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02/11/2005 10:14:26 PM · #1 |
I did an outdoor model shoot the other day and just wanted some comments.
EDIT: one more
Message edited by author 2005-02-11 22:16:10. |
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02/11/2005 10:33:48 PM · #2 |
Technically in terms of focus and composition and things like that, I think they are okay. To me though, the model does not seem altogether sure of herself, and many of the poses do not seem relaxed or normal. Maybe the most relaxed would be the third and last photo.
The other thing that strikes me a bit is what she is wearing. The boots look like winter boots, and in some shots she's wearing that heavy coat...yet the grass is green, the sun is shining and it looks warm, even though in reality it might not be. Her outfit doesn't fit the photo. If she needed or wanted photos done with those clothes, maybe get some darker trees or a neutral, less summer-like background behind her and go with a shallow dof to focus all the attention on her.
Just my two cents.
Meant to say 4th and last photo
Message edited by author 2005-02-11 22:43:39. |
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02/11/2005 10:42:10 PM · #3 |
This by far the best of the lot. What would have really improved this photo is being able to see the other eye. Nice catch light in both eyes would have really made this excellent.
Like rscorp said she looks a bit stiff in the other poses. In a few, the color looks a bit flat too, like you need to bump up the levels or contrast.
Just my input. Look forward to seeing more of your work.
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02/11/2005 10:53:18 PM · #4 |
Damn! They are decent shots! There are a few things that need to be worked on, but you have a great photogenic model there! In my eyes, they are just flat. They need some punch! She has the goods for it!
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02/11/2005 10:53:56 PM · #5 |
Originally posted by rscorp:
Technically in terms of focus and composition and things like that, I think they are okay. To me though, the model does not seem altogether sure of herself, and many of the poses do not seem relaxed or normal. Maybe the most relaxed would be the third and last photo.
The other thing that strikes me a bit is what she is wearing. The boots look like winter boots, and in some shots she's wearing that heavy coat...yet the grass is green, the sun is shining and it looks warm, even though in reality it might not be. Her outfit doesn't fit the photo. If she needed or wanted photos done with those clothes, maybe get some darker trees or a neutral, less summer-like background behind her and go with a shallow dof to focus all the attention on her.
Just my two cents. |
What he said. Every bit.
To get a model to relax, and this is almost as important as knowing how to use your camera, it may take more then one shooting session. She has to know she can trust you with her image. Do you have a chance to shoot this over with the same model? If you do, DO NOT show her all the out takes. Keep one or two of the best shots and tell her you had to trash the rest because the lighting was off or your camera messed up or whatever it takes. When she sees the shots that YOU THINK best compliment her she will be much more relaxed in the next session and the picture will expedentially improve. And use a longer lens. What was that a 50mm?
You have a potetially photogenic model and it appears you know how to use your camera so all you have to do now is figure out how to put the two together.
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02/11/2005 11:42:59 PM · #6 |
Thanks for the comments so far.
She was tense and nervous - that's for sure. She's actually one of my co-workers who agreed to model for me so I can reshoot her anytime.
And the lens I used was my new 70-200 2.8L. I was really testing out the lens more than shooting the model :)
any other advice would be great!
Thanks,
Eric
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02/12/2005 12:09:46 AM · #7 |
| I agree with the other things said. i would only add that the color of the grass is overwhelming. It seems like a fluorescent green. |
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02/12/2005 12:18:31 AM · #8 |
Some of the pictures seem low in contrast, could be lens flare (in that lens, it looks more hazy than a flare, easily fixable), and the fill flash is definitely out of place in an environment like this.
But most of all, your model is way too tense! Make some conversation, shake her unexpectedly and laugh! Tell her to loosen up, it's just a picture. You know, it's probably the big honkin' lens that's freakin' her out.
I agree with rscorp that her outfit is not a good choice for the environment. Also, her skin tone seems out of place, if not wrong althogether.
