Comments on: Portraiture: Borrow their soul!

By: Tim

Tim — Wed, 28 Nov 2007 20:19:52 +0000

I can’t critique the first photo; it just doesn’t appeal to my taste. That does not mean there is anything wrong with it though.

The second photo - I like the idea in general. What bothers me about it is that the lit side of the face is too lit and the shadow-side is too much in shadow although, this is in relation to the rest of how her body is lit. Her legs are lit in a balanced way meaning you can see both of them. Though the one arm is fully shaded, it is clear, seperate. The shaded side of the face, you can only guess at and that’s the part that disturbs me about this photo. Other than that, it’s good. The top right and right lights area a bit distracting, but not too bad really. Had this been done in b&w, it might have worked better. If in b&w, I would say you shot at box speed and that’s the reason for the blown out highlight, overly dark shadow. I do like the photo though, very much.

The third photo - overall I like it. The skin-tone/highlights are well done, the shadow is too dark for my taste. Just a bit more light on the shaded side of her face would relieve some tension that is uncomfortable to me.

There are two shadows in the photo, one to the right (her left) and one behind her, though that one is more difuse. That could be from reflection, don’t know. I like the available light feel of it overall though.

It took me a while to figure this part out, and it is subtle, nothing major - your models shoulders are square to the camera and don’t reflect what her head is doing. The feeling of that is somehow disturbing to me though I’m not sure why. Had she turned her shoulders just a bit, maybe so there was a bit more relief on the left side of her body, the “missing limb” thought would not be there.

Anyway, for what it’s worth, I like your photos very much. These are all minor points but points that, in the long-run, might make a difference for you. Good luck in your ventures and thank you for giving us an opportunity to look at your photos the way we should all be looking at our own photos.

Tim

By: Rick

Rick — Tue, 05 Jun 2007 03:53:42 +0000

I must respectfully beg to differ on the second photo. I see a story there. I see a young woman in less than ideal circumstances in some area full of urban blight. Most of the people in her neighborhood are doomed to die into the same squalor in which they were born. But she’s getting out. She’s working at night as either a prostitute or a stripper, and going to school in the daytime. I think she has a look of confidence. Her stance suggests to me an attitude of “Come and get me if you think you’re able… but you may pull back a bloody stump where your hand used to be.” The lighting is not the best, but thats because for the time being she must remain in her shadowy world.

Funny thing is I don’t usually see that much of a story in photos, but that one “grabbed” me. Perhaps it was my current mood and had I seen it another time, it might not have been apparent to me.

By: subnetmask255x4

subnetmask255x4 — Wed, 30 May 2007 00:03:20 +0000

I think the problem with the 3rd picture is not that it needs more side-light, it just needs a different color. If you look at the brick on the right of the picture, the part in shadow, you see that it has a yellow tint to it, either from a yellow reflection, or bright incandescent or sodium lamps. This is the same kind of tint in the shadows on that side of her face. It is not a flattering color, even for a mood shot.

I think what would have helped, would have been a silver reflector on that side, making the sidelight more natural light, rather than the yellowish light. This would have allowed the natural beige color of the brick to come out, while allowing her natural skin color to come out in the shadows.

Just my couple of cents worth.

By: cj

cj — Mon, 14 May 2007 19:42:04 +0000

I found the 3rd photograph to be a bit dreary… I pulled the photo off the blog just out of curiosity opened In cs2, this is actually a hobby of mine, I like to practice my photoshop skills on other peoples photos, I can sometimes be too close to my work. Try it for yourself…. I opened in cs2, went to image, match color and then pumped up the luminance to by 100% and the color intensity by about 50… both need to be changed according to taste. I thought the results were nice. warmest regards to all.

By: Fabian

Fabian — Fri, 06 Apr 2007 00:13:47 +0000

The Aborigines (or Indigenous Australians if you prefer) have similar beliefs about having a soul captured by the taking of a photograph, though this is probably restricted to the more rural tribes that still maintain a more traditional way of life, rather than the urbanised Aborigines in the towns and cities.

By: JD

JD — Mon, 02 Apr 2007 14:06:50 +0000

#1 - Sure it’s different, but not the kind of different I like. To my eyes, the image is way too noisy and the more you try to read into it, the worse it gets. I dunno, that one is just not for me.

#2 - Probably my favorite of the three, but I agree the sidelight is to harsh and needs to be balanced a bit. Of course, harsh sidelight is what the photographer might have intended?

#3 - Once again, I think the sidelight is just way to harsh. I think a reflector would have help out tremendously.

I guess all my comments sound sort of harsh, but that’s what the guy wanted… I think the last two images are almost great, but need just a few tweaks to get them where they need to be. The first image, however….

By: Haje Jan Kamps

Haje Jan Kamps — Wed, 28 Mar 2007 06:32:43 +0000

JR: There should be more sidelight to balance out the photo.

This is not a case of being elitist, neither is it a case of ‘knowing best’. All I do - and all Andrew does - is to offer kind, polite advice and suggestions on how to improve three already pretty damn good photos.

I don’t want to seem offensive, but your comment isn’t actually helping. Where are your suggestions for improvement?

By: Johnie Roger

Johnie Roger — Wed, 28 Mar 2007 00:06:52 +0000

All regards to Andrew, its awful when someone who think he knows something desides what other people photos should look like. Really, why there should be more sidelight? To get it look more expensive and to kill the atmosphere? There is no perfect photo and there isnt anything particular what one could do to make a photo better.

By: Andrew Ferguson

Andrew Ferguson — Tue, 27 Mar 2007 08:13:45 +0000

With regards to the second photo, there’s something that looks ‘off’ about Mika’s eyes. It detracts from the photo.

You mentioned the sharp sidelight in the third photo, but I’m also finding it distracting in the second, coming from the opposite direction.

Photo three is in dire need of lights. Something to brighten up her eyes and something to offset that hard shadow. This has the look of an available light shot at sunset.

It’s hard when you’re starting out and can’t afford lights. All you can shoot is available light. If nothing else, those 43″ reflectors you can get for $60-75 are pretty useful for offsetting a harsh sidelight like this one.

I’m excited because I will finally have some proper lighting equipment to fix stuff like this tomorrow.

Of the three images, the first one is sticking with me the most. The reflection of the photographer in the shot bothers me, but the whole thing is just unconventional and interesting. It has a lot more depth than the other two.