Two of the Mrs.

[Eclectix]

My wife needed a couple of portraits for a business website. I'm not very practiced at portraiture, but I gave it a shot using my limited experience. C&C are very welcome.





(ETA: Okay, technically she needed one portrait. I ended up with a couple of them.)

 

[limr32 1]

I don't know a whole lot about portraiture either, but I prefer the first one. The smile looks more natural. The lighting in the second one seems just a tad harsh. But again, I'm not practiced in portrait lighting so that might be what's in right now. And if it is, then I'd still say it seems a bit harsh

 

[mmaria]

The second for me
Can you take her portrait again? of course you can, it's your wife
Her expression on both photographs is great but posing is not.
Pose in the second is more flattering for her. Don't shoot straight forward or bellow on people, it is hardly flattering for anyone.
Also she would benefit more if you shoot slightly from above.
There are reasons for what I said but my english is a bit off right now, didn't drink my morning coffee yet

omg there are three smilies here... sorry

 

[tirediron]

First of all, what sort of business and what image do you want to project? That is: Do you want to show a position of authority, a position of equality, or one of subordination? A camera angle looking down on the subject places the viewer in a superior position, a level angle places both viewer and subject on an equal plane (image #1), and a low position (second image) places the subject in a superior position.

As mentioned, don't shoot with the subject square to the camera ('football shoulders') and have them tip their head forward slightly rather than back. Both of your images are slightly under-exposed, and really need a fill light (either strobe or reflector) to bring some light and life into the eyes.

Watch your backgrounds, and ideally pick a background relevant to the job/business/situation, and failing that, one with minimal distractions. Both of these images are okay, but a five minute re-shoot and a little more attention to detail and you could have a great shot.

Just my $00.02 worth - your mileage may vary.

~John

 

[Eclectix]

Great input, thanks everyone!

About the shoulders; does anyone have suggestions for when their subject keeps readjusting themselves absentmindedly? My wife had to be constantly repositioned because she just wanted to face the camera straight-on with her body. Maybe all I need is more practice so that the gear becomes second-nature, and then I can focus more on the pose of the subject? Once I explained that the straight-on shoulders will make her look more masculine, she seemed to remember a little better to keep them where I directed, but I think she was distracted by mosquitoes. Probably not the ideal location last weekend; mosquitoes have never been a problem there before, but we've had record rains lately.

My goal was to shoot straight-on. Professional but approachable is what I was after- she is starting her own business in sales and this is for her website and cards, so she doesn't want to look subordinate, but neither does she wish to look intimidating. A combination of confidence and amiability is the ideal.

I had her sitting for the first shot and adjusted the tripod to be about even with her. The second photo was with her standing, and unfortunately she is simply taller than my tripod! I didn't really think much about it at the time, probably because I was feeling rushed (she hates mosquitoes with an unusual verve and just wanted to be done with the entire shoot) but it's something to bear in mind for the future.

I think I need a new strobe. I used the same strobe at the same setting in the same location and got a variety of exposures with it. I got it secondhand with my previous camera and it's an off-brand with minimal features, some of which I know do not function properly. I suppose that will go on my ever-expanding Christmas list.

If I can convince her that it's worth it, I'll try another photo shoot at a different location. Good suggestion about it relating to her business; it gives me some ideas too. She seems happy enough with these pictures, though, and doesn't really enjoy being photographed- she just sort of tolerates it when it's necessary. This is probably one of the reasons I'm not more practiced at photographing people. I'll have to use a hard sell if I want her to do it again anytime real soon. But then, Christmas isn't too far around the corner; maybe I can use that angle.