Took a pic of this model, what can be improved

[480sparky]

.... as i was capturing him .......

..........I received the image as a raw file...........

Huh?

 

[Soocom1]

Something i learned from a friend who did ALOT of posing.
DON'T FORCE IT!

Allow the model to be natural unless there is a specific intent to the pose. (Showing jewelry or a certain kind of message.) Otherwise, natural stance is the call.

In the photo what I see is an intent to show something that is highly muddled in message.

The first thing to do is ask and that you did.
Now.
The various techniques told to you I would head. But keep in mind that if the intent is just a city scene, develop an intended message of the photo.
What is the end game? What are you looking to express?
Let it evolve from there.

 

[zombiesniper]

I still think you're over your head at this point.
You still haven't learned to take a clean image and get the exposure correct. You NEED to work on this first. Once that is done only then can you really learn about other aspects of taking a good photo. You can have the most interesting subject in the world but if it's underexposed and out of focus you'll still end up with a less than average photo.

If this is your image can you provide the settings used.
Shutter, you stated F4, ISO
Shutter priority, Aperture Priority Manual etc.
Focal length the lens was at.
Metering mode.

I received the image as a raw file, uploaded on imgur and that was what it showed.

Not possible as imgur doesn't allow a raw format.

 

[ph0toe]

I miswritten. To clarified, my camera loads both jpeg and raw. Raw was shown in photoshop when I unloaded it. the pic uploaded was jpeg with no adjustment / filters changed.

I don't remember as I had took several different shots with different settings.
Some shot were at F4, Iso 100-200 at TV
other were shot at iso 100-200 at shutter speed of about 1/500 at AV
for manual, i believe I shot iso 100-200, shutter speed of about 1000 and F4

I had put my af drive to single shooting before moving to Ai focus when subject was moving
focal length was always between 35-50mm

spot metering was used and it was always focused right in the middle capturing the subject eyes.

 

[ph0toe]

Besides the overpowering yellow of the hoodie, the image is tilted; the buildings aren't vertical.

It's underexposed, again probably because of that yellow. If you were using matrix metering, the camera took in the entire scene and averaged the exposure. You'd need a spot meter on his face, I think. Also, focus on his face. I think the face is slightly out of focus, while the logo on the hoodie is pretty sharp.

Generally, this is just a snapshot of your bud in the 'hood.

As for the squint, have him keep his eyes closed while you count down to the shutter. He should open his eyes just as you click the shutter, and his eyes won't have time to react to the light, i.e. squint, before the image is captured.

what do you mean by that?

thanks for the suggestion. I had put the spot meter on his eyes as that is the general rule, weird that the logo was much sharper than the face.

 

[Designer]

spot metering was used and it was always focused right in the middle capturing the subject eyes.

I had put the spot meter on his eyes as that is the general rule, weird that the logo was much sharper than the face.

The camera's light meter spot may or may not be at the focus area. Check the user's manual to find out how to spot meter and select the focus area.

 

[480sparky]

......Generally, this is just a snapshot of your bud in the 'hood....
.....

....what do you mean by that? ...........

Same thing I meant. It's a snapshot. There's nothing posed about this. The guy is standing there, doing something, and you clicked the shutter. Or, someone did.

 

[Sharpshooterr]

obviously i could cropped out the legs as i was capturing him using AI focus. my lowest aperture was 4.0 on the lens, so that's the best i could do with shallow depth of field.

can you critique it, and also give me some pointers for improving this image on software like photoshop?
Imgur
thanks!

Toe, hey at least I got your ball rolling!
Sorry I couldn’t get back very quickly.
You’ve gotten a lot of advice but plenty of it from people that have obviously never shot a model.
First, I’ve only shot a few men so I don’t really know what a good, strong male pose is! LoL
But I’ve shot hundreds of female models so I do know shooting models.
About you’re equipment, f4 at 105 is not so bad. Any longer and you gotta start getting pretty far back for a full body shot like you have.
Remember, a lens produces its strongest out of focus(OOF) backgrounds at its minimum focus distance. So get as close as you can and still have the cropping you want but better to crop it in-camera than later in post. Also since most of this stuff winds up posted on Instagram, make sure you have the room on the sides for either a 1:1 or a 4:5 aspect ratio!!!
Look for a cheap 50mm 1.8 lens, sometimes called a “nifty fifty”, because they are very good and very cheap, like less than a $100 for a used one. That lens can completely obliterate the background if you’re not to far away.
Your pose. The pose is not so bad. It’s a little award looking but with a better crop it’s ok.
The yellow hoodie. If you’re gonna shoot a yellow NB hoodie, well what other color can it be? It HAS to be yellow! LoL
Ask a good portrait photographer and the shot is actually technically quite good. What makes it so? I look at the jacket, the hoodie and the jeans and there is no blowout and I can see all the stitching and the fabric in all of it. That’s a good portrait. Yes the background is busy but at least not loud. The yellow hoodie is very strong and draws our eyes from the busy background to the model. That’s a good thing. Yes the eyes are squinting but that’s just an inexperienced model/photographer. The face is well lit with no strong shadows, that good.
In those situations I give my models a 3 count. They know to open their eyes, suck it in and hold till the lights go off! LoL
Yes I would have picked a better, less busy background. Posing a model is your responsibility, not the model’s. You tell them what you want and the model hopefully executes that. I don’t know anybody that shoots relaxed, everything is posed, even a relaxed look is posed as such.
That look is a little grunge, nothing wrong with that, at least his pants are above his knees, but nothing wrong with that either!!! LoL
If you want I’ll crop it in my phone and post it.
Let’s see if my Instagram link will work, if so, check it out!
instagram @magiclightimages
Glad to help out.
John

