This Crop Work??

This Crop Work?? · 07:04 PM

More shooting experiments. I know his eyes are too soft. So am learning, focus on the eyes but wondering what the thoughts are on the crop??

dws1117 · 07-15-2008, 09:14 PM

The crop is fine, but the white background left of his left eye is distracting. Also, the pixelation(sp?) of the shirt and the dark spot between the neck and shirt strap just bugs me. Overall I don't mind the grittiness of the shot as it seems as if he may be kind of a gritty guy. Was there noise added in PP? How far were you from the subject? Don't know if that was your intent or not. I know this doesn't help, but that's my 2 cents.

Would you mind posting the original?

little laker · 07-15-2008, 10:06 PM

Personally I'd crop it to just under his chin Rosemary.
But like everything else, a crop is just personal taste.

heliphoto · 07-15-2008, 10:58 PM

Originally posted by little laker

Personally I'd crop it to just under his chin Rosemary.
But like everything else, a crop is just personal taste.

When it loaded in my browser, his chin was just above the bottom of my screen, and I agree with Stu, I liked it that way. I also might consider showing a bit more of the top left of the picture, to move the eyes a bit more into the frame, but without having the whole shot to look at and play with, I don't know if that would work at all.

Come to think of it, I'd recommend you don't listen to me at all with regard to portraits since I tend to point my camera only where people aren't.

Damn Brit · 07-15-2008, 11:01 PM

I think the crop is too tight Rosemary, personally I'd like to see more of his shoulder (if not all). I think the current crop just makes the whole thing too long. You could fix the blown out window by making it black (or another colour). I think cropping the top of heads is mostly but for me it works less often vertically, especially when ears are missing. But that's just me.
Gary

Damn Brit · 07-15-2008, 11:02 PM

I think the crop is too tight Rosemary, personally I'd like to see more of his shoulder (if not all). I think the current crop just makes the whole thing too long. You could fix the blown out window by making it black (or another colour). I think cropping the top of heads works mostly, but for me it works less often vertically, especially when ears are missing. But that's just me.
Gary

rmtagg · 07-15-2008, 11:47 PM

Originally posted by dws1117

The crop is fine, but the white background left of his left eye is distracting. Also, the pixelation(sp?) of the shirt and the dark spot between the neck and shirt strap just bugs me. Overall I don't mind the grittiness of the shot as it seems as if he may be kind of a gritty guy. Was there noise added in PP? How far were you from the subject? Don't know if that was your intent or not. I know this doesn't help, but that's my 2 cents.

Would you mind posting the original?

well this guy is very tall and to top it off he shaved his head. So here is this guy with a large head anyway that now looks like a large watermelon. He always has such a serious look and people think he is not friendly. So I am playing around with a few pics I took of him to see if I can get a different look going, lol. So I tried cropping in tight to cut off some height. I can tell I will be experimenting on this for a while. the guy wants a nice pic to put on a web site and I think wants to attract the ladies. Only thing is, this is how he normally looks and it intemidates people.

Originally posted by little laker

Personally I'd crop it to just under his chin Rosemary.
But like everything else, a crop is just personal taste.

I will play around with is, this might be a good way to go.

Originally posted by heliphoto

When it loaded in my browser, his chin was just above the bottom of my screen, and I agree with Stu, I liked it that way. I also might consider showing a bit more of the top left of the picture, to move the eyes a bit more into the frame, but without having the whole shot to look at and play with, I don't know if that would work at all.

Come to think of it, I'd recommend you don't listen to me at all with regard to portraits since I tend to point my camera only where people aren't.

If they had one of those rolling on the floor smilies I would post it right here, lol!

Originally posted by Damn Brit

I think the crop is too tight Rosemary, personally I'd like to see more of his shoulder (if not all). I think the current crop just makes the whole thing too long. You could fix the blown out window by making it black (or another colour). I think cropping the top of heads is mostly but for me it works less often vertically, especially when ears are missing. But that's just me.
Gary

Gary! are you enjoying your vacation????? I am thinking of trying to figure out how to make the back area black or some other color. I had it cropped with a shoulder and it looks good

but then I started getting a little more drastic in my experimentation, lol and here I am. So will go back and start all over again.

little laker · 07-16-2008, 12:02 AM

If you'd like to know how I occasionally make the background black in the camera give me a PM Rosemary

I'll share my trick with you, I just don't want everyone to know and start coping my technique

I could also do a little photoshop for you if you'd like the background to be black.
But I won't touch it until I'm home on Friday. I prefer using my home computer over my laptop for such things.

