Rip it apart. It will only make me better.

arfeliciano21

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I have been messing around with some casual portraits. My son is usually the subject since he's so photogenic. I would love some C&C. Same picture just color and black and white. I really like taking photos of people and want to get better. Let me know what you think! Thanks in advance.:thumbup:
1.braxton Christmas 11' by arfeliciano21, on Flickr
2.braxton Christmas 11' b&w by arfeliciano21, on Flickr
 
Cute little guy, but he doesn't look very happy at the moment you took this. I'm not a big fan of the straight on mug shot with shoulders squared. Angles give the face some depth and character. I think had you moved to your right a bit you could have still kept the tree in the shot, but his head would have turned enough to keep the left eye in the shot but give you the angles that would be more pleasing. I think the little head turn also would have added some shadowing to the face which also would have given a more pleasing look to it, instead it has a flat looking light.

At least you have a captive littlle model... until he learns the word no. lol
 
Haha thanks for the critique. I'll keep that in mind next time I shoot.
 
Did you change the color profile of #1 to sRGB for the web?

It looks dull and greeny on my screen but the original looks fine.
 
No the only thing I did was adjust the curves a slight bit. For some reason his outfit had a hint of violet in it or something I was trying to get that out.
 
I think the lighting on the face is good; nice light in those big eyes. The expression doesn't bother me, it's just different from a standard happy portrait, and maybe more interesting.

The white part of the hat is kinda blown on my monitor. I always tried to avoid white clothes and backgrounds when doing portraits. Of course, if you want a Santa hat, you have no choice of color!

The other thing I notice is that the tree is not quite in, but not quite out, of focus.
 
Thanks the house had lots of windows and a lot of indirect sunlight which worked on my part. I also used the on camera flash and a home made diffuser.
 
It's a great sharp shot. The black and white doesn't work as you have removed all the contrast in the shot. I have used silver efex pro to bring a little more out. I've also done a square crop as the tree isn't adding much


boy santa for cc by singingsnapper, on Flickr
 
It would be best when you submit images for C & C to keep the EXIF information intact (dn't use save for the web)

It appears you shot the image using a fairlywide angle lens, which distorts the face and isn't recommended for a close up Head and shoulders portrait. Notice how it makes the hat look bigger than the head because it is slightly closer to the camera. Move back a bit and zoom in and it will be more flattering to your subject. It's OK for a baby, but do it on a woman and they will be screaming at you that you made them look fat
 
I agree more contrast really brings the photo to life. I like the square crop, I never know when it's best to use it though.
 
It's a great sharp shot. The black and white doesn't work as you have removed all the contrast in the shot. I have used silver efex pro to bring a little more out. I've also done a square crop as the tree isn't adding much


boy santa for cc by singingsnapper, on Flickr

I think processing can be a personal taste thing. I prefer the OP's BW to the contrasty look above. To me, the OP's has a most softer transition of tone which suits the look of a baby's skin.

In the colour pic I would agree with The_Traveler that there appears to be a green cast. Might want to check your monitor calibration if it looks good on your home machine. The lights are just started to develop a bit of bokeh. It might be nice to control your lens to enhance that aspect of the image.
 
I think that next time, for a baby, get down to the same height take the shot straight on. Not camera slightly above the height of the baby or tilted down toward the baby for a face filled shot like this. Babies are OK to shoot straight on, you do not need to angle them as you normally would for other portraiture.
 

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