High Key Experiment

[kdoc856]

Hi all,

Been working with my favorite model (the only one who will sit for me), and experimenting with a high key look. Would appreciate any thoughts and suggestions. (My wife hates high key, and won't even try to be objective)
Thanks, as always

Kevin

[Maritimer1]

Hi Kevin. I really like this style for little ones. She has beautiful eyes. Do you think there is any way you could tweak her mouth so it is not so dark. It looks a bit harsh. Lucky you to have such a willing and photogenic model

[kdoc856]

Thanks, Myra.
I see what you mean and will play with that a bit. On review, I also see I've lost any detail across the bridge of her nose and nasolabial creases, and really flattened her face. This was taken in a shadowed, overcast setting , but I think the original probably has some shadowing across the nose-back to the drawing board. Your comments are always valued.

Kevin

[woty87]

What a cutie. Kevin, I personally really like high key images. Agree that you could slightly lighten her eyes and mouth. With regards to losing detail and flattening her face, I think it often is a great look for pictures of young children. It make adult portraits look very uninteresting, but that angelic look in babies is hard to beat. Nice image. Regards.

[Dave Humphries]

Hi Kevin,

Things I dislike;
The swing(?) seat support bar
What has already been discussed

Things I like;
The texture in her jumper and hair (view in Lytebox to see this)
The concept

Suggestions;
I'd try a small adjustment of crop as follows (this means it won't be a standard aspect ratio, but 'hey-ho';
1. Crop left edge to put the diagonal bar into the top left corner
2. Crop right edge slightly less than what was done on left
3. Crop lower edge so that angled line goes into the corner

Let me know if those descriptions aren't enough, it wouldn't take long to post an example of what I mean.

A more severe crop, to lose more of the bar, might be in order - except she is looking slightly to her right (our left), so positioning her on say, the left 'third' line, won't work - in my opinion.

Cheers,

[kdoc856]

Thanks, Dave and Don

Am out of town, so will re-edit next week when back. this started out simply as practice at focusing at the apogee of an arc, but the background had nothing to offer and I just started to look for salvage possibilities. I had hoped the chair supports would provide enough of a context to be forgivable, or at least not a significant distraction. Including more of the chair would have gotten me away from the eye and hair emphasis I was shooting for, so I was a bit stuck.

Thanks for viewing and commenting.

Kevin

[codachrome]

I like high key images I like this one....I would have done a tighter crop
just left of her ear and just above the top of the swing which will just keep her hand in
Then I would clone out the swing bar that was left its a distraction to the child.

[Goldcoastgolfer]

Hi Kevin

Just to add to the comments here, I think from my perspective the high key look in combination with the B&W finish takes a bit of the feelng of warmth I want t be getting when I look at your daughter. It's quite probably just me but how does this photo look in colour?

[kdoc856]

Hi, Mal

It looks good in color, at least after I applied some blur to the background. I actually preferred it in color,and was just experimenting with the high key look that I sometimes like and sometimes dont. Was curious as to what others in the community thought and might recommend.

cheers,

Kevin