Damn Brit · 07-16-2008, 12:32 AM

Originally posted by rmtagg

Gary! are you enjoying your vacation????? I am thinking of trying to figure out how to make the back area black or some other color. I had it cropped with a shoulder and it looks good

but then I started getting a little more drastic in my experimentation, lol and here I am. So will go back and start all over again.

Yes Rosemary I am enjoying it even though I have a pinched nerve in my back. I needed the break.
Re the portrait, do you or the guy have any friends with kids that you can borrow? Dave with some smiling kids and smiling himself will totally change peoples views of him. Alternatively, have him pose holding a Chihuahua, those tiny dogs are the best chick magnets in the world. I have personal experience of the phenomenon.

In the meantime, how about this crop?

maxwell1295 · 07-16-2008, 02:42 AM

Gary, you crack me up! I about ruined my keyboard with coffee....

Damn Brit · 07-16-2008, 03:04 AM

Originally posted by maxwell1295

Gary, you crack me up! I about ruined my keyboard with coffee....

Sorry Alan. Why aren't you in bed? Or did you just get up?

dws1117 · 07-16-2008, 05:41 AM

Gary, I really appreciate your sense of humor. Too dang funny.

Originally posted by rmtagg

well this guy is very tall and to top it off he shaved his head. So here is this guy with a large head anyway that now looks like a large watermelon. He always has such a serious look and people think he is not friendly. So I am playing around with a few pics I took of him to see if I can get a different look going, lol. So I tried cropping in tight to cut off some height. I can tell I will be experimenting on this for a while. the guy wants a nice pic to put on a web site and I think wants to attract the ladies. Only thing is, this is how he normally looks and it intemidates people.

With seeing the original and the explanation I think I see where your aiming. It seems as if your very close. I'm still wondering where the noise is coming from. It is even more apparent on the tank top in the original. Since you shot at ISO 100 it seems out of place unless it was added and intended, but given you reason for the picture i'd guess your not intending to make him look more gritty/tough. The only other thing that I'd see was the background which can be fixed.

Keep up the fine work, Rosemary. I'm learning just being on the sidelines.

roentarre · 07-16-2008, 06:24 AM

I like it like that.

Most traditional photographers preferred the whole body shot which is harder to rationise in terms of composition.

heliphoto · 07-16-2008, 07:08 AM

Originally posted by dws1117

...I'm still wondering where the noise is coming from. It is even more apparent on the tank top in the original. Since you shot at ISO 100 it seems out of place unless it was added and intended, but given you reason for the picture i'd guess your not intending to make him look more gritty/tough...

I'd guess that the bright background caused the shot to be under exposed, and correcting the exposure in post brought out noise in the shadows. Either spot metering on the subject's face, or a +EV bias would have saved the original exposure, and kept the noise demons at bay.

He does look a bit intimidating (I'm qualified to state this, as I never look intimidating). A smile would probably help. I'd suggest you follow him around and try to get semi-candid shots - puppies and children aren't a bad idea

. You can always try the relaxing pose of Uncle Rico. It will only attract fans of Napoleon Dynamite, but it's a start.

raz-0 · 07-16-2008, 10:50 AM

Originally posted by rmtagg

well this guy is very tall and to top it off he shaved his head. So here is this guy with a large head anyway that now looks like a large watermelon. He always has such a serious look and people think he is not friendly. So I am playing around with a few pics I took of him to see if I can get a different look going, lol. So I tried cropping in tight to cut off some height. I can tell I will be experimenting on this for a while. the guy wants a nice pic to put on a web site and I think wants to attract the ladies. Only thing is, this is how he normally looks and it intemidates people.

From a tall guy who people tended to think was not friendly:

Tell him to try smiling and stop folding his arms across his chest. If the body language says unfriendly, people will get the message. Friendly welcoming body langauge goes a long way towards making a first impression. Tall isn't the issue, especially it's about appearing attractive. Tall is generally a plus there rather than a minus over a reasonable sample size.

As for the crop, it's ok compositionally, but too severe for the source material. I don't know if you used noise reduction on it, but it has that muddied too much noise reduction look, which isn't obvious in the full image.

