NON Square Cropped Portraits - (nSCP's) - please post them here

[Colin Southern]

These are the first portraits I have been reasonably pleased with. C&C is very welcome.

This one frustrates me....what am I doing wrong with the lighting?

To my eye all three need fill light (in Photoshop) to bring out some of the detail in the blacks.

I've given one of the shots a Photoshop 30 Second Makeover (TM!) - mostly adding bucketloads of fill light - adjust WB - sharpen, but unfortunately many of the blacks are clipped (could give you a better example if I had original RAWs).

[Wirefox]

Thanks Colin. That is much better. I have a ton to learn and appreciate all the help.

Steve

[Colin Southern]

Thanks Colin. That is much better. I have a ton to learn and appreciate all the help.

Steve

No Worries Steve. Were these shot RAW or JPEG?

[Wirefox]

Colin

I am shooting everything in RAW these days so yes I have the raw files.

Steve

[Colin Southern]

Colin

I am shooting everything in RAW these days so yes I have the raw files.

Steve

Hi Steve,

If you want, I'd be happy to rework the shot I previously editied to show you what I mean about the shadow detail, if you'd be happy to send me the RAW file (if you do, the easiest way is to pop along to www.sendthisfile.com - create a free account - have the link sent to yourself - and then copy/paste the link to me in a PM).

Offer's open if you'd like to take me up on it.

[Antonio Correia]

Nice shot! Was it on a tripod with flash? I tried to use flash under sunlight last Saturday but ruined all my shots (you saw the one with the Ice cream machine in it) because I used direct flash light. Later I read that I should have used it at some angle. I could see them all messed up in the LCD monitor but thought I can fix it later in PP Until it actually happens to you, you never learn! This one taken under exactly different condition; a dark romantic Ice cream place in Boston called JP Licks: ... ISO 3200 Photography is all about light and I find myself alway with a lot of it or too little of it ; I wish I had a studio!

No Alis it was neither with a tripod nor flash. Someone took the picture for us,

The Fill Light command in LR makes wonders when well applied.

Huummm JP Licks... how good it looks ...

[Alis]

No Alis it was neither with a tripod nor flash. Someone took the picture for us,

The Fill Light command in LR makes wonders when well applied.

Huummm JP Licks... how good it looks ...

Ya, JP Licks an Ice Cream chainstore, here in Boston. Very good actually. Too bad I can't eat that much Ice cream anymore.

[carregwen]

This is the best portrait I have ever done of my wife. For some reason I think she looks great in silhouette. Taken at sunset near Llangranog, West Wales on the coastal path.

f/10, 1/500s, ISO160, manual setting

SEE IT ON BLACK

[Colin Southern]

This is the best portrait I have ever done of my wife. For some reason I think she looks great in silhouette.

I agree, nice shot - it's amazing how the simplest compositions are often the most powerful.

PS: In case she's reading this, I'm sure that you meant to say that "she looks great all the time - but on this occasion you've been able to capture that beauty better than ever! "

[Antonio Correia]

Hello Steve. How are you ?
I'll make some comments on your photos.

I like in this one the background and the posture of the young girl.
However, I don't like the amount of blur you applied on her face. It looks too strong, almost artificial.
The lighting is fine but shadows lack details. On the contrary, her nose looks too burn, too white.
I do like the white spot on her eye. I can't remember the right word for it now but you understand what I mean.
-

Here I don't like the background. The horizon is in the middle of her head..
The light is very harsh and difficult to master. May be - just may be - you could have used some kind of reflection to fill the shadows...
However, one must be careful with the colors of the surface not to introduce casts on the picture.
-

Again the horizon. Again the harsh light.
I am sure you could have been higher and "place her head completely on the sea". That would have made a homogenous background and a better point of view
In these circumstances I try to place the person with the light from the back and get some fill light from a surface, somewhere.
Doing this we have to be careful not to burn the background.
-
But yes, it is always easy to criticize and harder to do.
Most of the times when I am in circumstances like this (harsh light) I simply don't shoot. No, this is not a solution, I know.
It is then, that I try to get some kind of reflective surface, somewhere, somehow.

I hope I have not been too harsh myself.
Regards

[Antonio Correia]

...

Thank you for this excellent contribution of yours !
Very nicely done !

[Antonio Correia]

Using my UWA lens

Yes Alis this is what we get when using UWA lenses fro portraits at close range.

[Antonio Correia]

Your turn to comment on this image if you please.

With the 20D and the 70-200 f/2,8 IS, no monopod, 1600 ISO

EXIF

[Dave Humphries]

Hi Antonio,

Two things;
1) I don't think the human eye sees/remembers a candle quite that white, even if candlelight is the only light source available and one might therefore have expected the eye to have 'auto white balanced' to it, so I'd go for a WB that's a little more yellow
2) A slight shift of your position to the left, so we can see her fingers and mouth without them being hidden by the candle lamp glass would have been better (I appreciate this may be beyond your control)
3) I think I'd simplify the somewhat distracting background patterns, especially on the right hand side by cloning to reduce variations.

OK, that was 3, sorry

4) oh dear, I can't stop now There's a particularly unfortunate dead straight and brightly lit hair on left hand side, I'd clone that out

Exposure, focus, noise and captured pose are good though.

More than you bargained for?
My apologies,

[Antonio Correia]

Hi Antonio,

Two things;
1) I don't think the human eye sees/remembers a candle quite that white, even if candlelight is the only light source available and one might therefore have expected the eye to have 'auto white balanced' to it, so I'd go for a WB that's a little more yellow
2) A slight shift of your position to the left, so we can see her fingers and mouth without them being hidden by the candle lamp glass would have been better (I appreciate this may be beyond your control)
3) I think I'd simplify the somewhat distracting background patterns, especially on the right hand side by cloning to reduce variations.

OK, that was 3, sorry

4) oh dear, I can't stop now There's a particularly unfortunate dead straight and brightly lit hair on left hand side, I'd clone that out

Exposure, focus, noise and captured pose are good though.

More than you bargained for?
My apologies,

Wonderful Dave.
I will go and correct the points you referred to. You are right indeed.
How couldn't I see that ?
Give me some time please.

[Antonio Correia]

And now Dave ?
I can't do a better cloning because of the hair...
Thank you Dave

[Dave Humphries]

Hi Antonio,

1) Not sure about the yellow blob around the candle; a bit too localised
3) Better, as you say, the hair is a limitation
4) Better

Thanks,

[Alis]

Yes Alis this is what we get when using UWA lenses fro portraits at close range.

You're right. I still can't get over the "coolness" of this lens. Her nose almost touched the lens when I took this!

[Alis]

And now Dave ?
I can't do a better cloning because of the hair...
Thank you Dave

It just does not look like your other shots, Antonio. May be it is the color of the hair, too washed out because of the backlight. Not really the kind of color for hair at that age?

And also the fact that we all are apparently looking at the candle when we look at this shot and it is sort of your point of focus too but she is not looking at it. And then her finger in her mouth is really not adding to the story. So, it looks more like my random shots!

[Antonio Correia]

It just does not look like your other shots, Antonio... So, it looks more like my random shots!

Alis, I - like all of us - don't take only good and nice photos. Bad photos are part of the process.
That was a very difficult photo to take because there was almost no light... And the existing ones were from different temperatures.

Don't be so modest Alis. You do have very nice images ...

EXIF