Untitled

I an just getting started in portrait photography and i just would

like an honest opinion..

 

Thank you

Since you say you are looking for honest critique, so here it is.

 

First, as you doubtless know, a part of what one sees and appreciates in photos, as with any artistic expression, is subjective. Not everyone will like the same things for the same reasons. Some like traditional presentations, some the more avant-garde. What you are attempting here is a more traditional type of portrait. Those have been analyzed to death for general rules of just what constitutes proper lighting, color and composition.

 

Having said that, your offering here does depart somewhat from established norms. The color is excellent. I personally prefer to have subjects dress for portraits in plain simple colors so that the outfit they wear doesn't compete with the subject. The subject for portraiture is the person. For my taste, this dress, though lovely on the young lady, is almost too busy. One does spend some time lookig at that instead of her.

 

The lighting is OK depending on what one wishes to do. This is brightly infused light. The hair light isn't bad but it's a little bright. Some photographers like more modeled light to show detail or create shadows to add interest. I like the way you used light here generally.

 

I personally do not like the soft focus, especially on young subjects. I do not like it because I think it suggests one is trying to hide an unattractive subject by making it less than sharp. But that is my personal feeling about soft focus use, not one generally shared. I think most photographers will tell you they have had a lot of female clients who like the look. What I have discovered over time is that many women like it because they are unusually harsh critics of their own appearance and prefer to hide as much of themselves as possible. I used to be an artist, and a realist at that, so I prefer to expose the natural appearance of people rather than hide it. A photo of stunning clarity will hold the test of time better - and be appreciated more years down the road - than the fuzzy ones ever will. They will also reveal more accurately the real person which is the intent of a portrait anyway.

 

Composition, well, this is off in that department. I do not know what your background is, but if you haven't had any formal education in art or photography, it could pay real dividends in application and personal enjoyment if you took an art class that included a study of composition. The pose you had the subject take is one more usually given to best advantage by a landscape orientation. Consider the subject as a part of a triangle, the head at one point. The natural way she's arrayed out toward the side makes the other point of the compositional pyramid out of the frame to the viewer's right. It's more natural to include that area by orienting the camera the other way. For me, the better composition this way would have her head in the upper left quadrant and her legs down to her shoes in the lower right. For me personally, I'd also have her push the hair on the right side of her head behind her ear and try one both ways. I think with a hair arrangement like that it invites the viewer in more.

 

I hope I haven't said anything to put you off. I usually say very little to people. It's just that you have potential to be really good and then there's that wonderful tool you have to use.

 

Thanks for sharing.

I really like the softness of this image

Thank you to all who took the time to view my picture. And a big thanks to those who commented on it..

I like it. I read your other comments and agree to a certain extent. I like soft focus, but it is a very subjective thing, people either really like it or they really do not. The lighting does seem a bit bright to me ( but I am not an expert). I like the pose though not the traditional portrait pose which tend to be stiff. My only comment on that which I catch myself doing as well is cutting off a small portion of the body - the knuckles in this case. I am also a beginner but I hope this helps.

If you would like - I do have some pointers for soft focus that someone shared with me, you can email me and I would be glad to share.

 

ksiebert@gmtp.net

Angelic, soft and wonderful.