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07-16-2008, 12:32 AM	#9
Damn Brit Guest	Originally posted by rmtagg Gary! are you enjoying your vacation????? I am thinking of trying to figure out how to make the back area black or some other color. I had it cropped with a shoulder and it looks good but then I started getting a little more drastic in my experimentation, lol and here I am. So will go back and start all over again. Yes Rosemary I am enjoying it even though I have a pinched nerve in my back. I needed the break. Re the portrait, do you or the guy have any friends with kids that you can borrow? Dave with some smiling kids and smiling himself will totally change peoples views of him. Alternatively, have him pose holding a Chihuahua, those tiny dogs are the best chick magnets in the world. I have personal experience of the phenomenon. In the meantime, how about this crop? Last edited by Damn Brit; 07-25-2008 at 10:46 PM.

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07-15-2008, 09:14 PM	#2
dws1117 Veteran Member Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Spring, TX. Photos: Gallery Posts: 1,157	The crop is fine, but the white background left of his left eye is distracting. Also, the pixelation(sp?) of the shirt and the dark spot between the neck and shirt strap just bugs me. Overall I don't mind the grittiness of the shot as it seems as if he may be kind of a gritty guy. Was there noise added in PP? How far were you from the subject? Don't know if that was your intent or not. I know this doesn't help, but that's my 2 cents. Would you mind posting the original?

07-15-2008, 10:06 PM	#3
little laker Veteran Member Join Date: Sep 2006 Photos: Gallery Posts: 5,697	Personally I'd crop it to just under his chin Rosemary. But like everything else, a crop is just personal taste.

07-15-2008, 10:58 PM	#4
heliphoto Veteran Member Join Date: May 2008 Location: Region 5 Photos: Gallery Posts: 2,539	Originally posted by little laker Personally I'd crop it to just under his chin Rosemary. But like everything else, a crop is just personal taste. When it loaded in my browser, his chin was just above the bottom of my screen, and I agree with Stu, I liked it that way. I also might consider showing a bit more of the top left of the picture, to move the eyes a bit more into the frame, but without having the whole shot to look at and play with, I don't know if that would work at all. Come to think of it, I'd recommend you don't listen to me at all with regard to portraits since I tend to point my camera only where people aren't.

07-15-2008, 11:01 PM	#5
Damn Brit Guest	I think the crop is too tight Rosemary, personally I'd like to see more of his shoulder (if not all). I think the current crop just makes the whole thing too long. You could fix the blown out window by making it black (or another colour). I think cropping the top of heads is mostly but for me it works less often vertically, especially when ears are missing. But that's just me. Gary

07-15-2008, 11:02 PM	#6
Damn Brit Guest	I think the crop is too tight Rosemary, personally I'd like to see more of his shoulder (if not all). I think the current crop just makes the whole thing too long. You could fix the blown out window by making it black (or another colour). I think cropping the top of heads works mostly, but for me it works less often vertically, especially when ears are missing. But that's just me. Gary

07-15-2008, 11:47 PM	#7
rmtagg Veteran Member Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Warrington, PA Photos: Gallery Posts: 1,271 Original Poster	Originally posted by dws1117 The crop is fine, but the white background left of his left eye is distracting. Also, the pixelation(sp?) of the shirt and the dark spot between the neck and shirt strap just bugs me. Overall I don't mind the grittiness of the shot as it seems as if he may be kind of a gritty guy. Was there noise added in PP? How far were you from the subject? Don't know if that was your intent or not. I know this doesn't help, but that's my 2 cents. Would you mind posting the original? well this guy is very tall and to top it off he shaved his head. So here is this guy with a large head anyway that now looks like a large watermelon. He always has such a serious look and people think he is not friendly. So I am playing around with a few pics I took of him to see if I can get a different look going, lol. So I tried cropping in tight to cut off some height. I can tell I will be experimenting on this for a while. the guy wants a nice pic to put on a web site and I think wants to attract the ladies. Only thing is, this is how he normally looks and it intemidates people. Originally posted by little laker Personally I'd crop it to just under his chin Rosemary. But like everything else, a crop is just personal taste. I will play around with is, this might be a good way to go. Originally posted by heliphoto When it loaded in my browser, his chin was just above the bottom of my screen, and I agree with Stu, I liked it that way. I also might consider showing a bit more of the top left of the picture, to move the eyes a bit more into the frame, but without having the whole shot to look at and play with, I don't know if that would work at all. Come to think of it, I'd recommend you don't listen to me at all with regard to portraits since I tend to point my camera only where people aren't. If they had one of those rolling on the floor smilies I would post it right here, lol! Originally posted by Damn Brit I think the crop is too tight Rosemary, personally I'd like to see more of his shoulder (if not all). I think the current crop just makes the whole thing too long. You could fix the blown out window by making it black (or another colour). I think cropping the top of heads is mostly but for me it works less often vertically, especially when ears are missing. But that's just me. Gary Gary! are you enjoying your vacation????? I am thinking of trying to figure out how to make the back area black or some other color. I had it cropped with a shoulder and it looks good but then I started getting a little more drastic in my experimentation, lol and here I am. So will go back and start all over again.

