Tiffany

[NewGuy12]

My First Shoot ever. Give it to me, I know I'm a green bean. That's why I am here.

 

[jwbryson1]

My First Shoot ever. Give it to me, I know I'm a green bean. That's why I am here.

My issues with this shot are the following:

1. Background is a bit distracting;
2. That round stump/rock looking thing on the left completely draws my attention away from the girl, whom I assume is the subject of the photo?
3. The leaves on her head are distracting;
4. Fill flash would be helpful here.
5. The downward angle doesn't compliment her.
6. Really more "snapshottish" than a solid "photograph" of a model.

YMMV.

 

[Big Mike]

My first thought is...why is she such a small percentage of the image & why is there so much background? If the photo is supposed to be about the person/model, then don't be afraid to get in close and fill more of the frame with them. In this case, there is a lot of background and it's distracting attention away from the girl.

The lighting is nice, although I think it's a little under exposed.

 

[tirediron]

A couple of things strike me: (1) When you have a model this attractive, why is there so little of her in the frame? (2) Far too much DoF, which has resulted in a almost all of the image being in focus, and drawing the eye away from teh subject, and (3) She is somewhat under-exposed. I would try a reshoot, use a longer focal length and larger aperture (smaller F#) and orient the camera vertically to include more of the model.

 

[NewGuy12]

Thank you for your input, all of you. I see what you are saying about "Not enough of her in the frame." I know I am a glutton for punishment but, here is another one of her same day, different angle. Better?

 

[amolitor]

There's a couple excellent reasons this is a better angle.

 

[amolitor]

More seriously, I like the second on better because the light's a lot more interesting (although her face is still shadowed), the frame is far less cluttered, and the pose is more interesting.

 

[jwbryson1]

Needs flash (and you might consider using some lighting on the girl too!).

 

[jwbryson1]

Get rid of the vignetting.

 

[Big Mike]

The second is better in that the girl is clearly the subject of the photo and the background is not distracting at all.

That being said, this one is even more underexposed than the first one. Sure, the sky is nice and blue, but the subject of the photo (the girl) is severely underexposed. As the photographer, you have the choice...and you should usually favor the subject over the background. And if you want good exposure of the subject and the background, then you need to learn to use light to get that done. A reflector or a flash could have helped in this case.

The really low angle is interesting...is certainly shows off her...assets. But that is typically an angle that isn't flattering to people's faces. We can barely tell (by the face) that it's the same girl...she look much, much prettier in the first one.

I also agree that the vignette is too strong. A good vignette is usually one that can only be detected by someone who is looking for it...it should be subtle, not so much 'in your face'.

 

[Designer]

O.K., let's try to find a less-cluttered background. Ordinary foliage will work fine if it is out of focus. The way you do that is to increase the distance that the model is in front of the background.

Then, hold the camera in portrait format for this type of shot. Try to frame your model's head and upper torso. If the frame is larger when you shoot, that's usually o.k., because it will give you some crop room later.

Then, get some additional light on her face. You can use the built-in flash, but that is not ideal, so get an inexpensive reflector for outdoor daytime shooting. Or better yet, get a speedlight and a cord that will allow you to get the flash some distance from the camera.

Hold the camera level, steady, and about the same height as her chin and focus on her eyes.

Apparently you don't need to coach your model, so just let her be herself.

 

[NewGuy12]

O.K., let's try to find a less-cluttered background. Ordinary foliage will work fine if it is out of focus. The way you do that is to increase the distance that the model is in front of the background.

Then, hold the camera in portrait format for this type of shot. Try to frame your model's head and upper torso. If the frame is larger when you shoot, that's usually o.k., because it will give you some crop room later.

Then, get some additional light on her face. You can use the built-in flash, but that is not ideal, so get an inexpensive reflector for outdoor daytime shooting. Or better yet, get a speedlight and a cord that will allow you to get the flash some distance from the camera.

Hold the camera level, steady, and about the same height as her chin and focus on her eyes.

Apparently you don't need to coach your model, so just let her be herself.

This is not only great advice, but a nice walk through! Amazing help and insight here. I really appreciate everyone's input. I am taking notes for my next session with her this Wed. Another outdoors shoot, different location. Thank you so much for the help.

 

[DiskoJoe]

Pretty girl, horrible background. Find a background that compliments her and do it again.

 

[DiskoJoe]

Thank you for your input, all of you. I see what you are saying about "Not enough of her in the frame." I know I am a glutton for punishment but, here is another one of her same day, different angle. Better?

View attachment 21126

Horrible angle. This angle give her a double chin that she obviously does not have. Shame on you.

 

[Jon0032]

Horrible angle. This angle give her a double chin that she obviously does not have. Shame on you.

Haha. Sad to agree but so true. It's been said here before but it can't be repeated enough. Lower angles never do anyone good no matter how good looking they are. It will always bunch up the chin and make everyone look fat.