Took a pic of this model, what can be improved

[ph0toe]

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!

 

[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!

Hey toe, are your posts real? I don’t wanna put time into answers if you’re just trolling?!
SS

 

[ph0toe]

Hi Sharpshooterr.

Yes, my posts are real. I subscribe to this forum because I thoroughly want to learn and hone my photography skills, not troll. What is even the point of that.
Anyways, I realized some my post could be interpreted otherwise, but I promise I mean well. This post I definitely want image critiquing & feedback. thanks!

 

[Braineack]

Photoshop will not improve your photography.

 

[480sparky]

OK, you asked.

Awkward pose. Yellow sweater with hoodie is too overpowering. Face is dark. Background is busy. Black coat is too small. Lighting is harsh. Eyes are squinting.

In short, it looks like a "This is my buddy in the city" snapshot.

 

[Derrel]

The urban background is extremely busy. If you really want to improve this I would select him and feather the selection about 3 pixels and then do a radial blur on the background, in an effort to sublimate the backgrounds busy-ness. A better idea would be to reshoot with a smoother background with fewer distractions.

 

[ph0toe]

OK, you asked.

Awkward pose. Yellow sweater with hoodie is too overpowering. Face is dark. Background is busy. Black coat is too small. Lighting is harsh. Eyes are squinting.

In short, it looks like a "This is my buddy in the city" snapshot.

Thanks!!

Will a lower aperture help with a busy background?

How should the model pose?

As far as the choice of attire, is it a dealbreaker?

Will lowering the contrast on the hoodie help?
Will upping the exposure on face help?

I know the commenter above said photoshop doesn't help a poor photograph, so I guess what can i do to get a better photograph?

The subject was facing the sun which was the best way to lit the face. My camera read the correct exposure meter???

 

[ph0toe]

The urban background is extremely busy. If you really want to improve this I would select him and feather the selection about 3 pixels and then do a radial blur on the background, in an effort to sublimate the backgrounds busy-ness. A better idea would be to reshoot with a smoother background with fewer distractions.

Thanks, I will try this. Is a lower aperture the only way to blur a busy background pre post?

 

[Derrel]

Yes a wider aperture opening such as 2.8 or f/2 would help, and a longer lens focal length would narrow the background area behind the subject and would help to defocus the background.

 

[ph0toe]

my lens go up to 105mm. Will i need something longer than that?

 

[480sparky]

Both a longer focal length and a wider aperture, if possible, will help defocus the background.

 

[Designer]

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?

Poor pose, poor background, poor exposure, yellow is saturated to the ends of the earth, But other than that, it has possibilities.

If you want to blur the background more when using f/4, then allow for more physical separation between your subject and the background. Also, by choosing a different background, such as trees, for instance, it will be less distracting.

Did Imgur apply some strange "art" filter or what happened? The man appears to be somewhat underexposed, yet his yellow hoodie is in command. Why is that? If you want to fiddle with this shot in photoshop, decrease the yellow.

 

[ph0toe]

Thanks! Do you know how much distance should be in place between subject and foreground? a ft , 2ft? or does it depend on the lens used?

I received the image as a raw file, uploaded on imgur and that was what it showed. The hoodie worn was quite bright, so it might just be that.

 

[Designer]

Thanks! Do you know how much distance should be in place between subject and foreground? a ft , 2ft? or does it depend on the lens used?

I received the image as a raw file, uploaded on imgur and that was what it showed. The hoodie worn was quite bright, so it might just be that.

I cannot simply tell you how much distance, without knowing everything else about the shoot, but you can get that information by consulting a DOF calculator, which you can find online.

If you consider all the factors involved in producing blur (both background and foreground) you will see that distance from camera to subject is one factor, and distance from the subject (the part that is in focus) to the background is another factor.

To increase blur in the background, have the background farther away.

Yes, it does somewhat depend on the lens, because both focal length and aperture are involved.

You received this as a raw file. Did you do the photography yourself? Is this your photograph? Did your camera not generate a jpeg file as well? Most cameras will generate a jpeg, even one that is embedded within the Raw file so it becomes viewable. People cannot "see" a Raw file, so that is why there is a jpeg in it.

You have inferred that you had not seen the image until you uploaded it to imgur. Did I understand you correctly? How did you acquire the raw file?

If the highly-saturated yellow color of the garment was simply that bright, why are not all colors equally as saturated? In other words, the other colors in the photograph are somewhat muted compared to the yellow.

 

[wfooshee]

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.