but they don't grow out of bottom edges either.

Overall, nice work and kudos to you for not letting them resort to a quick snapshot!

 

[RedWylder]

Like I said- I took a LOT of creative liberties and pretty much completely ignored the fact they're going on a website. Actually, initially I was going to take a picture of everyone at their desk (this is what was requested). But then people were like, "oh I want mine outside!". And gradually, as people saw what other people were doing, no one wanted desk shots. And "mugshots" was what they expressly didn't want. And for the record- Everyone has something a bit more normal i.e. no weird black and white processing. I started doing this in response to everyone wanting to look like Rhonda. Haha Granted, customers don't know what good photography is BUT I aim to please them. So with all that rambling aside- let's disregard that these are for a website as I already know that these aren't what should be on a website. I'm not getting paid for this and if they choose not to use them, I could care less as I'm getting experience with all different types of faces and body types and locations.

#3 well, that lady isn't very photogenic and its a boring to me. : Why does this matter? I mean I'm shooting everyday people and not every person is a model.
#3 the color is a little pale and the lighting is extremely flat. You'd lose the rim light on her hair, but you could have her turned towards the sun to get more light on her face. : I went with flat lighting on purpose because I knew the direct sunlight would be tough on her as she isn't the most photogenic person and direct sunlight would have emphasized her wrinkles, right? How do other people deal with this type of situation? We can't all have models to shoot can we?

The sixth picture looks like she has extreme dandruff.: That we be the product of a linty sweater-another thing I have no idea how to "fix".

Lots of people (I think all of you) hate the treatment of the black and white ones, I was just experimenting as mentioned but the people really liked these. Do I ignore all of you? Do I continue to give people what they want? What would you suggest for making better black and white images?

 

[RedWylder]

Here are some of the desk shots....which is what they initially wanted.

1. I don't know why he chose not to look at the camera in all of his pics...at first I thought it was ok but the more I look at it, the more it annoys me.
Harry mug -4 by RedWylder, on Flickr

2.
Joyce mug-1 by RedWylder, on Flickr

3.
Patty Mug-3 by RedWylder, on Flickr

4. Might I add with this one that I'm struggling with skin tones as well plus the frickin shadow behind her head is annoying.

5. Oh and another just for fun: Yes that horrid black and white business again.
Tami mug -1 by RedWylder, on Flickr
Tami mug -2 by RedWylder, on Flickr

3.

 

[RedWylder]

What kind of website? Very casual photos.

Oops on the triple post- very small school district.

 

[Blake.Oney]

You're right. A lot of the time customers don't know what good photography is, but that doesn't mean that you do something that will not look good just to make them happy. You'd be surprised at how many people say " well, the client was happy." At the end of the day it's your work on display, and other potential clients will see it. Do you want potential clients to see bad work because it made the current client happy? I don't. Sometimes you need to suggest other things to the client, or explain why a certain thing wouldn't work. Again, the client may be happy, but your reputation is on the line, and I wouldn't ruin mine to make a clients initial idea work, especially when they are most likely willing to listen to better ideas. That being said, the photo's aren't bad. I agree about angled portraits in that I don't like them either. I think the first photo is the strongest, and the desk shots in my opinion are better than the first set. They are more clean look like portraits, even if they are a little bland. The 4th desk shot needs a lot of work on the lighting, and you need to either bring the exposure down on the second one to math the 1st and 3rd lighting, or bring the exposure up on the 1st and 3rd to match the 2nd.

 

[SabrinaO]

If they are portraits.... Why are some in landscape??And that vignette on #1 isn't working... especially in landscape. I like the tones of the photo though...

 

[RedWylder]

Ok so skip the vignette on the first one. Can do! I think Blake, that you have a very good point and I guess the truth of the matter is-I actually like all of the weird edits and to avoid sounding like an arse not willing to change something and listen to advice, I blamed it on the customers. But I would never do something I deemed awful just because the customers wanted it. The problem is I'm still learning what awful is. Give me another year and I'll look back and think "wtf was I thinking?!" but as of right now I still have difficulties seeing the issue with the processing.

 

[Blake.Oney]

Well there's a difference between bad, and some you like creatively. Like I said, the photo's aren't bad, but you have to realize that they are somewhat bold edits that some people just won't like, the same way there are edits you don't like. When someone offers an opinion AND a different take on it, listen to it, learn and try it later. Don't change things you like, but definitely listen and learn from everything and everyone.