Hi! I bought my first camera a few months ago and I've really jumped in headfirst. I'm looking for any critiques or suggestions you have. I don't really know many photographers personally so I've been lacking on peer input.
Hi! I bought my first camera a few months ago and I've really jumped in headfirst. I'm looking for any critiques or suggestions you have. I don't really know many photographers personally so I've been lacking on peer input.
Well, I can say from day one you're extraordinarily good. These are great portraits. You've found some great-looking people to work with too.
Keep up the good work!
Thank you! That means a lot after checking your portfolio out
looks good
The first one is a triple winner! The model, her makeup, her pose, the lighting and the shot are all first rate. The second... I'm not getting a message from it, although it's very good technically. The third as well. How are you at directing models? Do you have a plan and a vision before you start? I'm suspecting the first one was a pro (or, heck, at least very gifted) who knew how to project, and the other two were waiting for some strong direction. Again, they're all very good... especially for a beginner! But the second two seem to want some real interaction with the camera from the subjects.
Kudos to you!
Oh, PS, I didn't even realize there was a fourth! Falls into the second category for me :D
Thank you for the kind words and I'll tell her you liked it! The direction on the others was definitely minimal as you pointed out. They are a little older so it sounds like I'm moving in the right direction now at least :) I actually just got offered a studio a couple weeks ago so shooting super regularly is new for me as is studio lighting but I've been trying to learn constantly. The second one is cause I was trying to figure out how to do harsh dramatic lighting with full color range and without desaturated shadows. It's shot with red and blue gels and then tinted green to bring it back to skin tone. I've actually had a hard time recreating it since! The first one is a single softbox with a curved reflector I made myself that fills the face kind of like how I've seen ring lights do and it gives you that curved light under the eyes that isn't quite a double catch light but brings it up. Then a speedlight on the backdrop to blow it out (partially) cause I saw Peter Hurley doing something similar. This is the full image if you're curious of the first and the out of camera for the second
First one: Good light ~ near a window and maybe reflector below?
Nope, no windows. It's actually a single softbox on her and a speedlight on a white seamless background. There's also a special kind of curved reflector under her that I made myself from foil insulation