Now individually. K1-Looks totally posed an unloose. Expression on face looks concerned with something out of frame. K2-Terribly overposed, looks like she's being hung from her elbows. K3-Looks like it might be someone else's hand off screen. Still looks nervous and reluctant. K4-Best of the bunch, but the fill flash is too noticeable, would be better reflected off to the side. Coat does not go with nice green grass, hood veils her hair. K5-Still looks unnatural, boots and coat a little mismatched to grass. 6206-Low contrast face, coat still not working for me.
Hope this helped, I hope you love your lens! Ha, I know you do, that's an awesome investment there. Keep up the good work, I know this beautiful lady has a lot of potential as well, just get her loosened!
Edit: Did a quick not-very-good photoshop job, though I hate working with small pictures and changing backgrounds, I just couldn't resist.
K4
Message edited by author 2005-02-12 00:30:41. |
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02/12/2005 12:20:39 AM · #9 |
Originally posted by photomayhem:
And the lens I used was my new 70-200 2.8L. I was really testing out the lens more than shooting the model :)
any other advice would be great!
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Where was it zoomed to? What focal length about? Try to get it at between 85mm and 135mm for the most complimentary effects. Disregard the crop factor of your camera and just step back a few more feet.
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02/12/2005 01:27:48 AM · #10 |
Hey, Eric.
Congrats on getting out there and shooting a set. How'd it feel? How'd you like the 70-200? Rocks doesn't it.
You've got the first ingredient to shooting with people: you chose to get off your duff and get out there. Now comes the REALLY fun part: seeing critiques and comments and trying to fold them back into your process so that you learn and grow. Lord-willin' you'll be able to take the views that others express about your work (with the equipment, the setting and the model) and use it to make more conscious decisions the next time and the next and . . . .
For this shoot I'm gonna go with the consensus on the subject appearing stiff. That'll come. As you get more relaxed, they'll get more relaxed. I offer this itty-bitty piece of advice. Eat a chocolate bar before a shoot. Seriously. Pick out something that has a physiological effect the way chocolate does and take a bite (you don't have to eat the whole thing). The point is to knock off that edge when you're first starting to shoot modeling sessions. Find some way to dull the hyped up nervous feeling as it will probably become clearer that you truly can help a model relax and enjoy the session.
K1 - This shot doesn't have much imagination in it. Its a full-length shot which is fine especially with a model who has such a defined figure. She seems to be trim and without much body fat but she maintains feminine curves and the outfit she wore looks like it could display those physical elements. I like the juxtaposition that can be played upon by the employment of the fur-lined boots with the seemingly thin top and the ultra-short skirt. This look can afford you the ability to put a naggling feeling in the back of a viewer's mind that something just doesn't seem right. Couple that with expert execution and artistic interpretation and you've got a killer image. Here what it looks like is just a pose that doesn't present the viewer with anything special. The rock wall in the background can be a good element to use but you need to have an idea of why to use it if you're going to have the subject this close. If you were shooting a topless guy this would be a great place to have one hand behind his head to show off some biceps and fill the frame with his body so that the stones were merely a background element that reinforced any perceived strength. With a feminine form I would think that you could use the texture of the stones to offset that smooth sensuality that often is attributed to women; show the bend of her elbow down to the tips of her manicured fingers against the wall as an abstract where we can see how smooth and soft she might appear to be. Take a headshot with her face off-center and the rough texture of the stones creating the backdrop against which her skin appears smooth enough so that it would feel like silk. Those are just some ideas I have for using some of the elements you have in this shot. Then again, you could go just about any direction with this but it doesn't feel like its taking my anywhere. If you wanted to emphasize a horizontal layout I'd say to pullin closer to her back and extend the frame to the left since that's the direction of her gaze, her arm and her "front" leg. Love the effects of the light on her hair here.
