Thread Rating:
  • 0 Vote(s) - 0 Average
  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5

Nina
#1

I will be taking picture of this girl and Swantje next weekend... We will go to the industrial harbor we were last weekend... The main idea is to take some portraits of Nina for her family and to have fun Smile

I took this pictures just with the light comming from the kitchen window... and I would appreciate very much your advice... I took them with my 50mm....


[Image: _DSC0962-01nina.jpg]


[Image: _DSC0959-01nina.jpg]


I know this is wrong... because I feel it wrong... could you give me advice how to do a picture like this one... to look better Smile

[Image: _DSC0966-01nina.jpg]

Thanks a lot for your comments...

A work of art which did not begin in emotion is not art.
Paul Cezanne
Reply
#2

Quote:I know this is wrong... because I feel it wrong... could you give me advice how to do a picture like this one... to look better Smile
hi irma

this is excellent that you know before you shoot, that the pose is wrong.

models or portrails i like to keep simple... the lighting, most of the time light only the hair and soft light. in your shots looks like the ligth is very harsh. and the last shot is directly to the face.

the first shot is not too bad, it just you used a very strong flash and her face looks way too red. and thesecond one the light is muuuch better except the pose is not too good. if you could have change her pose and lighting aroun from number1 to number 2.

a pose that always work is looking to the left shoulder tilting her head to the right, and just a little light on her hair.

i hope that helps
Reply
#3

Thanks Christian for your comment... it helps a lot...

I am very enthusiastic about this photo session because it is something that I don't normally do, it is very interesting to see what are the problems one faces and how to solve them...

In any of this pictures I used flash it was just day light but I think in the second picture a cloud might have shaded the sun, I don't remember... That is why the light looks a bit soft... Yes, in the second one I played a bit with perspective ... thinking that I could get a less static portrait...

I agree with you about the first one the thing is that I was not sure... Here is another of my attempts to take away the red of the face... I worked with a sepia layer of the same picture, blended it to color and erased the eyes... I made a mask in her lips and worked with sellective color... to give some red...

[Image: _DSC0962-01ninapaler.jpg]

A work of art which did not begin in emotion is not art.
Paul Cezanne
Reply
#4

Hi Irma,
I disagree with Christian, i think the light looks nice and soft. The last once is a little harder, but it still looks acceptable to me. i would have prefered in the last shot to see more of her face- to have her facing more towards you. I like your use of different angles too though, I think its quite creative. i also feel like the second shot needs some eye contact.

Canon 350D with Speedlight 580EX flash
EFS 18-55 f/3.5-5.6 II, EF 90-300mm f/4.5-5.6 USM, EF 50mm f/1.8

http://www.inspired-images.com.au
Reply
#5

hi irma

your work on her, she looks much better.
Reply
#6

Thanks a lot Schell for your comment and advice and the time to work with the picture, don't reamove it... please Smile

I see what you mean Schell... May I ask you how did you did this?

This forum is a learning forum, after all Wink so it might be also good for others to learn....

Thanks Christian for your comment as well Smile

What should I do to avoid hard read in her face? Because the original picture is a tomato... Sad ... Should I change the settings in my camera... As I take lanscapes mainly I have strong colors... so do you change your settings in the camera when you take portraits??

About the eyes... Is it ok she has two highlights in the eyes... or it should be one?

Thanks a lot Schell, Christian for your help Smile

A work of art which did not begin in emotion is not art.
Paul Cezanne
Reply
#7

I've had another little play here, what do you think?

[Image: vintage%20portrait%20by%20Irma.jpg]

[Image: 13_Irmas%20portrait.jpg]

For the second shot, i added a cyan filter to get rid of the redness (although when I copied the image to my computer, it looked much less red for some reason) Then I ran 'Amanda's vintage colour' action which resulted in the first shot. I pasted that onto the second shot at 50% opacity and erased in the eyes and lips. If you like it, i will try to upload the action in the downloads section.

Canon 350D with Speedlight 580EX flash
EFS 18-55 f/3.5-5.6 II, EF 90-300mm f/4.5-5.6 USM, EF 50mm f/1.8

http://www.inspired-images.com.au
Reply
#8

Thanks so much!! It looks great!!..

