People Beautiful Senior

BethC · 02-01-2010, 04:37 PM

I shot a Senior last weekend. It was middle of the day and sunny, but it was the only time that suited the Senior and she really needed the pictures within two days of the shoot for her yearbook.

Anyway, I kind of liked this one, but I'm not sure if it's any good. I like the way the sun highlights the back of her hair, but I'm wondering if the blown sky and any blown highlights in her hair makes this photo no good. I used a reflector to get some light back on her face. I'd really love a good flash to try to use for some fill instead of the reflector, then I could have kept the sky from blowing is that right?

anyway, I'm anxious is hear any and all CC on this photo.

Thanks in advance!

Damn Brit · 02-01-2010, 06:08 PM

Compositionally, this is just a snapshot because she is in the center of the frame and there are bushes and buildings perched on her shoulders. Shooting at the sun like that has cause CA, I'm referring to the blue twigs on the right and the purplish edge to the tree trunk. It also looks like you may have over sharpened it, creating a jagged edge down the tree trunk. Yes you might have improved the background with fill flash but the picture would look less natural than with the reflected light.
If you had placed her in front of the tree and moved yourself to the right you could still have captured the sunlight in her hair, you would have given yourself a nice background to work with and you wouldn't have had the blown highlights.

tcdk · 02-03-2010, 12:24 PM

She has a wonderful smile and a gleam in her eye - you got the most important aspects right. I don't mind the blown hair, I mind the blow sky...

But moving her into the shade or taking down the background with (off cam) flash would have helped.

dragonfly · 02-03-2010, 12:31 PM

I like the photo of her with her back to the tree. It makes her look pretty and it highlights her boobs, which is the whole point of wearing the blouse buttoned like that. The button is a little distracting, but not a fatal flaw.

The pose in this shot isn't very natural, and the blue blouse makes an X right in the middle of the picture that draws the viewer's eyes to her belly, which is not ideal. (Edit: There's a bright yellow triangle pointing right at her cooter- not cool).

Last edited by dragonfly; 02-03-2010 at 08:06 PM.

Gene Temple · 02-03-2010, 12:50 PM

This is my first critique and at the recommendations of Damn Brit, I'm going to give it a go.

The first thing I notice is the light, which seems to overwhelm the rest of the photograph, especially behind her head. I'm wondering if a polarizing filter would've helped tame it down a bit. I agree that a better pose might work. I think I would've taken 20 or 30 pictures with variations of poses and settings till it started looking cool. I don't think the girl will ever take a bad picture. It would've been nice if the tree had more shade or had a bldg cutting down all that glare. Unless thats what you were after.
I do like the shot otherwise, especially the reflected light back into her face.

Thanks for allowing my 2 cents...........I'm still learning too!

02-01-2010, 04:37 PM	#1
BethC Veteran Member Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Pennsylvannia Photos: Albums Posts: 377	Beautiful Senior Lens: 50mm Camera: K10D Photo Location: Springton Manor ISO: 200 Shutter Speed: 1/750s Aperture: F2.8 I shot a Senior last weekend. It was middle of the day and sunny, but it was the only time that suited the Senior and she really needed the pictures within two days of the shoot for her yearbook. Anyway, I kind of liked this one, but I'm not sure if it's any good. I like the way the sun highlights the back of her hair, but I'm wondering if the blown sky and any blown highlights in her hair makes this photo no good. I used a reflector to get some light back on her face. I'd really love a good flash to try to use for some fill instead of the reflector, then I could have kept the sky from blowing is that right? anyway, I'm anxious is hear any and all CC on this photo. Thanks in advance!

Similar Threads
Thread	Thread Starter	Forum	Replies	Last Post
People Senior portrait	devisor	Post Your Photos!	10	10-14-2010 08:13 PM
People Senior Portraits	code4code5	Photo Critique	8	10-17-2009 08:46 PM
People First try at Senior pictures	BethC	Photo Critique	6	09-30-2009 05:53 AM
senior pics	robert	Post Your Photos!	10	01-08-2008 07:46 PM
The Beautiful Portuguese Language And A Beautiful Voice: Jane Monheit	Mike Bokeh	General Talk	1	12-03-2007 05:43 PM

02-01-2010, 06:08 PM	#2
Damn Brit Guest	Compositionally, this is just a snapshot because she is in the center of the frame and there are bushes and buildings perched on her shoulders. Shooting at the sun like that has cause CA, I'm referring to the blue twigs on the right and the purplish edge to the tree trunk. It also looks like you may have over sharpened it, creating a jagged edge down the tree trunk. Yes you might have improved the background with fill flash but the picture would look less natural than with the reflected light. If you had placed her in front of the tree and moved yourself to the right you could still have captured the sunlight in her hair, you would have given yourself a nice background to work with and you wouldn't have had the blown highlights.

02-03-2010, 12:24 PM	#3
tcdk Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Copenhagen, Denmark Posts: 279	She has a wonderful smile and a gleam in her eye - you got the most important aspects right. I don't mind the blown hair, I mind the blow sky... But moving her into the shade or taking down the background with (off cam) flash would have helped.

02-03-2010, 12:31 PM	#4
dragonfly Veteran Member Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: on the wall Photos: Gallery Posts: 715	I like the photo of her with her back to the tree. It makes her look pretty and it highlights her boobs, which is the whole point of wearing the blouse buttoned like that. The button is a little distracting, but not a fatal flaw. The pose in this shot isn't very natural, and the blue blouse makes an X right in the middle of the picture that draws the viewer's eyes to her belly, which is not ideal. (Edit: There's a bright yellow triangle pointing right at her cooter- not cool). Last edited by dragonfly; 02-03-2010 at 08:06 PM.

02-03-2010, 12:50 PM	#5
Gene Temple Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: Lynchburg Virginia Posts: 182	This is my first critique and at the recommendations of Damn Brit, I'm going to give it a go. The first thing I notice is the light, which seems to overwhelm the rest of the photograph, especially behind her head. I'm wondering if a polarizing filter would've helped tame it down a bit. I agree that a better pose might work. I think I would've taken 20 or 30 pictures with variations of poses and settings till it started looking cool. I don't think the girl will ever take a bad picture. It would've been nice if the tree had more shade or had a bldg cutting down all that glare. Unless thats what you were after. I do like the shot otherwise, especially the reflected light back into her face. Thanks for allowing my 2 cents...........I'm still learning too!