[D4rknezz]

Comments and critiques for improvements welcome

I shot this at a pretty high aperture, at least 3, and around 1/60 shutter speed.

I have loaded this picture in 4 different monitors, and they vary in softness and sharpness in all of them. I dont even know what to aim for anymore! suggestions?

Attached Images

 

[johnmflores]

Lacking any input, I'd say that this is an aggressive, in your face portrait. The eyes are challenging, the tilt of the head could suggest a little cockiness, the rest of the face impassive, expressionless. The lack of any background adds a sense of impersonality (is that a word?) to it - as if it's a stylized mugshot. The flash of white in the lower right actually adds to the composition in an interesting way - it makes the eye dance around a little bit more.

What, precisely, are you aiming for? Tell us what you are trying to say with this image and we let you know if we think it's getting it done.

[MSM]

I think for me the eyes are a little soft. Add some catch light to those eyes. I agree with John, this is a 'in your face -attitude' portrait. It is a tight shot and leaves the viewer (at least me) no choice to go right in to the eyes, which as I said seem to be lacking.

I didn't follow what you meant with 'a high aperture, at least 3'. Did you mean a wide aperture like f/2.8 ? I would have closed it down f/5.6-8. I am no expert for sure, but my experience tells me that using a 50mm in tight gives you a shallow depth of field and opening up the aperture makes it even shallower. Similar shots I have taken, I have found that it is hard to keep both eyes sharp when you are not perfectly plane with the eyes. i.e. If the subject's left (or right) eye is closer, then you need that extra depth of field to carry both eyes.

[D4rknezz]

Thanks for the observations!

I was having problems with studio lighting the other day, so I followed an advice to start with portrait shots. This is my first attempt - and what i had in mind was to recreate one of these shots surrounded by lights. Unfortunately, i was deep into the technicality of my setups rather than the story and expression of the model.

Its interesting that the comments are instead focused into the story and expression, i can see i am doing things backwards.

I used 1 light behind the model shot through a diffuser at full power, and 1 light in front of the model at 1/2 power.

I am not sure whether this setup is correct, however when i stop down to 5 or 6 ranges, i start seeing the diffuser in my preview. Which is why i opened wide.

So i am guessing, to keep the eyes sharp, i should stop down anyway, and then do the glow white background through PP?
Also, i noticed the black dark eyes - i do need to add catchlight

[Tuner571]

For me this shot looks like it could use just a few things in order to make it better. Firstly, the softness is a bit much for me, if the photo was sharper it would look much better. Secondly, as the members before have said the in your face shot makes you go directly to the eyes, which to me are lacking. I’m not really sure what you could do to change that, but there must be something that could turn this photo around.

I am also not really a fan of the background, I wish that something other than white was used to better compliment the portrait. So other than those things it’s not too bad, but it definitely does need some work.

[noahpurdy]

The image is lacking in sharpness and as soon as I see no catch-light in the eyes I tend to lose interest in a portrait.

[D4rknezz]

Thanks for the comments

I am now working on figuring out the catch lights effect - I kind of thought because i have a strobe directed at the subject it would automatically give me one, but it obviously was not so. More so, about 15 feet away from the subject was a ceiling light. Neither did the effect i wanted. I may need to actually have an extra lightstand next to the camera ?

Back to the drawing board