Recent Sr sessions

ronlane · Mar 22, 2016

Here are a few images from a couple of recent senior sessions that I completed this month.

1)

2)

3)

tirediron · Mar 22, 2016

Nice work on the lighting on these, Ron! #3 is a standout shot ('though I wish it had a bit more room all around). #1, while nicely lit just seems a bit 'odd' to me, in that The lighting and her expression are great, but the background gives it a very 'snap-shot' feel.

ronlane · Mar 22, 2016

Thanks John. I agree with #3, I needed about another 3-4 feet to back up to get that one framed perfectly. I just like the conversion and the way him and his dog are looking at the camera.

#1 was an experiment of sorts (the location) and the background is the reason that it got a b&w conversion. I won't be going back to that spot for portraits, it wasn't worth the time we spent there. But as you said the lighting and expression were what got me on this one.

ronlane · Mar 22, 2016

Here are a couple of others from different locations.

4)

5)

6)

tirediron · Mar 22, 2016

I really like the expression you've captured in the last one, Ron.

ronlane · Mar 22, 2016

Thanks. That may be my favorite image from this session.

goooner · Mar 22, 2016

I'm not a portrait photographer, but I think these are nice. Except maybe for the yellow line through her head in 4...

Derrel · Mar 22, 2016

goooner said:
I'm not a portrait photographer, but I think these are nice. Except maybe for the yellow line through her head in 4...

Interesting that you'd mention this because I thought #4 was extremely clever lenswork, with the wall leading into the frame, and then the double-overlap, at head and wrist area. The line doesn't go through the head...the head overlaps the yellow line, adding a tremendous feeling of depth. I also like the highlighted, windblown hair, and the way the jacket almost comes to the edge of the shadow. To me #4 shows really good photographic instincts, and wonderful highlights on the hair, and soft, open shadow. I would consider cloning out that "V" shadow on the ground though. I thought #4 was really clever use of everything in the frame, really a clever, 3-D composition.

In shot #1, I think the street lamp might be better if it were cloned out.

Expression #6...I really do not like that expression, which I find disquieting, enigmatic, difficult to decode.

I saw the boy and dog and old truck shot the other day on Facebook...thought it was framed a bit too tightly, did not like the head being cropped into in that semi-wide sort of a composition, but it does have a good core to it. I would be tempted to punch it up a lot more, and make the lighting more contrasty, make the highlighted area brighter, and boost the shadow-side punch. But I do like the core elements: old truck, window, dog, kid looking good, tree as background, good sky for B&W, lower camera angle.

Something interesting I think when looking at pictures of people is how the shot looks when it is seen small, as a thumbnail, and how it looks seen larger and in higher detail.

vintagesnaps · Mar 22, 2016

I agree about the first one, and converting to B&W doesn't fix a photo that needs improvement - if anything it might be accentuating that dark pole against the lighter sky. You needed to change your vantage point and see if you could get a better background in the shot.

I think in #2 she looks nice but the hair and jacket somewhat blend together and against darker brown just seems rather drab (maybe the camera exposed for that brighter bit of sky?).

The third one is nice, it might have helped to think about the hood up and either get it in the picture or walk around and change the vantage point so there isn't just a part of it in the frame. I agree it's a little tight but overall good.

The background is kind of a mess in #4 and 5, too many lines with shadows from a railing, the yellow painted lines; she's standing in a huge crack in the pavement with grass and dirt. And in #4 look at her hair flying around, she looks better in #5. The last one is lovely, the background's rather dark but the gate makes for a nice background for her.

I think mostly you seem to have engaged well with the subjects, and have them posed nicely. You seem to have gotten some personality in the photos and had some good ideas for the photos.

I would work on the backgrounds. It might help to go out to some locations and look - take photos of the scenes, think about where you might have someone stand, and how will that look? I've noticed in your sports photos that you seem to do a lot of zooming so I'd try learning and practicing how to adjust your vantage point. You sometimes may need to adjust when you get there - the first one didn't work, and you might have been able to move a step or two and get a better background - but you needed to see it in your viewfinder before taking the picture.

You have talent, I'd just try to be more aware of backgrounds and think about vantage points and how to adjust when needed.