Little Shepherdess C&C invited

[KimC]

Hi everyone. Here are a few more of the little girl I posted earlier in the week. As mentioned, I am trying to improve my portraits, so would appreciate C&C. Forgot to pull my watermark from a couple, so please ignore that.

*** Open for best view ***

#1 with her sheep herding dog


#2


#3 personally I like the hair over her eye -- she's a very free child and it displays her personality as is


#4 this is different from the image posted earlier this week. Note, I didn't crop from the left, as IMO it brings balance to both sides. I did crop a touch on top and a little at the bottom

[rpcrowe]

Nice coverage. She is a natural in front of the camera but squinting into the sun (#3) is not the best pose. Lovely dog also! I hope its tongue didn't hit your lens

[Marie Hass]

Dear Kim,

These pictures are very endearing. The young lady presents with a certain joie de vivre.

Marie

[DEAN01]

Hi, Kim!
Nice series, very cute child. In number one her smile seems forced and I agree with Richard about number three. I really like the candidness of number two and of course number four is great.

[KimC]

Thanks for the comments Richard - appreciate it. Nope, the lens was safe from the tongue.

Nice coverage. She is a natural in front of the camera but squinting into the sun (#3) is not the best pose. Lovely dog also! I hope its tongue didn't hit your lens

[KimC]

Thank you for your comment Marie. I am so glad that comes across in the images!

Dear Kim,

These pictures are very endearing. The young lady presents with a certain joie de vivre.

Marie

[KimC]

Thank you Dean for your comments. The first image was at the beginning of our session, so we were getting to know each other. She really relaxed as we went on... The 4th image was one of our final images when we were just having fun!

Hi, Kim!
Nice series, very cute child. In number one her smile seems forced and I agree with Richard about number three. I really like the candidness of number two and of course number four is great.

[Shadowman]

Hi Kim,

I like your group portraits, but to better achieve your goal of mastering portraiture I'd suggest sticking to one model. The only reason I say that is your second models are overshadowing the other. Portrait #3 relies solely on the charm of the little girl and it is a bit easier for us to judge your efforts.

You did a good job handling the shadows and the direct sunlight isn't causing your model to squint. The slanting background adds a bit of energy to the composition. I noticed what looks like a second figure's shadow to the right of the girl.

[KimC]

Hmmmmm John, you raise an interesting point, which made me realize the following - I seldom make pictures of people without there being something important to them in the image (animal, another person, etc). I hadn't really realized that until I read your comment. I also never thought of the animal competing with them, as they are something important in the individual's life. That being said, I do understand your point.

Hi Kim,

I like your group portraits, but to better achieve your goal of mastering portraiture I'd suggest sticking to one model. The only reason I say that is your second models are overshadowing the other. Portrait #3 relies solely on the charm of the little girl and it is a bit easier for us to judge your efforts.

You did a good job handling the shadows and the direct sunlight isn't causing your model to squint. The slanting background adds a bit of energy to the composition. I noticed what looks like a second figure's shadow to the right of the girl.

[TonyW]

These are very nice. What I specially like is the intimate feeling of the relationship between the girl and the animals, and to me that is a good reason for showing the variety. The squinting in #3 perhaps should have been avoided but even that is somehow part of the character.

The proportion if the first image showed up wrongly to me until I opened it in Lytebox. There seems to be a continuing glitch in the system.

[KimC]

Thank you for your feedback Tony - I appreciate it.

These are very nice. What I specially like is the intimate feeling of the relationship between the girl and the animals, and to me that is a good reason for showing the variety. The squinting in #3 perhaps should have been avoided but even that is somehow part of the character.

The proportion if the first image showed up wrongly to me until I opened it in Lytebox. There seems to be a continuing glitch in the system.

[IzzieK]

My favourite here is #2... the rest of the comments I wanted to point out was already expressed by John (Shadowman)...so +1 to his comments.

[KimC]

Thanks for your comments Izzie.

My favourite here is #2... the rest of the comments I wanted to point out was already expressed by John (Shadowman)...so +1 to his comments.

[William W]

. . . Here are a few more of the little girl I posted earlier in the week. As mentioned, I am trying to improve my portraits, so would appreciate C&C.

A few points of comment, which you might consider.

Frame 01:

“Portraiture” - The child is the PORTRAIT SUBJECT, yet the Dog overshadows her: in size; proximity to camera; height in frame and (most distractingly) occupies an huge area of image canvass with its tongue.

