Simple light

[svisilian]

http://www.flickr.com/photos/svisilian/ ... hotostream


hi what do you guys think about this one?
I am starting to like natural light and shooting portraits:)

[davidc]

Heh I can tell you're liking it

I prefer this to the other portrait, mainly because I think the high key effect adds to it overall. I'm not bothered you've clipped his ear, most judges probably would be, but there's capturing "record shot" portraits and there are ones that are more personal and meaningful to shooter and subject - I think this, and the one of the girl - definitely fall into the latter category.

Trying to practice this kind of shot myself but my friends aren't so obliging

[svisilian]

thanks David!

[Mike Farley]

Hi Sorin

Good to see you posting here. Since you have asked for comments both good and bad, I will point out what I would expect a judge to say.

First of all, you have shot from above, which is an unusual angle, using the lens wide open at f/1.8. This has had the benefit of keeping the eyes sharp, which is important in a portrait, while the lower part of his face and sides of his head are going out of focus. By so doing, you have focused the viewer's attention on his eyes, although possibly the angle at which we see him is not the most flattering. Depends on what sort of effect you were after, of course. As Dave has already observed, you have slightly cropped his right ear, whereas normally I would expect to see it complete with a bit of space around it. Also, there is a distracting out of focus area below his left ear. Lastly, there is a catchlight at the bottom of his left eye which might have been better if it were more central.

Other than saying you are using natural light, you have not said how you controlled it. One option is to position your subject by a window, which means that one side of the face will be correctly exposed, but the other side will be darker, making the portrait appear less flat. If you are going to carry on using natural light, you might want to invest in a reflector to shine light into areas which would otherwise be in shadow. A 5-in-1 will give you white, silver and gold which will change the colour and harshness of the light. Gold warms things up, which can be flattering in a portrait. Black absorbs light, so creates shadow and removes unwanted reflections. You can use the diffuser to soften the light if it is too harsh. Try experimenting, as you can change the mood of the image quite dramatically with a few simple changes.

Overall, you have given us an impression of the character of your friend and given the image a quirky feel by the the way you have chosen to compose it.

Hope this helps you.