Some portraits from a new boy

[Gerry F]

All taken with Sony A7R2 using FE 24-70 F/2.8 GM

DSC03926 by gerald fraser, on Flickr

DSC03855 by gerald fraser, on Flickr

DSC00876 by gerald fraser, on Flickr

DSC03923 by gerald fraser, on Flickr

[Urbanflyer]

Welcome--It will be nice to see the progress of your work !

[Gerry F]

Thanks. Hope there will indeed be progress. Any suggestions?

[davidedric]

Hi Gerry,

few thoughts from me, bearing in mind I'm not a portrait photographer.

I think #1 is the strongest image. I like the framing, though you could crop a little of the left, and the use of depth of field to get good subject separation.

In #2, the man is too central. I suggest cropping from one side or the other to move him nearer to the 1/3 line. I think probably from the left, even though the foliage isn't that interesting, so that he is more or less looking out.

In #3, lovely smile, but the busy background on the left is very distracting. You could certainly crop a little from the left, but you need to reduce the impact of those bars. I think a vignette would help,too.

#4 is interesting, but I'm not sure. Leave to others to comment.

Hope this helps, Dave

[rpcrowe]

Generally, I would opt that a closer crop in several cases would improve some already nice images...

BTW: When posting several images, numbering these images would help in identifying the comments...

I won't discuss #1, Dave has already done that

After making my comments, I realized that it might be advantageous to illustrate what I was getting at. I hope you don't mind me posting these. By the way, crops are purely in the mind of the beholder and are not meant to be the absolute only way to display the images.

I will agree with Dave that the man in image #2 is too central. I would crop quite a bit from image left and just a TAD from the top This would result in an image with about 1:1 proportions.


I love the absolutely warm and welcoming smile of the lady in #3. I would think about cropping quite a bit from image left (say just outside her hand that is holding the railing) and a bit from the top right below the pipe or conduit on the wall...


I would do an extensive crop of image left on #4 to eliminate the bright spot (Is it a reflection on a window pane?) behind the man. I'd also open the shadow at the rear of his head just a TAD. This is my favorite image because it shows (IMO) strength and character. Whether he is one or not, I think that I might title this image, "Sabra".


BTW: How do you like your A7Rii. I could almost be convinced to get an A7iii but, I am waiting to see what the expected Sony 6700 (or whatever they are going to call the sequel to the 6500), the Canon 7D3 and the full frame Canon mirrorless will be like. I don't think that I could afford what I guess the price of the full frame Canon mirrorless would be but, with some strategic sales of equipment I presently own, I "might" just be able to afford an A7iii, a Sony A6700, or a Canon 7D Mark 3. I noticed an A7iii on my local craigslist.com for $700 USD. However it is described in "good" condition and I can imagine the shape a two thousand dollar camera that is presently in production and selling for $700 might be. So I passed over that one..

[Shadowman]

Nice shots.

[Manfred M]

Overall you have created a nice set of images here, but there are a few things that jump out at me right away. In the future would you mind numbering or titleing your shots as it makes it far easier to identify them.

1. Image of woman with cigarette - two things jump out with this image. The first is the direction that she is facing; she is looking out of the frame and had she been looking into it, the image would likely have been stronger. The other issue that I see is the awkward “amputation” of her left arm. Had you shown the whole arm including the elbow, the continuity of that body part would have been there.

2. B&W of man in the doorway. I agree with Richard’s direction. To quote the great photojournalist, Robert Capa. “If your picture isn’t good enough, you’re not close enough”. There is to much material in the image other than your subject.

3. Old Woman - in my view, this is the strongest image of the set. There appears to be a while balance issue, but I am not on my computer right now, but am viewing it on my iPad, so I can be 100% certain. The fingers that have been cut off at the bottom of the frame should have been included.


4. Man with hat - B&W - the human visual system if drawn to areas of the image that are very bright or are high contrast. This means our eyes tend to head over to the bright part of the image on the very right hand edge and right past your subject.. The subject is largely underexposed and is not working as well as it could. Watch your background and you will get a stronger image.

[zen]

I agree with Manfred that flower lady is the strongest image. I think she cries out for black and white, though, and that treatment might reduce the distracting background. Generally, with a heavily lined face, which can show character, I like black and white.

Thanks for sharing.

Zen

[Gerry F]

I apologize for not reacting to your comments sooner. Busy with more mundane things. I much appreciate your s uggestions and will implement them down the road as best as I can. Many thanks

[lovelife65]

Nicely done. I am not one to offer much advice, but certainly #3 is my favorite. She's just beautiful in so many ways, and the smile and flowers add a lot of power to the image.

#1 is a little strange for me... her expression and the overall composition (half arms, ect.).
I like the ideas in the others I think, but they seem a little soft, and don't generate the same emotional impact for me as the #3 image does. I just want to hug her, and buy her a cup of coffee and listen to her stories.