Sure, it’s a great shot of “a young sparkly girl with a fun dog” but as a “Portrait” - it somewhat fails to draw the VIEWER’S EYE to the Young Girl – the Viewer's Eye is overwhelmed by the dog.

For a Portrait of the Girl . . . and her Dog – I’d suggest you get her a bit closer to the camera than the Dog, have the Dog a little lower than her, sure if the dog has a big tongue, that’s great – grab the shot, but it will still be a “portrait” and the young Girl will be dominant and the dog will be the Prop.

I couldn’t understand, when I opened it up and viewed it big, why it looked a bit soft to me, there seems an huge DoF – and there is, but it appears that you’ve pulled the shot at 1/100s and there is certainly a bit of Subject Movement going on in the Girl’s Head and also the Dog. Notice how much sharper the fruit on the Girl’s dress is, compared to her eyes and the Dog’s coat. 1/320s would be much safer for that shot.

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Frame 02:

Good composition. Contra to the comment about the Dog in Frame 01, the Animal in this shot is a well positioned Prop. The young Girl’s arm leads the Viewer’s Eye up to the very large head of the Animal and then back along the triangle of the Animal’s Head to the Girl’s Face. The Dark of the barn (camera right) emphasises and concentrates the Viewer’s Eye on the well lit, Girl’s Face.

I am now checking all EXIF on these and I note that 1/100s was again used – well - you got away with it this time. It’s a substantially crisp Available Light shot. Well done. But I’d re-iterate as part of the CC, that 1/100s is not ‘safe’ for that shot.

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Frame 03:

The lower camera vantage point works well. The skew of the wooden wall planks offset to her slight lean works well also. That all adds up to an interesting and good composition for the Portrait. I think she is too close to the wall, the proximity of her shadow is a little distracting.

I don’t like the crop/framing on her L.Arm (Camera Right). Typically we’d avoid an elbow crop especially if the limb is a vertical or horizontal. It is too abrupt.

No comment on the hair over the eye – one way or the other it is part of the personality that you want to capture. It would work either way artistically.

Her eyes (face) are softer than the red ‘heart buttons’ on her dress. If that is a Full Frame crop, I reckon you’ve got about 10” DoF and the camera has nailed focus on her chest. Note, with that camera angle, her eyes would be a several inches behind those buttons.

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Frame 04:

The composition works, but arguably better if she were either standing a tad more forward -nearer the Prop's head, or had a direct or indirect connection with the Prop – she could have her L.Hand on the animal or her eyes looking at it.

The downward head tilt works well combined with the crossed legs, the boots are a bonus, providing an aspect of confidence and also a controlled impishness – which adds a likeable, inviting and warm dimension to the Portrait.

The leading knee is distracting. For that pose, with the R.Hip forward and the Torso and Hips at ⅛ Profile, it is better to cross the R. Leg beginning with the R.Foot from a THIRD POSITION, which will render the R.Knee pointing slightly outwards (toward Camera Left) and make a nice triangle: what we have in this shot is straight line of the leading leg and a firm ‘lump’ at the knee point, which is distracting.

The crop could be enhanced. There is too much headroom and not enough floor. The light area at Camera Left is distracting: I suggest you consider this crop as an example to create more emphasis and fewer peripheral distractions:



WW

[KimC]

A huge thank you Bill, the detail of your comments on each image is not only valuable to me, but I'm sure to other members as well. I wasn't understanding why some of the images were not considered a portrait as is, but after reviewing your comments, I now understand.

Thank you for taking the time to comment in such a helpful way.

A few points of comment, which you might consider.
WW

[William W]

Yes, there are many interpretations of "Portrait". I like to keep it simple. Keeping it simple allows a wide breadth of the Genre.

"Portrait" is the rendering of the likeness of a person.

Then, there are many sub-genres of Portrait Photography.

I think it is creatively limiting (and also incorrect) to view a "Portrait" as only the half-shot 1/4 Profile using a 135mm lens on a 135 Format camera.

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I hope you haven't mistaken my commentary. Each of your Frames 1 to 4 is indeed a "Portrait of a Child" and Frames 01, 02, and 04, have animals as Props for the Main Portrait Subject.

For clarity, my meaning was apropos Frame 01 - it simply doesn't work all that well as "A Portrait", because the Prop is just too big and overpowering, for the main Subject.

WW