Hey all! I'm primarily a (beginner) street photographer, but did some portraits for a friend of mine who is getting into real estate.
Be brutal. Tell me everything i did wrong and everything i did right.
1. Post
2. In-Camera
3. Settings (pixelpeeper.io)
Okay, as a beginner photographer, I must say you're very proficient, it appears you understand proper exposure and white balance. I'd say the current edit seems a little flat in terms of color and shadows. Shadows will bring out more depth and color allows you to make an image uniquely yours if color grading takes up your interest.
On to composition, I fined that the open area to the models left (our right) would've sub framed her much more and drawn your eye more to the subject. Rather I find my eye now being focused on the chandeliers not only due to depth and the leading lines of the open area but also due to the highlights. Next time you're there, shift the model over and have the arch frame up and around their head. Don't let it bisect their head much like how the pillar is now.
Last thing, step up to a 50mm or even an 85mm lens. Look to the sides, see the curvature of the lines on the wall? Thats barrel distortion which is distracting in portraiture and can distort the models face to be very unpleasing.
Hope this helps, keep shooting!
All awesome stuff! Thanks for taking the time out :)
I totally agree with what you said about the lighting - what specifically would you change about the shadows? Just darken everything up, generally?
Great point! I actually did take that pic (attached), but just decided that i like'd the overall composition of these two better. Let me know your thoughts on those two too!!
I started the day with a 50mm (APS-C) but had to move to my 30 because my back is against a wall in this shot haha. Making do with space constraints.
I personally like the second image, the pillar is just wide enough to subframe her head and the chandaliers act as a leading line. As with shadows, I was more refering towards tone curves in editing. If you dont have software to do so then dont worry too much about it. Instead, study up on old BW photos and studio lighting, itll add carachter/mood to your subject and is the main source of composition in portraiture.
I'm never brutal. But in a portrait image I'm expecting have my eye drawn immediately to the subject and to understand the visual balance of the image as favouring it. There's nothing wrong with having an "interesting" background at all but you don't usually want the subject to be in competition with it for the viewer's attention, and this is particularly true in relation to luminosity. So here my eye is drawn away from the subject by the brightness of the chandeliers? in the background. I see the model, obviously, but she isn't the main event in the image. When you're composing your shot it's always good to study the background carefully, particularly on location like this, and ask yourself whether it is going to support and enhance your presentation of the subject or divert the viewer's attention away from it.
That makes perfect sense! Thanks for the feedback! :)
It's not sharp.
Here's what I like... You picked a lovely model who has a genuine smile and you placed her in an interesting location. While some may mention the crossed arms, I don't find this to be distracting. Most of us, myself included find crossing our arms to be comfortable...and that's how she looks...comfortable in her surroundings.
What the others have said about the lights behind her pulling the eye is true. But, it is exacerbated by her being lit to about the same level as her surroundings. Her eye sockets and cheeks are mired in shadow because the source light is coming from overhead. (See the shadow under her arms) This is the kind of shot that can be made so much better by blending your ambient with a touch of (off camera) flash to fill in the deep shadows and add a bit of brightness to your subject.