This summer, I signed up for a photography class at a local junior college. I previously posted some of my earlier assignments. Our fifth assignment was to take 4 portrait shots, two portraits and two self portraits. Below are the 4 shots I turned in for the fourth assignment. Shots were taken using my K100D with the kit lens. We cannot do any digital manipulation or cropping with Photoshop, so other than resizing the shots, these are shown as taken. Shots 3 and 4 are my self portraits. I had fun playing around with camera position and lighting to come up with #4 (I think it makes me look evil!)

This was our last assignment for the course. Comments are welcome.

1.


2.


3.


4.

[silverbullet]

Frank,
Since I am not a good portrait photographer (incompetent comes to mind), I won't comment on any except my favorite. I really like #3. It tells me a lot about who the subject is. When I look at this I think "Hmmm, Frank is a photographer, who rides a motorcycle, and seems to enjoy riding on twisty mountian roads". I really enjoy the composition as well. The road curving out the right side of the picture is very pleasing to my eye.

[MJB DIGITAL]

k100d can shoot in b&w?

[Mallee Boy]

Hi Frank,
Number 3 is the winner, however, a bit more of the bike would be good
Cheers
Grant
BMW R1200gs.

[channeler]

I agree no 3 is great. Nice composition and conveys something about the person. I think to have caught more expression in the subjects in 1 and 2 would have been better.

Paul

[Donald]

for some reason I thought you were a teeenager!

[xs400]

for some reason I thought you were a teeenager!

I wish I was!

And, heck, it's never to late to go back to school, and it's never too late to learn. I just hope the class helps me to take better photos.

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Last edited by xs400; 08-01-2007 at 09:40 PM.

[aabram]

#1 is lacking contrast for my taste. It cold use a bit more punch to bring the face out.

#4 has interesting potential because there's a diagonal line running behind you. I don't know whether it was intentional or not but it makes the pic more interesting. For face looking down on the camera perhaps a bit more dramatic light would be appropriate since the subject very dominating, clearly imposing himself on the viewer. You could enhance the effect by bringing either face out more and increasing the contrast with background OR add some menacing shadows here and there.

Other than that - I'm as stunned as Donald, I too have thought you to be a highschooler, talking about assignements and stuff
But I do agree with you on "better late than never" thing. My schooldays are well behind me but I still try to take at least one new different course a year, just to keep my brains going and skillbase expanding. There's not such thing as too much education.

[xs400]

#1 is lacking contrast for my taste. It cold use a bit more punch to bring the face out.

#4 has interesting potential because there's a diagonal line running behind you. I don't know whether it was intentional or not but it makes the pic more interesting. For face looking down on the camera perhaps a bit more dramatic light would be appropriate since the subject very dominating, clearly imposing himself on the viewer. You could enhance the effect by bringing either face out more and increasing the contrast with background OR add some menacing shadows here and there.

Other than that - I'm as stunned as Donald, I too have thought you to be a highschooler, talking about assignements and stuff
But I do agree with you on "better late than never" thing. My schooldays are well behind me but I still try to take at least one new different course a year, just to keep my brains going and skillbase expanding. There's not such thing as too much education.

Thanks for all the comments. I agree all the photos from the class could be improved by cropping, adding more contrast or adjusting the color and brightness using Photoshop. However, we were not allowed to do any of that as part of the class. Only on the last assignment were were allowed to convert a shot to B&W by only using the camera's internal convert to B&W function.

[Mallee Boy]

Congratulations on your great website. Other than being a good read it's also a valuable resource for me for some forthcoming trip planning.
Thankyou.
Grant

[nathancombs]

i am NOT the best portet person but maby i can give you some ideas and i hope that it not rude to show exaples but it is the best way i can show what i am talking a bout and add a drowing on how i did them no lafing at my stick figers LOL





K1000 Pentax 50 F 1.7 MF Fuji asa 400 supera

for this all you need is a windo and a blank wall. if you like a darker back ground you can use a darke blanket. you can get a cheep one from walmart. try to get black if that is not posble i have used a dark blue and dark green ones befor, but keep in mined that people with blond or light hair the green or blue will show in there hair a bit. also back them off the wall or blanket a few feet and it is best to use a shalow DOF. this keeps them from looking like a blanket or wall. also time of day is sort of inportant, you wont to pick a time when the most light is comming throw the windo.

all you have to do is put the person that you wish to photo about 90 from the windo, you have to move them as you need depinding on how you would like the lighting to look and that is about it.






K1000 Pentax 50 F 1.7 MF Fuji asa 400 supera

The same idea as the windo, this one i uses a old sheet to make some thing that looks like a soft box. just you have to be carfal about not to cach any thing on fire. i hung the sheet over a PVC frame that i have. now i was using a day light film with tustion lighting ie a 100w light balb this can have some intersting color that you may wont to leave in. now with digtals you just set the WB but try it with differnt WB too see the differnt colors. but bare balb can also get you some intersting things.

here is my port if you like i would be willing to tell you or any one how i got the photos. there is 800+ photos

Photos by nathan combs - photo.net