Hey guys,
Complete amateur but very keen and budding boudoir tog here.
A friend asked me to do some bridal boudoir pics ahead of her wedding late in the summer. I'd really appreciate some feedback in order to try to improve my technique in prod and post-prod.
Thanks in advance!
i would change the angle of the light/lights , to gain some shadows . See the 4th picture in previous topic of Perry Robinson
thanks for the feedback ... the light is intentionally flat but maybe it's a bit boring and lacking drama ... I think I'll play with dropping the fill light a bit ..
I would stay away from the white vignettes and blurring the images, but it's just me..
I second that ...
I guess I was going for an ethereal, angelic feel, but maybe it's a bit much :)
As with everything subtlety is king ;-) unless you bluntly need to get your message across but that's another discussion ;-)
It looks like this photo may have been lit by windowlight (from camera left, of course). I would have turned the model to face the light for two reasons:
1) Most of the time you want the “mask” of her face (from her forehead to her chin, between her cheeks or jaw bones) to be where the eye is drawn, not her ear, cheek and the side of her neck. That area (or part of it) generally would get more light than (or at least as much light as) anything else in the photo.
2) Things that are closer to the camera look larger, and things that are farther from the camera appear smaller. Therefore, you want the “feminine side” (the “smaller side”) of her face to be closer to the camera most of the time. That tends to equalize the sides of her face and make the face look more symmetrical.
There are three “measurements” (no ruler needed) that determine which is the feminine side. 1) Distance from the tip of the nose to each cheekbone. 2) Distance from the tip of the nose to each jawbone. 3) Relative size of the eyes. (There are 3-4 ways to determine this.) Most of the time, the smaller of all three measurements is on the same side of the face, and that’s the feminine side.
Placing the masculine side (the larger side) closer to the camera makes the face appear more asymmetrical or lopsided.
Btw, with male models it doesn’t matter. One side makes them look more handsome, and the other makes them look more rugged. Win win.
It’s impossible to tell for sure from one photo which side is the feminine side. Before a model sits down for makeup and hair, I have her stand in front of a light (often a Mola dish) that’s directly in front of her and about 18 inches higher than her head.
That tells the MUA what needs to be done to make the face look more symmetrical and tells me how to set up the lighting. The main light goes on the side of the camera where the model will be facing. Sometimes short lighting also makes the face appear more symmetrical (although I wouldn’t often use short lighting for high-key boudoir).
I learned this from the best portrait photographer in Oklahoma (who also had a studio in St. Louis and was considered one of the best between Chicago and Dallas) back in the 1970s. You don’t hear this much anymore, but I know a photographer who does about 15 workshops a year who goes through this (in more detail) at the beginning of each one.
Also, for the top photo, I would have shot from slightly below the model’s eye level.
Shooting down at a model minimizes the model and makes her look like a kid. Shooting slightly up at the face (eyes) emphasizes the face (and boobs) and minimizes the stomach and hips (farther from the camera). The top of the head isn’t a flattering perspective of most people.
The camera position, pose, point of view and lighting emphasize what you want to emphasize and downplay what you don’t.
In the lower photo, I would have had the model relax and bend her right arm slightly (and not put her weight on it) to keep it from looking so straight and rigid.
As someone else mentioned, the absence of blacks and whites makes the photo look “muddy” because it’s all mid tones.
Those are the main things that stand out to me.