K2 - This subject has such a lovely upper body that she can pull off this pose and own it in a sultry way without having to resort to skanky. Some people have to settle for not ever getting a shot like this AND looking sultry; it can just be unflattering. Not the case for this subject. Unfortunately you have to help her get this look as she can't see herself in it and people are notoriously (in my experience) unfamiliar with how they look or what expression they think they are exuding. To retry this shot next time I think you might want to consider putting one arm dominantly in front of the other so that only the fingers of the rearward arm appear around the elbow of the front arm (like the fingers of her left hand do in this version). Allow her arms to make more of a rectangle around her head. Women tend to love to look down to try and convey a sultry or coy look. If a woman wants to look sexy but doesn't feel comfortable owning that look, I believe that they tend to (in front of the lens anyway) look down and raise their eyes up. Its almost a little "I'm sexy under here but you're gonna have to come get it" kind of a look. That's great and it may work in real life. The problem on a shoot is that the camera takes an instant; a snapshot of the whole sexy movement and without the context of the previous move or the continuation of the head/eye movement it tends to create a look for the viewer where the subject has a double chin most often and the eyes look hooded or sleepy. Hooded eyes (where the eyelids are partially closed) can be incredibly sexy and intimate if done properly but very few photographers and models that I've seen can work that situation correctly. What you want to do is get her to the position where you can imitate the effect that she would normally be conveying but help her to realize that it may not feel exactly like the real life movement of whatever look it is that she is used to doing. Sometimes a model can have a great smile, head bob, hair flick or whatever but to capture it in a shot you need to watch it, figure out what about that smile, blah, blah it is that you as a viewer connect with and then get the model to achieve that pose so that you can convey to the viewer what they would notice if they were there for the original action. In this shot the subject appears to have a double chin and her eyes almost appear sunken while her chest doesn't have the same vivacious effect that I've no doubt would be in effect were I present when she chose to look up at me (or whoever). To achieve a similar effect in the shot I'd suggest asking her to lift her chin up and her forehead back just a little, I'd pop her with a little fill flash to bring out those eyes and give them catchlights and I'd ask her to pull down her top and use a clothespin or clamp to anchor it to the top of her jeans since with a tighter shot that would be out of frame. It would also lend something if she had more curvature in her back as raising her arms will tend to flatten her chest a little and curving her back can help to bring more . . . pronouncement to that area. There's little argument that the actual pose would feel less natural but I think if she is motivated to try it she could produce a look that is both natural in her facial features and more closely approximates what I'm sure you experienced as she posed.
As its late I'm skipping to 6206, my favorite due to your execution. In this shot you got tighter on the subject and got better lighting. Here her face isn't shrouded in darkness even with the hood and the bright sunlight from above. She still lacks large catchlights (what were you using for lighting) but the lighting here is closer to a ratio that allows her facial features to be distinguished while her outfit is well-lit. That can affect how the viewer responds positively. I like the concept of the hair flying all over as it can really give a subject a sense of life and even a sexy disheveled look but my concern with it here is the white overcoat and hood lend themselves to a more clean-cut interpretation of this composition to me. She seems to have striking facial features and skintones. I'd be interested to see a similar shot but with the top button buttoned and her hair pulled back out of her face. I think a series like that with her looking down, up, into the lens, away from the lens, would yield you a great wealth of information about how she shoots as well as giving you some lovely minimalist headshots where her facial beauty is what stands out.
Overall you've got some good elements to work with in these shots. You just need to either (A) employ a style and stick to it to express your vision or (B) if you're more like I am you need to develop a vision for what you see and make it into a style so that you can master it and, thereby, learn to master the basics of your composition and portraiture. I didn't understand using fill flash outdoors correctly forever and I still sometimes haggle with my equipment on white balance. If you need to work through finding out what it is that you see and capturing it then don't be daunted by the volume of work, just dig in and shoot, shoot again and keep shooting. You can find a voice and get all that technical stuff out of the way. Oh yeah, and if it trips your trigger to work with people who actually enjoy being in front of the camera then you should have no end to subjects that you can have fun with as you learn.
Good work and keep on shooting,
Kev
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