Please - tell me what I did wrong.

Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS

03/26/2007 08:12:38 AM · #1

Okay - way overdid the eyes, I see that.
But what else.

I thought I'd have a new personal best from this one.

Canon EOS-5D Mark IV

03/26/2007 08:21:58 AM · #2

you cropped his hand and I find the background distracting. IMO he should have looked to the other side - into the picture

agwright

Canon EOS-20D

Canon EF 17-40mm f/4L USM

03/26/2007 08:25:52 AM · #3

Originally posted by eyewave:

you cropped his hand and I find the background distracting. IMO he should have looked to the other side - into the picture

Yep have to agree The background and the look - I would have given it 6 or 7

Olympus 40-150mm f/4.0-5.6 ED Zuiko Digital Zoom

03/26/2007 08:29:33 AM · #4

Okay - I can see the hand and looking "out" of the picture now.

Darn those mommy goggles (yeah, it's my kid).

I actually liked the background though. That's apparently a "just me" thing.

craigester

Olympus E-400

03/26/2007 09:21:37 AM · #5

I really like the quality of the shot - nothing wrong there as everything is clear and focussed. I agree that that background is a bit icky - looks like a tie dyed bed sheet hung up somewhere. This is really a stock standard school-type portrait. Many people want to see something a bit different and more exciting.

Advice from me: use a simpler background - black or white where you can't see the folds. Then you can include some props like a bowler hat. Get him to do something crazy to get some varied expressions. His expression is very static. I would also not have been so heavy-handed on the lip gloss on the poor guy! My entry for this challenge was in a location so the background was quite interesting, but some people liked it, others did not. But it can work well too. Where I went wrong was with the eye contact (also missing) and the negative space issue which some did not like.

Canon EF 28-135mm F/3.5-5.6 IS USM

03/26/2007 09:28:03 AM · #6

Originally posted by craigester:

You're close - it's a duvet cover. Yes tie-dyed. $4 at the thrift store. Apparently a bad choice. Got it.

Originally posted by craigester:

Advice from me: use a simpler background - black or white where you can't see the folds. Then you can include some props like a bowler hat. Get him to do something crazy to get some varied expressions. His expression is very static. I would also not have been so heavy-handed on the lip gloss on the poor guy! My entry for this challenge was in a location so the background was quite interesting, but some people liked it, others did not. But it can work well too. Where I went wrong was with the eye contact (also missing) and the negative space issue which some did not like.

I've got black and white now - didn't at the time. I also like them better, so I appreciate that comment.

I don't know what a "bowler hat" is, but I get the concept of props.

There is NO lip gloss on him ! Nor has there been any added saturation to his lips via post-processing in this. He's just got rosy lips.

I took a look at your entry - I like the back-ground, but it doesn't look "portrait" to me. I think I'm stuck in the "studio portrait" box right now.

TCGuru

Canon EOS-40D

03/26/2007 09:32:52 AM · #7

Hey girl!!

Join us in the 30 Day Portrait Challenge

It is a great way to get practice and feedback :)

ETA: by the way, your son is ADORABLE!!!!

Message edited by author 2007-03-26 09:39:39.

danthesquidkid

Canon EOS-350D Rebel XT

Canon EF 75-300mm f/4.0-5.6 II

03/26/2007 09:36:26 AM · #8

The shot seems a bit mismathced. It all seems like a team photo or something of the sort, but the eyes and lips are processed like a glamour shot.

Canon EOS-5D Mark IV

Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS

03/26/2007 09:39:39 AM · #9

This is a bowler hat

craigester

Olympus E-400

Olympus 40-150mm f/4.0-5.6 ED Zuiko Digital Zoom

03/26/2007 09:41:03 AM · #10

My son also has very rosy lips but they don't look as glossy as your son's... Perhaps it was the PP in your case. I would perhaps have selected the lips only using the marquee tool and desaturated the reds slightly.

You marginally beat me in this challenge... So voters thought mine was a valid portrait too. :)

I wouldn't be too unhappy with your score under the circumstances. You can see what people were looking for in the winners. 1st place was very different and striking. Librodo's was typically good but he has his own photography school! Most of the top shots were quite close-up - more so than ours pics.

I have learnt something about portraits in this challenge so that's good.

craigester

Olympus E-400

Olympus 40-150mm f/4.0-5.6 ED Zuiko Digital Zoom

03/26/2007 09:41:40 AM · #11

Originally posted by eyewave:

This is a bowler hat

Thanks eyewave - this was the image I had in mind!

03/26/2007 09:41:50 AM · #12

Originally posted by danthesquidkid:

The shot seems a bit mismathced. It all seems like a team photo or something of the sort, but the eyes and lips are processed like a glamour shot.

So, a different outfit would have been better ?

Olympus 50mm f/1.8 MF Normal Zuiko

03/26/2007 09:43:14 AM · #13

Thanks eyewave - that's cute.

emorgan49

Olympus E-5

03/26/2007 09:45:53 AM · #14

It looks like you have done a lot of work to recreate the sports pictures that every Little League team and every pee wee hockey team hands out ($) to the parents. The background looks like a school picture background. I once followed a fancy french recipe for Ham Loaf and after hours of work realized that I had made Spam.