Senior Beach Portrait

vipgraphx · Dec 22, 2015

Hello all, first happy holidays!!

We took my daughter out to the pacific beach for a senior portrait photo shoot. I used an off camera flash to the left and I used a gold reflector on the right. This is one photo that we really liked but it is our daughter and we so we are probably bias. I have never taken portraits at a beach and had no idea what to expect or try to do. Living in the desert it was a change and I feel there is a lot to learn. However it was a fun day for my daughter and coming back sorting through nearly 200 photos.

I have two versions of this one and having a hard time deciding on which one I like best. I was wanting to ask your thoughts on this photo.

1)

1 by VIPGraphX, on Flickr

2)

2 by VIPGraphX, on Flickr

critiques welcome !

tirediron · Dec 22, 2015

Nicely done! I like the overall look and feel of the image very much; just a couple of minor nits: One, the horizon is wayyyy out of level (easily fixed), and the pier is forming a leading line which is pulling my eye away from the subject and out of the image.

desertrattm2r12 · Dec 22, 2015

Senior portraits have come a long way from the days I remember, back when cars had tail fins. The question is how does your daughter and her friends like them? I think they are nice.

Derrel · Dec 22, 2015

Today's senior girls want to look 25 years old. These shots accomplish that goal. I pulled both of these rather small files into LR and did a few dodges on the eye sockets, the highlighted strip of hair, and above the eyebrows, the cheekbone, and the nose line and the shadowed side of the face, just to reveal a bit more information. I did shot #1, which was my preference of the two, as a fairly natural-lookingt one, and took the second shot into Lightrooms "aged photo", with a bit of dodging in the shadows but also some on the dress highlights, and also painted on some lightening on the highlights on the waves.

I think your choice of location, and your lighting looks really good. These are fine portraits! I would wait a week or so to do the edit, with a fresher eye and a bit more separation from the shooting time itself.

First image, rotated a bit, eyes, brow ridges,nose line,cheekbone all dodged to revael more shape. Dodge on the dress bottom, other tiny places.

Second image, taken in the Lightroom Aged Photo direction: same dodging as above on face, but also some on arm and more on dress.

STRONG posing and lighting mean shots like these can be easily manipulated/color-toned in many ways. Good job on these! Very nice, classy too.

vipgraphx · Dec 23, 2015

Thanks for the feedback! Yes I agree with the kids these days. They all want to be older when she was 16 People always asked me if she was 18. she just turned 18 This month and it's hard to see her grow up.

rlemert · Dec 23, 2015

I prefer the second of the two original images for several reasons. The brown 'foam' behind her, for example, and the blue foam in front both seem to be more 'natural' looking. The blue also looks a little more like she's standing on a cloud.

The big thing, though, is that she appears darker to me in the first one, but 'brighter' in the second. Maybe it's just the contract between the bright sky and her skin.