07-16-2008, 12:02 AM	#8
little laker Veteran Member Join Date: Sep 2006 Photos: Gallery Posts: 5,697	If you'd like to know how I occasionally make the background black in the camera give me a PM Rosemary I'll share my trick with you, I just don't want everyone to know and start coping my technique I could also do a little photoshop for you if you'd like the background to be black. But I won't touch it until I'm home on Friday. I prefer using my home computer over my laptop for such things.

07-16-2008, 02:42 AM	#10
maxwell1295 Veteran Member Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Long Island, New York Photos: Gallery Posts: 2,703	Gary, you crack me up! I about ruined my keyboard with coffee....

07-16-2008, 03:04 AM	#11
Damn Brit Guest	Originally posted by maxwell1295 Gary, you crack me up! I about ruined my keyboard with coffee.... Sorry Alan. Why aren't you in bed? Or did you just get up?

07-16-2008, 05:41 AM	#12
dws1117 Veteran Member Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Spring, TX. Photos: Gallery Posts: 1,157	Gary, I really appreciate your sense of humor. Too dang funny. Originally posted by rmtagg well this guy is very tall and to top it off he shaved his head. So here is this guy with a large head anyway that now looks like a large watermelon. He always has such a serious look and people think he is not friendly. So I am playing around with a few pics I took of him to see if I can get a different look going, lol. So I tried cropping in tight to cut off some height. I can tell I will be experimenting on this for a while. the guy wants a nice pic to put on a web site and I think wants to attract the ladies. Only thing is, this is how he normally looks and it intemidates people. With seeing the original and the explanation I think I see where your aiming. It seems as if your very close. I'm still wondering where the noise is coming from. It is even more apparent on the tank top in the original. Since you shot at ISO 100 it seems out of place unless it was added and intended, but given you reason for the picture i'd guess your not intending to make him look more gritty/tough. The only other thing that I'd see was the background which can be fixed. Keep up the fine work, Rosemary. I'm learning just being on the sidelines.

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07-16-2008, 06:24 AM	#13
roentarre Veteran Member Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Melbourne, Australia Posts: 11,783	I like it like that. Most traditional photographers preferred the whole body shot which is harder to rationise in terms of composition.

07-16-2008, 07:08 AM	#14
heliphoto Veteran Member Join Date: May 2008 Location: Region 5 Photos: Gallery Posts: 2,539	Originally posted by dws1117 ...I'm still wondering where the noise is coming from. It is even more apparent on the tank top in the original. Since you shot at ISO 100 it seems out of place unless it was added and intended, but given you reason for the picture i'd guess your not intending to make him look more gritty/tough... I'd guess that the bright background caused the shot to be under exposed, and correcting the exposure in post brought out noise in the shadows. Either spot metering on the subject's face, or a +EV bias would have saved the original exposure, and kept the noise demons at bay. He does look a bit intimidating (I'm qualified to state this, as I never look intimidating). A smile would probably help. I'd suggest you follow him around and try to get semi-candid shots - puppies and children aren't a bad idea . You can always try the relaxing pose of Uncle Rico. It will only attract fans of Napoleon Dynamite, but it's a start.

07-16-2008, 10:50 AM	#15
raz-0 Veteran Member Join Date: May 2007 Location: Central NJ Posts: 470	Originally posted by rmtagg well this guy is very tall and to top it off he shaved his head. So here is this guy with a large head anyway that now looks like a large watermelon. He always has such a serious look and people think he is not friendly. So I am playing around with a few pics I took of him to see if I can get a different look going, lol. So I tried cropping in tight to cut off some height. I can tell I will be experimenting on this for a while. the guy wants a nice pic to put on a web site and I think wants to attract the ladies. Only thing is, this is how he normally looks and it intemidates people. From a tall guy who people tended to think was not friendly: Tell him to try smiling and stop folding his arms across his chest. If the body language says unfriendly, people will get the message. Friendly welcoming body langauge goes a long way towards making a first impression. Tall isn't the issue, especially it's about appearing attractive. Tall is generally a plus there rather than a minus over a reasonable sample size. As for the crop, it's ok compositionally, but too severe for the source material. I don't know if you used noise reduction on it, but it has that muddied too much noise reduction look, which isn't obvious in the full image.