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DPChallenge Forums >> Tips, Tricks, and Q&A >> Beautiful sunset portraits on the beach... ah, yes
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 11/19/2005 10:51:13 AM · #1
Does anyone have any they can share? Even better, does anyone have any advice for a first timer doing family portraits along the rocky coast? Any compositional tips or technical tips?

Thanks,
Eric
//www.eslayphotography.com
 11/19/2005 11:23:42 AM · #2
No beach shots? No advice?

:)
 11/19/2005 11:30:45 AM · #3


Only advice I can offer is to experiment with the position of the setting sun. It makes a huge difference. I took a series of these and only this one really grabbed my attention.

I would recommend a soft fill for doing portraits, otherwise the faces will either be too dark (with no flash) or way too stark in comparison to the soft hues of the background with a normal flash.
 11/19/2005 11:56:15 AM · #4
Great shot. Do you think the people should be facing the sun, or with the sun to their backs?
 11/19/2005 12:05:50 PM · #5
If you have a decent flash, try to take a few with the sun behind them and use the flash to fill. It can have a striking, sometimes surreal effect.
 11/19/2005 12:15:26 PM · #6


With a little flash, you can get decent results as long as the sunset is bright enough. This is a self-portrait taken on the fantail of the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln last year. I did a few shots of friends with varying results depending on the distance of the flash and angles.
 11/19/2005 12:41:08 PM · #7



11/19/2005 12:43:12 PM · #8
These shots look great! But are there any of you with "portraits" that have people/families in them?
 11/19/2005 12:47:13 PM · #9
Originally posted by eslaydog:
These shots look great! But are there any of you with "portraits" that have people/families in them?


I'll check my files.
 11/19/2005 01:14:37 PM · #10






I prefer after sunset if you can...where the shutter speed for a good sunset shot also matches the shutter speed you use with your flash so you get both sunset and people at least somewhat correctly exposed. I've heard that you shouldn't have the horizon cutting through the middle of anyone's head (you'll note in some shots I avoided that, others I didn't).

If the sun is strong, you'll get a lot of squinting if the people are facing the sun, so sun at the back is probably the best...but a strong sun will blow out the background, and you'll need to use a fill flash or you'll have shadowy faces. Many of the above where taken after sunset.

I added some others, including some without people, .HERE
 11/19/2005 01:34:25 PM · #11
Watch those pupils. Dialated pupils are psychologically more appealing in photos. These tightly shut pupils tend to look strange, especially this close up.

Originally posted by ecorrus:


With a little flash, you can get decent results as long as the sunset is bright enough. This is a self-portrait taken on the fantail of the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln last year. I did a few shots of friends with varying results depending on the distance of the flash and angles.

11/19/2005 01:38:16 PM · #12
Thanks, I'll keep that in mind. I was simply staring out into the sunset and decided to get a quick "I was here" type shot.

I'll have to remember to either close my eyes or look well away from the sun before a shot to allow the pupil open back up.

I could also edit my pupils back in using Photoshop ;)

Message edited by author 2005-11-19 13:39:13.
 11/19/2005 02:05:04 PM · #13
Originally posted by ecorrus:
Thanks, I'll keep that in mind. I was simply staring out into the sunset and decided to get a quick "I was here" type shot.

I'll have to remember to either close my eyes or look well away from the sun before a shot to allow the pupil open back up.

I could also edit my pupils back in using Photoshop ;)


Actually, I suspect the pinpoint pupils are a result of red-eye reduction flash, which beeps a bright light and causes the pupils to close down prior to the shot actually being taken.

R.
 11/19/2005 02:06:15 PM · #14
Just a little thing I picked up from a good portrait photographer I studied with for a while, something he kinda pushed. :-)

Anyway, yeah, it's nothing that a round paintbrush in Photoshop can't fix. Bear is right, more than likely it is from the red-eye reduction pre-flashes.

Originally posted by ecorrus:
Thanks, I'll keep that in mind. I was simply staring out into the sunset and decided to get a quick "I was here" type shot.

I'll have to remember to either close my eyes or look well away from the sun before a shot to allow the pupil open back up.

I could also edit my pupils back in using Photoshop ;)


Message edited by author 2005-11-19 14:09:00.
 11/19/2005 02:08:05 PM · #15


Just curious what you think of the frame ... not as a challenge submission, not as a printed image (they'll do their own framing), but simply for display on the internet?
 11/19/2005 02:13:51 PM · #16
Personally, I'd rather see the drop shadow to be from the photo on to the blue background insted of from the background to the photo. Perhaps that drop shadow should be a tad smaller also. Otherwise, I like it.

Originally posted by dwterry:


Just curious what you think of the frame ... not as a challenge submission, not as a printed image (they'll do their own framing), but simply for display on the internet?

11/19/2005 02:15:43 PM · #17
The frame is taking up a lot of focus away from the guy, although I believe that was the reason why you chose the blue background, but as I look at the picture with the frame it just isnt looking right ...try black
I am just a beginner but just my thought

Originally posted by dwterry[url=//www.dpchallenge.com/image.php?IMAGE_ID=259413:
[/url]

Just curious what you think of the frame ... not as a challenge submission, not as a printed image (they'll do their own framing), but simply for display on the internet?
11/19/2005 02:24:37 PM · #18
Originally posted by fotomann_forever:
Personally, I'd rather see the drop shadow to be from the photo on to the blue background insted of from the background to the photo. Perhaps that drop shadow should be a tad smaller also. Otherwise, I like it.


Thanks for the feedback.

What I'm trying to do is reproduce the actual look-and-feel (3-D perspective) of a matted print where the matte is thick enough that it actually casts a shadow. It would look funny (to me) to have the picture cast a shadow onto the matte, because that would mean the picture is on top of the matte instead of the other way around.
 11/19/2005 02:26:03 PM · #19
Originally posted by vikas:
The frame is taking up a lot of focus away from the guy, although I believe that was the reason why you chose the blue background, but as I look at the picture with the frame it just isnt looking right ...try black


Just curious ... are you talking about changing the matte (the blue part) to black? Or changing the frame to be completely black?
 11/19/2005 02:30:15 PM · #20
On a beach in Brazil:


11/19/2005 02:32:48 PM · #21
Originally posted by dwterry:
Originally posted by vikas:
The frame is taking up a lot of focus away from the guy, although I believe that was the reason why you chose the blue background, but as I look at the picture with the frame it just isnt looking right ...try black


Just curious ... are you talking about changing the matte (the blue part) to black? Or changing the frame to be completely black?


On this topic, what I don't like about your framing is the golden part outside the frame. It looks like you're trying to "extend the background" behind the frame and that doesn't look natural to me. I don't mind the blue, myself.

R.
 11/19/2005 02:58:25 PM · #22
Originally posted by bear_music:
what I don't like about your framing is the golden part outside the frame. It looks like you're trying to "extend the background" behind the frame and that doesn't look natural to me. I don't mind the blue, myself.


I originally started out with a silver-to-black "metal looking" frame. The silver was meant to show a reflection of the light that was falling on the frame --- thus explaning the shadows that are visible under the frame and the matte. (again, trying for a 3-D effect)

As a last minute thing, I got it in my head that I ought to make the frame match the picture. Oh well, live and learn. Thanks for the feedback! :-)

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