People Flute player

opiet70 · 08-27-2011, 08:06 AM

I ran across this guy as I was wandering the streets. I was happy he agreed to a few shots as I thought he was a pretty interesting subject. However, I'm not amazed at the shots. Granted, people photography is not my forte - but I thought the textures in his face would lead to some captivating photos. Here are two shots (1 color/1 b&w each) that I've been playing around with. Is there anything more I should/could do with this or is it simply a shot that rated higher in my mind than in actuality? Thanks in advance for looking and providing feedback!

Attached Images

Brennan · 08-27-2011, 11:18 AM

I've learned that amazing subjects still need good lighting... It looks like the lighting is directly overhead (mid-day sun). That doesn't generally create interesting photos. In the future, try to move subjects under a door way or opening to create the "edge of the forest" lighting in the middle of the day.

Also, you could have played with shooting perspective instead of shooting him straight on.

Last thing, I would have tried to frame him to the right of the shot with the whole flute in the frame, taking him off the center...

Hope some of this helps! I'm just learning too

opiet70 · 08-27-2011, 03:18 PM

Originally posted by Brennan

I've learned that amazing subjects still need good lighting... It looks like the lighting is directly overhead (mid-day sun). That doesn't generally create interesting photos. In the future, try to move subjects under a door way or opening to create the "edge of the forest" lighting in the middle of the day.

Also, you could have played with shooting perspective instead of shooting him straight on.

Last thing, I would have tried to frame him to the right of the shot with the whole flute in the frame, taking him off the center...

Hope some of this helps! I'm just learning too

Yeah, lighting was definitely an issue with this one. It was an overcast day around 10ish in the morning, but the lighting didn't do him justice.

The original does have him in the entire frame, but the background was full of graffiti and posted papers. I thought it did made the shot too busy and distracted from the flute player.

smf · 08-28-2011, 08:15 AM

If you have such an opportunity in the future, I'd suggest that a higher ISO would allow you to use a smaller aperture. With that smaller aperture, you could focus on the model's eyes and still be likely to have elements of the foreground in acceptably sharp focus.
These are interesting photos.
Best wishes.

opiet70 · 08-28-2011, 06:48 PM

Originally posted by smf

If you have such an opportunity in the future, I'd suggest that a higher ISO would allow you to use a smaller aperture. With that smaller aperture, you could focus on the model's eyes and still be likely to have elements of the foreground in acceptably sharp focus.
These are interesting photos.
Best wishes.

Yeah, I've thought of that also. Turning that background into some nice bokah would be certainly help. I've thought about diving into this in post processing, but haven't dived into it yet.

08-27-2011, 08:06 AM	#1
opiet70 Veteran Member Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Dallas, TX Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 499	Flute player Lens: Tak 55mm Camera: K10D Photo Location: Montevideo, Uruguay ISO: 100 Shutter Speed: 1/125s Aperture: F3.5 I ran across this guy as I was wandering the streets. I was happy he agreed to a few shots as I thought he was a pretty interesting subject. However, I'm not amazed at the shots. Granted, people photography is not my forte - but I thought the textures in his face would lead to some captivating photos. Here are two shots (1 color/1 b&w each) that I've been playing around with. Is there anything more I should/could do with this or is it simply a shot that rated higher in my mind than in actuality? Thanks in advance for looking and providing feedback! Attached Images

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08-27-2011, 11:18 AM	#2
Brennan Inactive Account Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Southern Oregon Posts: 15	I've learned that amazing subjects still need good lighting... It looks like the lighting is directly overhead (mid-day sun). That doesn't generally create interesting photos. In the future, try to move subjects under a door way or opening to create the "edge of the forest" lighting in the middle of the day. Also, you could have played with shooting perspective instead of shooting him straight on. Last thing, I would have tried to frame him to the right of the shot with the whole flute in the frame, taking him off the center... Hope some of this helps! I'm just learning too

08-27-2011, 03:18 PM	#3
opiet70 Veteran Member Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Dallas, TX Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 499 Original Poster	Originally posted by Brennan I've learned that amazing subjects still need good lighting... It looks like the lighting is directly overhead (mid-day sun). That doesn't generally create interesting photos. In the future, try to move subjects under a door way or opening to create the "edge of the forest" lighting in the middle of the day. Also, you could have played with shooting perspective instead of shooting him straight on. Last thing, I would have tried to frame him to the right of the shot with the whole flute in the frame, taking him off the center... Hope some of this helps! I'm just learning too Yeah, lighting was definitely an issue with this one. It was an overcast day around 10ish in the morning, but the lighting didn't do him justice. The original does have him in the entire frame, but the background was full of graffiti and posted papers. I thought it did made the shot too busy and distracted from the flute player.

08-28-2011, 08:15 AM	#4
smf Pentaxian Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Midland, MI Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 4,083	If you have such an opportunity in the future, I'd suggest that a higher ISO would allow you to use a smaller aperture. With that smaller aperture, you could focus on the model's eyes and still be likely to have elements of the foreground in acceptably sharp focus. These are interesting photos. Best wishes.

08-28-2011, 06:48 PM	#5
opiet70 Veteran Member Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Dallas, TX Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 499 Original Poster	Originally posted by smf If you have such an opportunity in the future, I'd suggest that a higher ISO would allow you to use a smaller aperture. With that smaller aperture, you could focus on the model's eyes and still be likely to have elements of the foreground in acceptably sharp focus. These are interesting photos. Best wishes. Yeah, I've thought of that also. Turning that background into some nice bokah would be certainly help. I've thought about diving into this in post processing, but haven't dived into it yet.