Senior photo

RDTague_Studios · Jan 3, 2012

Give me your thoughts on this shot, particularly the cropping. I have went back and forth on my thoughts. On one hand, I don't like the tight cropping in front of her. But, on the other hand, if I would have had more - space in front of her, the horse would have been touching, or to close, the left edge.

MLeeK · Jan 3, 2012

The first thing I noticed is that the horse has blue tints to him.
My problem with the crop isn't the right to left things, it's the cut off horse. I know the photo is about HER, but it's about her AND her horse. You've chopped the horse in the middle of the chest. It doesn't balance so well because of it.

BlackSheep · Jan 3, 2012

Did you have the chance to shoot it vertical too? It might have worked better that way, especially if the horse had turned it's head more to the right at the same time (if the horse was co-operating, of course. They don't always do that).

Robin Usagani · Jan 3, 2012

You need to put her in the sun. Putting the subject in the shadow with the background lit by the sun is typically a bad idea.

kundalini · Jan 3, 2012

Your subject is underexposed.

Although you have done a wonderful job of separation of subject-to-background, I don't believe that her wardrobe choice was the best in this scene. There is little contrast between the two IMO.

RDTague_Studios · Jan 7, 2012

BlackSheep said:
Did you have the chance to shoot it vertical too? It might have worked better that way, especially if the horse had turned it's head more to the right at the same time (if the horse was co-operating, of course. They don't always do that).

I did shoot a few portraits, however, as most animals do, either his head was in the way or 1 ear forward and 1 back, etc., etc., etc. This was one of the best shots with her actually on the horse.

Schwettylens said:
You need to put her in the sun. Putting the subject in the shadow with the background lit by the sun is typically a bad idea.

This was the only place to shoot. The only spot that had clear sun also had junk in the background. Even a wide aperture couldn't remove the distracting junk...I tried. And, if you've ever photographed horses with riders for portraits, flash isn't really the best idea. Unless it's an old nag that just don't care about anything.((Old nag, refering to the horse:mrgreen

Robin Usagani · Jan 7, 2012

I didn't suggest a flash. Just move further back into the sun ( sun behind her withe the same background). I think the crop on this photo is good the way it is.

RDTague_Studios · Jan 7, 2012

Schwettylens said:
I didn't suggest a flash. Just move further back into the sun ( sun behind her withe the same background). I think the crop on this photo is good the way it is.

Yeah. The sun was behind her. Unfortunately, as low as the sun was, and as many trees as it was shinning through, it was so spotty there was no place to get consistent light. I don't like shooting into the sun, however, they just "Had to have 1 with her and her horse!" ((It didn't help matters that it took an extra 1/2 hr to get the horse "ready". Which let the sun creep down farther than I intended when the time for her shoot was set.))

Like most customers. They don't look at the tech aspect of the image. They liked this one the most of the "horse included" photos. And of course ordered a 24x36 to hang above the mantle. Definitely, not my choice!

Diddy2theJJ · Jan 9, 2012

One other suggestion that might have worked well is to have her standing beside the horse's head and have her arm underneath his head petting him on the other side of his face with her head kind of leaning on his a little bit....this would make their heads closer together and more along the same height so it would be more like a portrait of two people...if that makes sense.