People Portrait in black and white

**ivanvernon** · 04-11-2014, 06:22 AM

EXIF information is valueless since this was a film portrait scanned digitally. Film used was Kodak Professional BW400CN, advertised as having "extremely fine grain and outstanding sharpness . . ." process is c-41.

I will appreciate comments on all aspects of this portrait, including exposure, framing, composition, etc. I want to improve my work, so please be completely candid in comments.

Thank you in advance for your comments.

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tuco · 04-11-2014, 07:59 AM

You could convert this to a grey scale to get rid of the faint orange tint in image. As far as and environmental portrait goes, it feels more like a snap shot of a person doing a random thing (eg talking on the phone) and not very engaging at all. Now if he was know as a chronic phone user it would perhaps have more meaning.

**ivanvernon** · 04-11-2014, 09:41 AM

Originally posted by tuco

You could convert this to a grey scale to get rid of the faint orange tint in image. As far as and environmental portrait goes, it feels more like a snap shot of a person doing a random thing (eg talking on the phone) and not very engaging at all. Now if he was know as a chronic phone user it would perhaps have more meaning.

Thank you for the comment. I had not noticed the tint, but will see if I can post process as you suggest.

Well, yes, Bill uses the phone quite a lot, mainly because his wife calls him frequently! I suppose frequency of phone use would be unknown to viewers of this image, and thus that factor of composition would not be meaningful except within the model's circle of acquaintances.

I appreciate your taking the time to offer your impressions.

Gregory_51 · 04-11-2014, 12:51 PM

Hi
I'd agree with the first post. I thought it was a duotone because the pink in the background and the foreground looking a bit cool. Converting to grayscale or adding a saturation layer and sliding it to the left would fix that. The subject is placed dead center with a lot of wasted space on each side. A square crop might be a better choice here. The subject is also a bit dark and lightening the midtones might be in order.
Regards
Greg

**ivanvernon** · 04-11-2014, 01:56 PM

Originally posted by Gregory_51

Hi
I'd agree with the first post. I thought it was a duotone because the pink in the background and the foreground looking a bit cool. Converting to grayscale or adding a saturation layer and sliding it to the left would fix that. The subject is placed dead center with a lot of wasted space on each side. A square crop might be a better choice here. The subject is also a bit dark and lightening the midtones might be in order.
Regards
Greg

Thanks for your suggestions. I am partially colorblind, and do not see the pink that you see! I will work on the photo with these suggestions.

Thanks for taking the time to review and comment.

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04-11-2014, 07:59 AM	#2
tuco Pentaxian Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Pugetopolis Posts: 11,025	You could convert this to a grey scale to get rid of the faint orange tint in image. As far as and environmental portrait goes, it feels more like a snap shot of a person doing a random thing (eg talking on the phone) and not very engaging at all. Now if he was know as a chronic phone user it would perhaps have more meaning.

04-11-2014, 09:41 AM	#3
ivanvernon Loyal Site Supporter Join Date: Oct 2012 Location: Medina, OH Photos: Albums Posts: 7,224 Original Poster	Originally posted by tuco You could convert this to a grey scale to get rid of the faint orange tint in image. As far as and environmental portrait goes, it feels more like a snap shot of a person doing a random thing (eg talking on the phone) and not very engaging at all. Now if he was know as a chronic phone user it would perhaps have more meaning. Thank you for the comment. I had not noticed the tint, but will see if I can post process as you suggest. Well, yes, Bill uses the phone quite a lot, mainly because his wife calls him frequently! I suppose frequency of phone use would be unknown to viewers of this image, and thus that factor of composition would not be meaningful except within the model's circle of acquaintances. I appreciate your taking the time to offer your impressions.

04-11-2014, 12:51 PM	#4
Gregory_51 Veteran Member Join Date: Jun 2011 Location: London, Canada Photos: Gallery Posts: 343	Hi I'd agree with the first post. I thought it was a duotone because the pink in the background and the foreground looking a bit cool. Converting to grayscale or adding a saturation layer and sliding it to the left would fix that. The subject is placed dead center with a lot of wasted space on each side. A square crop might be a better choice here. The subject is also a bit dark and lightening the midtones might be in order. Regards Greg

04-11-2014, 01:56 PM	#5
ivanvernon Loyal Site Supporter Join Date: Oct 2012 Location: Medina, OH Photos: Albums Posts: 7,224 Original Poster	Originally posted by Gregory_51 Hi I'd agree with the first post. I thought it was a duotone because the pink in the background and the foreground looking a bit cool. Converting to grayscale or adding a saturation layer and sliding it to the left would fix that. The subject is placed dead center with a lot of wasted space on each side. A square crop might be a better choice here. The subject is also a bit dark and lightening the midtones might be in order. Regards Greg Thanks for your suggestions. I am partially colorblind, and do not see the pink that you see! I will work on the photo with these suggestions. Thanks for taking the time to review and comment.