Portrait opinion ?

Hey guys, I am not real big on taking portraits ...lol. But I am working on it .
Here is a shot I just took.
D7000
f5.6
ISO 200
35mm.
Two speedlights SB 800 through an umbrella.
SB 600 half power bonuced of the celling.

Re: Portrait opion ?

Oh, I used a diffuser (sliver) on the left side and the SB 800 through a umbrella on the right side. I hand held a SB 600 up high over my head (at half power in Manual).

Re: Portrait opion ?

Nice shot, cute kid, but he's a little skinny. You should probably feed him.

Re: Portrait opion ?

He is my son, and he eats like a horse...lol. I was the same when I was his age .

Re: Portrait opion ?

A back light will give it the pop it needs to ready stand out.

Re: Portrait opion ?

I had a hair light set up, but the back drop material I used looked bad lit.
So I took it off, but I know what you mean I have used that technique in the past.
3 spot lighting (Key, Fill, & hair light).

Re: Portrait opion ?

I'm gonna be tough on you, Curt...

The first thing I notice is the reflection in the sunglasses. The second thing is the flat lighting: you're using a 3 light setup, and to me it appears as though you have all of them set at the same power setting. One of the key things in portrait photography is adding the 3rd dimension, giving the sense of depth, and it's just not here. If your main light is at full power, the fill should be at about half, and the hair light at 1/4 or less.

And the third issue is the pose:

• Try to avoid straight on shots. Turn the subject's shoulders and have their body facing a different direction. Again, this adds depth.
• Kids should be photographed at their own level. Children have large heads in proportion to their bodies and when you shoot above them, it only exaggerates this.
• Is he holding his toes?
• He appears to be floating in mid air.
• Position your subject further away from the backdrop and it will appear to be more black. Shooting at a higher f/stop will also help.

Anthony thanks for your advice .

I only used two speed lights; The Key light (SB 800) at full and a over head fill (SB 600) a half power.
I wanted him to fade into the background. Or not to really have the background relevant.

i agree with everything Anthony said, but will add this. Lose the sunglasses. what makes any portrait, in my personal opinion is the eyes!! They show the emotion and are always the focal point. They just show who the person is....if their was a piano in front of him and he had a darker tan, he would look just like ray charles here LOL...show the eyes!!

Portrait photography is tough. I should say good portrait photography. It's all about lighting and takes lots of practice. I still can't get it right.

I agree with all the above. This kind of pose would work well on the beach. The eyes have to be an important part of the photo and the glasses are just a distraction. Also, you might want to consider a backlight (as Tracsoft suggested), but more in terms of rim lighting as opposed to a hair light. That would add more dimension to the photo.

Good for you for extending your comfort zone! He is a cute kid!

Thanks guys, as I said portrait work I do very little of. I don’t have the room or the equipment to do it right yet. I just ordered a soft box today.
As for the sun glasses, I took a few without as well, my son thought it would be cool to wear them. I don’t really have a back drop (just used a black fury blanket) …lol.
When I back lit it, it just looks bad. As to positioning I just let him move around and clicked away…lol.

Enthusiasm and happy...that is what I see! That is a credit to you Curt...

Eye-level said:

Enthusiasm and happy...that is what I see! That is a credit to you Curt...

Click to expand...

Thank you, that is what I was looking for..lol.
I do realize it takes more then a good eye and fancy gear to take great portraits.
I will chip anyway at it and learn as I go along. It's not my favorite area, but I will keep playing with it til I get it right.

This goes for anyone interested:

Check out this comprehensive tutorial on studio portrait lighting. Be sure to click "next lesson" when done with the initial page, and also refer to the table of contents. This was written by one of the best portrait guys in the biz, and it's a very down to earth and easy to read guide.

What is it they always say? Capture the essence of the subject???

Thanks a lot for the link AH...I still haven't figured out portraits in daylight and now you go complicating my life further...lol

Re: Portrait opion ?

I don't mind the sunglasses that much in this case. I think they add to the attitude with the Harley cap.
The most annoying thing for me is the fact that he is hiding one of his toes which makes him look like he has only 4 toes in his left foot.
I agree wholeheartedly with Anthony for the flatness of the lighting, it lacks direction (the fill-in should be less).
But I congratulate Curt for trying. It's the way to learn. Keep going man.

Thanks Marcel, as I said in a earlier post portraits is not my favourite area..lol.
My other problem is space & equipment; I used an old blanket as a back drop draped over our fireplace. I had about five feet of space. As to the hat & glasses, my son wanted to wear them…lol. And I posted that photo because it was his favourite (I shot several with & without hat & glasses). I let him move around and just shot him in his natural state (so to speak…lol). My idea was to just have my son blend into the background rather then pop out from it. I tried back lighting (hair light) but didn’t like the way it looked.
But I will keep working at it and get it to the point that I am happy with. I just ordered a soft box & stand so I hope to learn more using that as well. Hopefully in the future I will find a better place to shoot, maybe my basement (right now renos going on down there).

I found this very interesting .
How to Set Up a Two-Speedlite Home Studio | Learning DSLR

I cleared out a bigger space in my basement and took another run at it with some of your suggestions...lol.