C&C for portraiture

[bedantabd]

Hi, posting here after a long time. Tried this portraiture of my wife with 50mm prime @ f/4, 1/100 sec, ISO-200. Off-camera external flash (430EX) was used as the only source of light in a totally dark room and flash was set at full power (in camera).

Looking forward for all kinds of comments (technical as well as artistic) for further improvement. PP done in CS5.

Do you suggest a border for a portrait like this?

[Shadowman]

Very nice treatment, would possibly work just as well if full figure pose was taken. You might suggest less of a head twist by having her body positioned a slight turn towards the camera; head positioned as is.

[Downrigger]

I think it is just great - to me is pleasingly composed. I wonder if there's a tad much highlight on forehead and cheeks and whether overall the skin tones could be darkened slightly - at least, maybe, worth some experimentation.
As for border, I wouldn't think that's a question for an image that might be matted and framed, and, generally they are omitted for screen display here, but look forward to edification from more learned opinions on this.

[Marie Hass]

I like the high-key look of this image. Your wife is beautiful. If there is a bit more room just below her fingers?

Agreed with Mark about the skin tones and the border.

Marie

[Digital]

This is a well captured image.


Bruce

[Geoff F]

Basically good but possibly looks just a fraction 'flat' to me. Maybe a very slight increase to the 'contrast' to give a little more in the way of 'sparkle'?

When a white background image is placed on a white screen, as in this case, a subtle border can be helpful. But once the photo is printed and placed inside a display frame it will look different.

[wilgk]

I think it is quite lovely, well done :-)

[John 2]

What is good about this is the pose (hands can be a problem) and the the fact that because the white areas of clothing tend to merge with the BG, you eye automatically goes to colours in the subject. Nice portrait but I do agree with the comments about contrast and about the skin tones.

[Manfred M]

This is a nicely done portrait, but I question your choice of white background, as your subject fades into it because of the white clothing she is wearing. I find that this is the main flaw in the image. A darker background or darker clothing would have fixed this issue. The almost dis-embodied left hand looks quite strange at first glance.

[fotugraphy]

first thought came to my mind what Manfred suggested about the clothing n the background. How about bringing up some soft shadows to the portrait to make it much more dramatic along with the contrast with the cloths n the background. Also you could have asked her to fix the drooping shoulders which wont fit into indian culture as woman portrait in saree.

[bedantabd]

Thanks all for your C&C.

Very nice treatment, would possibly work just as well if full figure pose was taken. You might suggest less of a head twist by having her body positioned a slight turn towards the camera; head positioned as is.

John, next time I shall try a full figure shot. Yes, you are absolutely right about the body position / head twist, need to be corrected in the next shoot.

I think it is just great - to me is pleasingly composed. I wonder if there's a tad much highlight on forehead and cheeks and whether overall the skin tones could be darkened slightly - at least, maybe, worth some experimentation.

Mark, I pushed up the exposure in camera as well as during PP in order to blend her white saree with the white background. This has resulted in slightly overexposed forehead and cheeks as you have mentioned. What will be the best option to selectively reduce the brightness of her face to get a better skin tone without affecting the overall exposure of the image?

“

If there is a bit more room just below her fingers? Marie

Marie, point noted and corrected.

This is a well captured image. Bruce

Thanks Bruce.

Basically good but possibly looks just a fraction 'flat' to me. Maybe a very slight increase to the 'contrast' to give a little more in the way of 'sparkle'?

Geoff, I tried to add some ‘sparkle’ to the image. Any better?

I think it is quite lovely, well done :-)

Thanks Kay.

What is good about this is the pose (hands can be a problem) and the the fact that because the white areas of clothing tend to merge with the BG, you eye automatically goes to colours in the subject. Nice portrait but I do agree with the comments about contrast and about the skin tones.

John, that’s exactly how I wanted to make this portraiture.

This is a nicely done portrait, but I question your choice of white background, as your subject fades into it because of the white clothing she is wearing. I find that this is the main flaw in the image. A darker background or darker clothing would have fixed this issue. The almost dis-embodied left hand looks quite strange at first glance.

Manfred, as I have mentioned above, I wanted her white clothing fade into the white background in order to draw attention to her face. A darker BG or clothing will definitely make the image look different, but that was not my idea. Thanks for your comments.

first thought came to my mind what Manfred suggested about the clothing n the background. How about bringing up some soft shadows to the portrait to make it much more dramatic along with the contrast with the cloths n the background. Also you could have asked her to fix the drooping shoulders which wont fit into indian culture as woman portrait in saree.

Raj, I have increased the contrast slightly but I have already made my point clear about the cloth and the BG. Could you elaborate on your second point about ‘drooping shoulders’, ‘Indian culture’ and ‘woman portrait in saree’? Thanks.

This is a different image (next in the series, taken with exactly the same settings) where I have tried to implement most of your comments. Any better?

[Manfred M]

Bedanta - I now understand that this is the effect that you are after, but I still don't think that it works.

Our eyes are naturally drawn to the brightest areas of the image, and because both the sari and the background are so bright, our eyes are draw to those areas, rather than your wife's face. I think this is actually giving you the opposite effect of what you are trying to achieve. Add to that the way the one hand almost seems to merge with the background, the overall focus is everywhere except where you want it to be.

I have seen shots on pure white backgrounds work quite well for head shots; in fact the well known photographer Peter Hurley has made this his trade-make shot that others have emulated. I think what you have done would work reasonably well, for a headshot, but not in the three-quarter shot you have here.

I'm thinking a bit of the opposite side of things, when portraits of people with dark hair and dark clothes are done against a dark background. Hair lights and rim lights are used in those shots to create separation from the background. That's obviously not something that can be done here, but the analogy of the issue that I see does apply.

[Geoff F]

That second image is looking a lot better to me, Bedanta.

Yes it still has a white background against white clothing but I think there is sufficient difference between the shades of white for it to just work. Besides that, we are now drawn towards her face and hands so it doesn't matter quite so much that part of her clothing almost merges with the background.

The bright green colour actually seems to link between her face and hands.