| Author | Thread |
|
|
11/11/2006 12:39:25 AM · #1 |
i've been doing a lot of portrait work lately, and it's been a lot of fun for me to try some new stuff. what's really cool is that all my subjects have been more than willing to go along with me. i think this is just the start of something a bit different than what i've been doing.
   
  
 |
|
|
|
11/11/2006 12:56:08 AM · #2 |
While it seems like a lot of other photographers like it, I'm just not a fan of the "half face" portrait. But, I love the 4th image. The cropping, the tonality, the expression, just perfect.
|
|
|
|
11/11/2006 01:06:59 AM · #3 |
|
|
|
11/11/2006 02:49:18 AM · #4 |
thanks for the comments!
let me point out, except for mr blue sky, all of these were shot with available light and without any cropping--what you see here is how i framed it in the viewfinder. |
|
|
|
11/11/2006 02:49:37 AM · #5 |
.
You want "up close and personal", do ya?? Well, here's one:
By the way, I like your portraits. I'm a fan of the half-face, especially if it is because of lighting (half in the light and the other half in the shadow).
|
|
|
|
11/11/2006 08:14:28 AM · #6 |
Originally posted by lesgainous:
By the way, I like your portraits. I'm a fan of the half-face, especially if it is because of lighting (half in the light and the other half in the shadow). |
Now, when it's done that way, I don't mind at all. I love body sculpting with light. (okay, I'm no good at it, but I like looking at it)
It's only when half the face is cropped out of the image (either in camera or in post), that it feels like a "mistake" to me and that's why I have a hard time with it.
P.S.
I hope not to imply that I think others should feel the way I do. I am merely expressing my own feelings towards "half face portraits".
Message edited by author 2006-11-11 08:39:54.
|
|
|
|
11/11/2006 08:50:51 AM · #7 |
| I like #4 .. #2 is a bit flat.. maybe it needs some level/curve adjustment.. |
|
|
|
11/11/2006 08:52:33 AM · #8 |
Originally posted by skiprow:
thanks for the comments!
let me point out, except for mr blue sky, all of these were shot with available light and without any cropping--what you see here is how i framed it in the viewfinder. |
I wonder if you shot the whole face then cropped different areas.. instead of shooting it so tight might help.. |
|
|
|
11/11/2006 09:23:01 AM · #9 |
Originally posted by chispa:
I wonder if you shot the whole face then cropped different areas.. instead of shooting it so tight might help.. |
and therein lies the challenge...to be able to nail this type of shot without pp-cropping. as  gordon echoed b peterson in the fish-cloning thread, it's much better to frame it in-camera. and, as you can see, it really takes work to pull it off consistently.
here's one shot from a bit further back, and cropped in tight. i like it, but i don't love it...
look at it like this. if you have a studio, and you have studio lights, and you have time, you can set up and practice until you've mastered that specific environment. even though any given shoot is not an automatic, you are still in a position to control a lot of the variables.
on the other hand, to be in a position where you are thrust into situations where you have hardly any control (other than making sure you have your subject's trust and their willingness to take 'some' direction), well, that's a completely different game. lighting, expression, composition, facial features, the environment--these are just some of the factors that you have to consider. to make it even more demanding, sometimes you have just mere minutes to size the shot up and make it happen. it's not just a matter of sticking a camera in someone's face and firing off a few frames.
personally, i like trying to see how deep i can get into someone, while still leaving a bit to the imagination. i'm not going to make this type of shot my 'signature' shot, but i definitely am going to practice it until i can nail it on a regular basis, because, well, you never know when it just might be what someone is looking for ;-)
|
|
|
|
11/11/2006 09:29:04 AM · #10 |
Well, I love them all and "Personal" is the key word here. Faces have soooooo much to offer and when you're on the fly and you get it just right, it's like grabbing the brass ring.
Have fun with this new adventure of yours Skip. :-) |
|
|
|
11/11/2006 09:31:06 AM · #11 |
Originally posted by skiprow:
|
See, I like this one a lot. Especially the lighting. But also the crop. Now, if you wanted to crop in closer (bringing him up even closer to the top right corner and chopping off some of the unused dark space at the bottom left) that would work fine for me too. I do like up-close-and-personal. I love cropping into the face/forehead. I just like seeing both eyes on the same page (unless it's lighting that obscures one of them).
I do agree 100% with you on your studio work where you have the time and control to work these images and practice them. In fact, now that you've mentioned it that way, you've made me wonder if I should reconsider and try it myself. As you said, who knows - maybe someday I'll be called upon to take a shot like that.
|
|
|
|
11/11/2006 10:02:11 AM · #12 |
They look great! I love that you framed them in camera and used natural light. Excellent!
In the studio portrait lighting class I took, we set up lighting for dramatic head-shots with similiar results. They were full face though and black panels were used on the side for shadows. Pretty fun. A face with character works best. |
|
Home -
Challenges -
Community -
League -
Photos -
Cameras -
Lenses -
Learn -
Help -
Terms of Use -
Privacy -
Top ^
DPChallenge, and website content and design, Copyright © 2001-2025 Challenging Technologies, LLC.
All digital photo copyrights belong to the photographers and may not be used without permission.
Current Server Time: 09/14/2025 05:18:42 PM EDT.
