Portraits for class

SoulfulRecover · Oct 2, 2013

Im taking an editorial class this quarter and our first assignment was to shoot an ambient light portrait series. We need 4 photos total. 2 outdoors, 1 shallow DoF and 1 deep. 2 indoors, 1 shallow and 1 deep. I liked these three photos for the outdoor shallow DoF but I need to bring it down to just one image. What do you guys think? Please feel free to critique as well.

Untitled by Shutter_Inc., on Flickr

DanOstergren · Oct 2, 2013

The crop seems a bit tight for my liking in all three. Is it required that they all be headshots? I think you could make more use of the shallow depth of field by including more area in the shots that show the out of focus areas. May I ask what lens you're using?

If I had to pick between these shots, I would choose the third one. The expression is engaging and I like the composition more than the other two.

Derrel · Oct 2, 2013

The second and third photos are my favorites. I looked at these on Flickr, largest size; your lens is doing a wonderful job, and the technicals like focus placement are very solid. Many times when I look at a photo like this full-sized I'll see obviously misplaced focus and other small issues that are hidden when seen small, as here, on TPF; you're doing things RIGHT behind the eyepiece and absolutely nailing it with this shallow depth of field. The finer points of the lens drawing, the nuance, reveals itself in the defocused zones like on the hair. Well-done stuff man! So clean! So simple! so minimalist!

I'm not a fan of the composition in the first photo; the top left is bright, and draws the eye away from her, with that upper left corner being all backlight/bright sky and bokeh circles. The upper left corner has a huge, disproportionate eye-draw value, and it's filled with very little I really want to 'see'. Her neck looks taut, strained, and her nose is not presented as well as it could be in #1. She's a lovely young woman, with a distinctive face, and that really shines in #2 and #3. Her jawline and neck in #2 is shown wonderfully well, and a bit less so in #3, but still solid.

Again, very nice work...deceptively simple and pared down, I love to see this kind of portraiture shot so well, with new, modern equipment! Of these three, I think #2 is the clear winner.

DanielLewis76 · Oct 3, 2013

For what its worth (not looking at the skill of it all) my favourite visually is #1.

Granddad · Oct 3, 2013

What Derrel said. #2 wins for me with a slim margin over #3 - but if you ask me tomorrow I might reverse that.

I looked at your flickr, you have some seriously good stuff there.

Braineack · Oct 3, 2013

I like #2. Agree they are a bit tight in the crop, but the only thing that's bothering me is the distractingly heavily bokeh from the tree.

sashbar · Oct 3, 2013

I like them all. If you send them No1, they will point at the blown upper left corner, With No 2 they may notice distractive bokeh in the upper right, and with No 3 - probably out of focus hair. It would be a tough choice for me, because I know nothing about portraits. I would suggest if No 2 would be not that tightly cropped and if it had a smoother background, it would be the winner here.

I liked your flkr too, a lot of good stuff and one photo there is pure world class.

SoulfulRecover · Oct 3, 2013

Thank you all for the comments. Very helpful to have multiple fresh eyes come in and take the time to look them over. I use a nikon d300 with 50mm lens. If I'm not mistaken they were shot at f/2 and somewhere around 160 at ISO 400. I had a bit of a double reason (sorry for the lack of some way of saying that intelligently. Just woke up) for shooting at 400. I had my nikon fm2 with me and I still don't trust the built in meter so I wanted to see how it came out on the dslr first. When I got the shots loaded up I realized I shot anywhere from a 1/2 stop to a full stop hot. The light meter on the fm2 said it was dead on for two or three of the shots then wanted me to open up a bit more as the sun dropped but I didn't. So we will see how the film comes out. I need to invest in a light meter!!! Haha.

It was a fun shoot though. This was at a tiny little stone archway, fence thing all by its self along a road way on the back side of the neighborhood I grew up in. It's new (the entire area is nothing like it use to be. If you're from austin, it's in round rock and you'll know what I mean)

For the larger DoF I have a great location for it this weekend. Very excited to show you guys that one. As for indoors, I have no idea yet. I'd hate to shoot in my apartment. I'll also get some photos that are not so tightly cropped as well. It is not required for them to be head shots but I felt that was my strongest right off the bat and wanted to ease into the project before pushing myself. Again thank you all for the comments.

sashbar · Oct 3, 2013

If you do not know where to shoot indoors and you live in a big city go to a musem for a larger DoF indoor shoot. Interesting backgrounds and usually good light: architects build museums with that in mind.

SoulfulRecover · Oct 3, 2013

wonderful idea! thank you! there is always very cool exhibits going on at the Blanton Museum of Art in Austin. We could get some great photos and see some cool art. I just saw the Life Like exhibition there a couple weeks ago. Very cool stuff. Blanton Museum of Art: The University of Texas at Austin