 

[Derrel]

A really strong crop makes this a much better picture I looked at it in Snapseed on my phone and cropped it quite heavily and it was much better but then you could more clearly see that the face is not in good Focus

 

[DanOstergren]

I think it's a good start. The styling on your model is interesting and eye catching, and I think it harmonizes well with the location you used. The lighting is good too; I can tell that you were using direct sunlight, which in my opinion is a type of lighting that takes skill in order to utilize well. The exposure looks good to me, and I think you also did a good job using the camera settings to capture enough details in both the subject and the location to capture somewhat of a story. As for editing that could improve the shot, the only thing that I can see that would be improved by editing is to remove the traffic light post that's intersecting with the top of his head. Otherwise I don't think this photo needs much post production; perhaps a crop that cuts off a couple of inches below his fingers for a less awkward composition.

Here are a few of my critiques: As I pointed out before, there is a traffic light post intersecting with the top of his head; in the future try to position yourself and the model in ways so you can use details of a location to frame your subject rather than intersecting with them. That may not apply to every photo, but I think in this case it would have improved the shot.

This image reads to me as a fashion image, and as such I think you could try getting the entire outfit in the frame, head to toe. In this image I feel as if the way that he's cropped at his ankles is awkward and makes for an unpleasant feeling while viewing the photo.

All in all, it's not bad, but it's not great. I think you are going in a good direction though, and the more you shoot the more you're going to develop you skill and vision. As for anyone telling you that you're "in over your head", do not listen to that garbage. Keep up the good work.

 

[ph0toe]

thank you to all for taking their time to write on this post. I welcome all feedback, good or bad.

I think it harmonizes well with the location you used

@DanOstergren, you don't think the background is distracting in the slightest?

position yourself and the model in ways so you can use details of a location to frame your subject rather than intersecting with them.

Can you elaborate more on this? do you mean using rule of thirds to line up areas so subject won't intersect with objects in background?

This image reads to me as a fashion image, and as such I think you could try getting the entire outfit in the frame, head to toe

you nailed it. This was the exact subject I was trying to evoke. Problem is if i fill in the entire outfit in frame it'll show more of the background and the sides leaving the image to appear flat. maybe I'm wrong? I'm working with a full frame camera.



Thank you so much for your positive feedback. Love your work btw!

 

[NGH]

I'm not a portrait photographer and not a fashion photographer either so you can take my thoughts based upon that.
IMO This is an okay image and a good attempt; just getting your first shot with a model done is a big step that many would shy away from.
I agree with some of the other comments that the pose looks odd and I think it's the position of the legs that throws it.
Regarding the background; yes it's busy but if you are after an urban fashion feel it is going to be; I would look carefully though at the verticals of the buildings as they are far from vertical and that is making the whole image skew - some of that can be improved in PS or LR.
It may be worth trying a reflector to bounce some light on his face to reduce the shadows and that would also allow you to face him away from the sun - depending on whether that fits your goal.

As someone else said; it is worth stating what your intention was with a shot that you want critique on and also as much information about the exposure settings and equipment as that will help people help you (you should be able to extract all of that from that data in the file via LR or PS)

 

[ph0toe]

Thanks, I didn't know I could extract the setting from my photo using ps or Ls, I will certaintly keep this in mind next time I post.

I am also taking all your other advices as well. thanks for writing and giving your input!

 

[Christie Photo]

My first reaction was that I didn't know why the photograph was made. Is it meant to be more than a snapshot of a friend while on a walk in the city?

I think the background is soft enough. Zoomed to 105mm, your lens should be fine. The only other way to soften the background with that lens is to move in closer to your model.

I know the commenter above said photoshop doesn't help a poor photograph

What he said was Photoshop will not improve your photography. A photograph can be improved with Photoshop, but not your photography.... your ability to make photographs. Continue to learn to get the results in the camera.

If this is not a photo of the yellow hoodie, then you need to do additional photography.

Try to develop your ability to "see light." This image is lighted with a nearly perfectly flat light source... very much like an on-camera flash. Even IF it's meant to be a shot of the hoodie, you'll communicate more shape and texture with your main light off axis.

Good effort! Enjoy the journey! It's very gratifying as you develop your skill.

-Pete

 

[DanOstergren]

My first reaction was that I didn't know why the photograph was made. Is it meant to be more than a snapshot of a friend while on a walk in the city?

I think the background is soft enough. Zoomed to 105mm, your lens should be fine. The only other way to soften the background with that lens is to move in closer to your model.

I know the commenter above said photoshop doesn't help a poor photograph

What he said was Photoshop will not improve your photography. A photograph can be improved with Photoshop, but not your photography.... your ability to make photographs. Continue to learn to get the results in the camera.

If this is not a photo of the yellow hoodie, then you need to do additional photography.

Try to develop your ability to "see light." This image is lighted with a nearly perfectly flat light source... very much like an on-camera flash. Even IF it's meant to be a shot of the hoodie, you'll communicate more shape and texture with your main light off axis.

Good effort! Enjoy the journey! It's very gratifying as you develop your skill.

-Pete

I disagree about your comment on this being poor lighting. I personally think it's quite good, and was also a well executed use of a difficult to use light source. As for not knowing why the image was taken, the OP has commented saying that this is a fashion image, and to me it translates very much as a fashion image.