portrait C&C

photosoto · Mar 20, 2011

Hi, this is my second attempt at OCF. Appreciate your input.

All shoot thru umbrella camera right and flash gel'd to background

1.

2.

3.

4.

SrBiscuit · Mar 20, 2011

Some harsh shadows on all...maybe a reflector cam-left to help some of those out.
I would watch a couple of the crops...like #1...you cropped the top of her head. you did the same in #3, but it looks more intentional in #3, and more accidental in 1 and 2.
Do I get to be the first one in this thread to suggest a portrait orientation of the cam?

Looks like you nailed focus on all of them.
OCF is SO fun isn't it? :thumbup:

pony · Mar 20, 2011

#3 is a cute shot, but if it's cropped I would maybe re-crop to include her chin

I'm on my laptop which is not great for viewing photos so take any critique with a grain of salt...but the first two look underexposed and the shadows are not very flattering

RauschPhotography · Mar 20, 2011

#3 is kind of a strange crop, I would have gone a little wider to include her entire chin rather than cutting it off. Lighting looks alright in these, but still a little harsh. I would personally go in and retouch/smooth the skin a little. Good work! :thumbup:

Texas Aggie · Mar 20, 2011

I agree on the tight crops. It's a little bothersome, especially with the chin.

reznap · Mar 20, 2011

#'s 1 and 2 look a bit too dark. The lighting is wayyy too harsh on all. Maybe the umbrella was too far away? Having it closer, or using a bigger umbrella or softbox will cut down on specular highlights (see nose tip), harsh shadows (see cheeks), and will appear more flattering to skin texture.

Experimenting with a reflector (even a big white card) wouldn't be a bad idea either. You could try 'clamshell' lighting too - light directly above the model and a reflector below... have both as close as possible without actually being in the frame.

photosoto · Mar 20, 2011

ok, thank you very much for the input guys.

I'm very disoriented right now on OCF. I love it, but I don't understand it well yet, even after reading hours on the subject.

With two flashes I could have attempted to fill in the shadows but I'm having enough trouble getting the right exposure for just the main light.

Check out this thread, I posted 4 or 5 pics earlier but with a different lighting technique. One flash camera right and one rear left for a rim light... is this better technique for only two flashes?

http://www.thephotoforum.com/forum/beyond-basics/238816-trying-grasp-guide-numbers-question.html

mwcfarms · Mar 20, 2011

I would also be careful about her skin tone. Is it just me or is it a bit on the red side, it doesnt match the other skin shown, shoulders. And a good rule for headshots or portraits, try to eliminate skin showing elsewhere, not so much bare shoulders etc.

photosoto · Mar 20, 2011

ok thanks for the replies.

So I see a lot of nice shots where harsh shadows are created and it looks great and gets good responses. But is this not so ideal for portraits maybe??

mwcfarms · Mar 20, 2011

Shadows are key for portrait lighting, but there is a fine line between two much I think. Im not a professional either, still learning every day but this is what I see. In number one, if you had a reflector to lift a bit of the shadow, right now its a stark line dissecting the one side of her face and in two and three a bit of fill to bring slight definition back to the ear hairline. Right now its lost totally in shadows. Now I'm by no means a lighting expert, these are just things I have learned here and reading.

mwcfarms · Mar 20, 2011

And Ill also add that when your shooting with light I have been told to think about the subject. Woman do not tend to look best with hard shadows unless your going straight for edge. She's a pretty girl, hair is soft and curly I think soft light would have worked better but keep practicing and asking for feedback. I have learned so much here from others help. Don't get discouraged.

photosoto · Mar 20, 2011

mwcfarms said:
And Ill also add that when your shooting with light I have been told to think about the subject. Woman do not tend to look best with hard shadows unless your going straight for edge. She's a pretty girl, hair is soft and curly I think soft light would have worked better but keep practicing and asking for feedback. I have learned so much here from others help. Don't get discouraged.

Your replies have made sense to me, exactly the type feedback I was looking for. The things you noted were things I did not see myself. thanks

Derrel · Mar 20, 2011

You know, it's possible to get a 3:1 lighting ratio by placing a main flash at say 5.6 feet from the subject, off to one side and angled, and then to position an identically-powered flash right next to the camera lens, but fired from 8 feet. It might be surprising to you to find that 2.0 feet, 2.8 feet, 4 feet, 5.6 feet, 8 feet, 11 feet, and 16 feet are intervals of distances where flash varies in power by one stop between each neighboring distance...

I think these would have looked much better had the camera been oriented to the tall or portrait orientation. Some fill light, right next to the lens, would have softened those deep shadows.

vapicguy · Mar 20, 2011

I like the facial expression and bare shoulders. Like you talked her into being a little less camera shy

The bare shoulders work for that photo.

photosoto · Mar 20, 2011

Derrel said:
You know, it's possible to get a 3:1 lighting ratio by placing a main flash at say 5.6 feet from the subject, off to one side and angled, and then to position an identically-powered flash right next to the camera lens, but fired from 8 feet. It might be surprising to you to find that 2.0 feet, 2.8 feet, 4 feet, 5.6 feet, 8 feet, 11 feet, and 16 feet are intervals of distances where flash varies in power by one stop between each neighboring distance...

I think these would have looked much better had the camera been oriented to the tall or portrait orientation. Some fill light, right next to the lens, would have softened those deep shadows.

Maybe I should use the sb600 on camera and dial it down for fill and use the other for shoot thru umbrella as main light. At this point I just feel like I have no control over my ocf exposure in a good way. I could invest in a light meter but would that even help with me set up?
Also could anyone tell me how to translate the 7 power increments which read '+/- ev' to 1/2 power, 1/4 power, etc.?