Portraits C&C

DjDangerousDave

1.



2.

melekalikimaka

hummmm... what post pro have you done, if any?

DjDangerousDave

Small bit of contrast and brightness. I cant really tell with the screen on this laptop. They might look crap.

melekalikimaka

first one is ok, more bout the model pose thats the issue, maybe slightly underexposed on both and background in two is distracting, lasso face and reduce reds to improve skin tones maybe?

AnimalRights

They are too like passport photos rather than portraits.
#1 is soft too.
#2 would be interesting in black and white, stairs also distract.

oshead

AnimalRights wrote: »

They are too like passport photos rather than portraits.
#1 is soft too.
#2 would be interesting in black and white, stairs also distract.

I tought that at first. But on reflection, they probably wouldn't qualify for that. They look like quick snaps where the flash failed to fire. The shadows on the first one are very unappealing. His eye sockets are very dark. You could have moved him over to the window to allow some light in. The second one is better. Pity about the open door and stairway. It may work better in black and white.

DjDangerousDave

AnimalRights wrote: »

They are too like passport photos rather than portraits.
#1 is soft too.
#2 would be interesting in black and white, stairs also distract.

Prob a good time to ask what a portrait is then?

Portrait:

A likeness of a person, especially one showing the face, that is created by a painter or photographer, for example.

Is there a general rule on what a portrait should contain? Shoulders? Some upper body? I have read before that 50mm is the best for taking these kinda shots as it makes for the most natural looking shot.

Any information is good guys. I really do love posting my pics here, and I try to learn as much as I can every time I post.

Thanks,

Dave.

AnimalRights

I maybe should have said that they were maybe too like snapshots.
Another good way of learning is looking at others portraits.
I learn so much from studying other peoples pics from my contacts on pixie.

DjDangerousDave

AnimalRights wrote: »

I maybe should have said that they were maybe too like snapshots.
Another good way of learning is looking at others portraits.
I learn so much from studying other peoples pics from my contacts on pixie.

Well they were defo snapshots. I think in the first pic I just beat the guys hand from covering his face.

Found some good tips here --> http://digital-photography-school.com/10-ways-to-take-stunning-portraits & http://digital-photography-school.com/tips-portrait-photography

Dave.

Zillah

DjDangerousDave wrote: »

Is there a general rule on what a portrait should contain? Shoulders? Some upper body? I have read before that 50mm is the best for taking these kinda shots as it makes for the most natural looking shot.

I think 105mm is generally considered the typical portrait lens. Possibly because it allows you to get a fairly close shot without having to get right in the subject's face.

Personally they're too close/cramped for my comfort, I'd bring it out a bit.

LeoB

What people like in a portrait can vary greatly. Some you like some you dont. I think straight on portraits are better in b/w. #2

I personally like the face in most portraits, especially older people.

DaireQuinlan

Zillah wrote: »

I think 105mm is generally considered the typical portrait lens. Possibly because it allows you to get a fairly close shot without having to get right in the subject's face.

Personally they're too close/cramped for my comfort, I'd bring it out a bit.

OTOH sometimes its best to get those wideangles and just jam them straight in. 24mm FTW ...



or 50mm on 6x6 so about the same as above in 35mm terms:



Though it has to be said that, while my sister thought HER portrait was sorta cool, my dad hated his ...

melekalikimaka

the shallow dof on the second kinda weirds it out for me

DaireQuinlan

melekalikimaka wrote: »

the shallow dof on the second kinda weirds it out for me

Yeah I was shooting wide open, up close, I think I even had an extension tube mounted to get that close, so the DOF was never going to be huge The light wasn't the best that day I think so I was aiming to get whatever I could manage in focus ...

LeoB

I think your Father's portrait is nice but I would like to see a little more of his face. Again its just my oponion, he seems very interesting, love the look aroud his eyes. He could be a million miles away in that photo, maybe if his eyes were looking this way a little. Your Sisters looks unusual.

Yeah I like both especially you Fathers.