If it is not too much of a trouble... I really would love to have the action... Thanks Schell.

I like both, but the color of her eyes is so nice that I think I like the second one much better Smile

You should have left your first try in the other thread... She looked fine...

A work of art which did not begin in emotion is not art.
Paul Cezanne
Reply
#9

hi

i can not comment on how to set a digital camera white balance. but how red was(is) her face? can you set ur camera to portrait mode? can you just have a quick review on the colour in your lcd? or set the camera colour before you start shooting? im asking becuase i do not know how red was her face and if i can see the lcd and the histogram maybe will give you an idea what the colours will look like.

Schellamo: very nice work done on her, i like the last one just a bit cold on her neck. i have refrain to post any fix on this image as this is not the photoshop-fix section. im very tempted!!
Reply
#10

Post your tries Christian...

I will ask Jules if it is possible to transfer this thread to Fix Me Up forum... Actually I was unsure which forum to post... I think It is always nice to have a picture to learn different techniques and see the results... Smile

I will see the color settings in my camera meanwhile...

Note:: Yes, in optimaze image it has portrait... Thanks Smile

A work of art which did not begin in emotion is not art.
Paul Cezanne
Reply
#11

Hi Irma, I have edited my post and try of your pic because it was overdone and unnatural. Sad "blush"


(Pbase mag Vol number 2 the article is called "retouching for a natural look". You may aready know :/
Reply
#12

Thanks Irma, I liked the second version better too, more natural I think. She is so pretty, and you are right about the colour of her eyes, its beautiful.

Sorry, I think I saved over my other edit...I think I just added the cyan filter and ran colin's de-fog action on a second layer then reduced the opacity to around 50%- but that seemed to bring the redness back in, which is why I deleted it.

Russ, i like your fix too. But at the same time, I think her freckles add to her beauty and the character of her face, but that is just my personal preference.

Most photos of me turn out this way, (one of the many reasons I mostly avoid being at the other end of the lens) I'm very fair and often very tomato coloured in the cheeks. The only think I have been able to do it is fix it with postprocessing.

I've emailed you the action Irma, but I will see if jules will zip it up for the downloads section for me.

Canon 350D with Speedlight 580EX flash
EFS 18-55 f/3.5-5.6 II, EF 90-300mm f/4.5-5.6 USM, EF 50mm f/1.8

http://www.inspired-images.com.au
Reply
#13

Quote:Russ, i like your fix too. But at the same time, I think her freckles add to her beauty and the character of her face, but that is just my personal preference.
I agree Schell, it was more a process than anything else

attempt #2 Big Grin
[Image: _DSC0962-01ninacopy.jpg]
Reply
#14

Nice, i like it.

oh and the double catchlights don't bother me in the slightest Irma.

Canon 350D with Speedlight 580EX flash
EFS 18-55 f/3.5-5.6 II, EF 90-300mm f/4.5-5.6 USM, EF 50mm f/1.8

http://www.inspired-images.com.au
Reply
#15

Hi Irma,

Just going back to your original post...

Irma Wrote:I know this is wrong... because I feel it wrong... could you give me advice how to do a picture like this one... to look better
This is a very interesting problem you are facing. If it makes you feel any better, I tend to have doubts and concerns when I am about to photograph somebody in a similar situation, and intially all my shots feel clumbsy and "wrong". :/
While I'm certainly no expert, I've found the best advice for myself is just to relax, find a couple of portraits that I like (taken by other people), ask myself what I like about them, and then use the answers to those questions as a starting point for my own shots and experiment from there. Like many things, the biggest hurdle is getting started. Once I'm in the swing of it I find it much easier to experiment and to know what I want and take my photos off in an original direction... but I find using other photos as inspiration is a really good way to "warm up" and get ideas flowing.

Regarding the first three photos you posted... personally I like the last one the best, followed by the second one. While the last shot might be the least flattering, it gives an insight into her personality which the other two don't. As you say the photos are for Nina's family, I'd imagine that it is more important to capture her nature than just her aesthetic beauty. I know that my favourite family photos have nothing to do with how beautiful the subjects are.
I do like the fact that you experimented with angles in the second shot. That is a great way to help reduce the static feel of the first shot. I think there is a lot of potential there, and that was a path you could have taken further.

In case you haven't noticed, I'm not a big fan of formal posed portraits (or very even lighting for that matter). So the first shot doesn't do much for me. There's nothing at all wrong with it, it just comes down to personal taste. Some people love those shots and don't like the stuff that I like.

But I'd be interested to see how you go Irma. I'm sure you'll be great. Big Grin

Adrian Broughton
My Website: www.BroughtonPhoto.com.au
My Blog: blog.BroughtonPhoto.com.au
You can also visit me on Facebook!
"Everything should be made as simple as possible, but no simpler." - Einstein.
Reply
#16

hi

this is my try, i wanted to do a more natural look for her

nina1
[Image: nina_1.jpg]

nina2
[Image: 47_nina_2.jpg]

[Image: nina_2.jpg]

i though my first try nina 1 i was a bit too much to the warm colours, i redid it nina2, im still not very happy.

please give comments, i need advice

thanks
Reply
#17

Thanks so much for your help my dear friends... and your advice... Thanks a lot...

I am very sorry I can't answer properly at the moment all your comments, but I caught a cold Sad Sad I am not feeling too well... so I will need to cancel my photo session Sad Sad

My first cold in Germany.. and my first one in many year... and it has to be just now... Sad

Thanks again for all your help...

A work of art which did not begin in emotion is not art.
Paul Cezanne
Reply
#18

hi irma

hope you feel better soon, im sure guerito will take good care of you.
Reply
#19

could someone give comments on my nina 1 and nina 2 please. thanks
Reply
#20

I don't normally comment much in Irma's threads, it's so much easier to just turn around and say something. Big Grin

Christian, I like very much what you did with with the picture, but I think I like the first version better than the second one. Nina2 is too desaturated and pale, at least on my monitor. In nina1, she looks very natural. Since I know Nina, I have to say that Irma's original picture is closest to her real looks. She has these red cheeks that you can only find on country girls... Smile But I agree that it doesn't look too favorable in a portrait. It's probably up to Nina herself to decide which portrait she likes best.

Thanks to all of you for your contributions. A lot of good work here (and I haven't yet read the comments) Smile

Gallery/ Flickr Photo Stream

Reality is for wimps who can't face photoshop.
Reply
#21

Christian...........I like how you have dealt with the red colour in #1(im learning) but I agree with G that #2 is washed out. I think that some contrast might help......... :/
Reply
#22

Hope you feel better real soon Irma, hopefully you can reschedule your session with Nina for another time.

Canon 350D with Speedlight 580EX flash
EFS 18-55 f/3.5-5.6 II, EF 90-300mm f/4.5-5.6 USM, EF 50mm f/1.8

http://www.inspired-images.com.au
Reply
#23

hi

thanks for the comments,

rust sometimes you take some colours, sometimes you add some colours. i hope the clip of my layers help? i also did not mention that that i reduce the opacity and overlay some layers.
Reply
#24

Thanks so much to all of you for your advice and the time you took for working on Nina's picture... I have learned a lot... I really admire photographers to work with people... it is sometimes so difficult...

Kombi, thanks so much for your advice... I have checked in flickr and they have a huge group with pictures of women portraits... I will get inspiration from there... I actually took this pictures just to see how Nina behaved with the camera... It was so sweet when I arrived for a coffee and few minutes later I took the camera out... she became stiff.. but after a few minutes she was relaxed... I like also to take pictures in a more natural way and possition... but I think it is not so easy... Oh well, one has to start one day... Smile

Schell, I talked with Swantje and we agreed not to go this weekend also because it would be raining and gray... The weather changed again and it will be snowing in a few days... So we will do it when the weather allows it Smile

A work of art which did not begin in emotion is not art.
Paul Cezanne
Reply
#25

my take[Image: _DSC0962-01nina_pp.jpg]
Reply


Forum Jump:


Users browsing this thread: 1 Guest(s)