Marc-A.
I Shoot Film
First to join the thread, last to comment! Sorry guys. It’s not just that I didn’t have much time, it’s rather that I took my time to watch and watch again each photo. Let’s go now 
:
Nico: This street portrait is what I would like to make but don’t know how to. The composition is just fine, horizontal format works here because it allows us to know where the shot has been taken. I like the way you put your camera just in front of him, saying: here’s the guy; I don’t know him (sconosciuto) but look at him. His face is indeed very interesting; I don’t know why, but he reminds me of a movie director, or a writer; maybe the pipe gives him that artist look.
The perspective of the street and the shadow of the woman (or man) in background, balance the composition. Nevertheless, I’m a bit disturbed by the guy coming out, behind your “famous” unknown. It makes me think that you didn’t have much time to shoot. Would you have waited any longer, in order to clear that side of the picture, if you had had the time? Or did you include him on purpose?
Warren: I really like the framing of Kim between her locks. I also appreciate the position of her head, looking down. It’s a very classic position, and it works well here, expressing melancholy or dreamy mood. Here, we don’t need to see the surroundings; this picture is more about the feelings of a young woman, and you caught well.
I guess that there wasn’t much available light, so you decided to use a flashlight. I think that a natural light or any diffuse source of light (light box, bedside lamp, candle …) would create softer shadows and angles, and smoother contrast. But of course, when there’s no light …
Raid:
As a young father, I’m touched by your portrait(s) of Dana; I myself shoot almost everyday my little angel, trying to catch the decisive portrait she can be proud of one day. Your portrait has a lot in common with the one by Warren: the face of Dana framed between her locks, the way she’s looking down. I like it the way it is. I much like also the light on her face and hair (perfect exposure), and the textures (which lens did you use?). You caught a nice moment, peaceful, calm; maybe she’s playing or reading in her room.
Maybe it would be worth showing what she’s actually doing; less tight crop and vertical format would fit better and would show us her childish world. Here, it seems to me that we need to see the surroundings. Would you agree?
Wayne: That portrait caught my eyes. I’m not very comfortable commenting that one, because I simply can’t say anything when looking at it. It’s very powerful and whether one likes it or he doesn’t: I like it. The vintage look of your picture, that struck me too, doesn’t come only from the grey scale, the halo and fogging effect which was used in old photography. (often because of shortcomings of the lenses used). For me, the vintage effect comes more from her eyes, the way she’s looking at you; not aloof but reserved, not strict but with simplicity.
I’m not sure there’s anything to correct. But I must ask about the fogging effect: is it natural? Or have you PShopped it? If so, maybe I would have preferred less haze in the lower part of the picture, as it tends to draw eyes away from the subject. But it’s not very disturbing.
I have to say that it wasn’t easy to comment such fine portraits; I hope I did my job not too badly.
Best,
Marc-A.
: Nico: This street portrait is what I would like to make but don’t know how to. The composition is just fine, horizontal format works here because it allows us to know where the shot has been taken. I like the way you put your camera just in front of him, saying: here’s the guy; I don’t know him (sconosciuto) but look at him. His face is indeed very interesting; I don’t know why, but he reminds me of a movie director, or a writer; maybe the pipe gives him that artist look.
The perspective of the street and the shadow of the woman (or man) in background, balance the composition. Nevertheless, I’m a bit disturbed by the guy coming out, behind your “famous” unknown. It makes me think that you didn’t have much time to shoot. Would you have waited any longer, in order to clear that side of the picture, if you had had the time? Or did you include him on purpose?
Warren: I really like the framing of Kim between her locks. I also appreciate the position of her head, looking down. It’s a very classic position, and it works well here, expressing melancholy or dreamy mood. Here, we don’t need to see the surroundings; this picture is more about the feelings of a young woman, and you caught well.
I guess that there wasn’t much available light, so you decided to use a flashlight. I think that a natural light or any diffuse source of light (light box, bedside lamp, candle …) would create softer shadows and angles, and smoother contrast. But of course, when there’s no light …
Raid:
As a young father, I’m touched by your portrait(s) of Dana; I myself shoot almost everyday my little angel, trying to catch the decisive portrait she can be proud of one day. Your portrait has a lot in common with the one by Warren: the face of Dana framed between her locks, the way she’s looking down. I like it the way it is. I much like also the light on her face and hair (perfect exposure), and the textures (which lens did you use?). You caught a nice moment, peaceful, calm; maybe she’s playing or reading in her room.
Maybe it would be worth showing what she’s actually doing; less tight crop and vertical format would fit better and would show us her childish world. Here, it seems to me that we need to see the surroundings. Would you agree?
Wayne: That portrait caught my eyes. I’m not very comfortable commenting that one, because I simply can’t say anything when looking at it. It’s very powerful and whether one likes it or he doesn’t: I like it. The vintage look of your picture, that struck me too, doesn’t come only from the grey scale, the halo and fogging effect which was used in old photography. (often because of shortcomings of the lenses used). For me, the vintage effect comes more from her eyes, the way she’s looking at you; not aloof but reserved, not strict but with simplicity.
I’m not sure there’s anything to correct. But I must ask about the fogging effect: is it natural? Or have you PShopped it? If so, maybe I would have preferred less haze in the lower part of the picture, as it tends to draw eyes away from the subject. But it’s not very disturbing.
I have to say that it wasn’t easy to comment such fine portraits; I hope I did my job not too badly.
Best,
Marc-A.
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nico
Well-known
Hey Marc,
yours are not critiques but .... short essays!
Btw, The unknown guy is an amateur photographer I met that afternoon while taking some frames in a little town near Lucca. he stopped me first asking questions about my camera and lens; then he told me, upon my request, he likes to take photos but he passed to digital (... nikon d50 ...) because he can takes all the photos he wants without spending money .
We had a nice talk and before leaving him I asked to take a portrait and he, kindly, allowed me to shot. Light was quite dim and the background wasn't very interesting to be shown so I used an aperture round f1,5 or f2; the guy in the background went out a shop while shooting but I would not annoy this kind and jovial bloke asking for another photo.
In the end, I must admit that meeting people, talking with unknown people is one of the aspects I like more doing street photogragphy. I do not really like stolen images (even though sometimes i take some) I far prefer having some kind of relationship with the people I photograph (sometimes there are very interesting stories to be heard!).
Thanks for the kind comments guys,
ciao
Nico
yours are not critiques but .... short essays!
Btw, The unknown guy is an amateur photographer I met that afternoon while taking some frames in a little town near Lucca. he stopped me first asking questions about my camera and lens; then he told me, upon my request, he likes to take photos but he passed to digital (... nikon d50 ...) because he can takes all the photos he wants without spending money
.We had a nice talk and before leaving him I asked to take a portrait and he, kindly, allowed me to shot. Light was quite dim and the background wasn't very interesting to be shown so I used an aperture round f1,5 or f2; the guy in the background went out a shop while shooting but I would not annoy this kind and jovial bloke asking for another photo.
In the end, I must admit that meeting people, talking with unknown people is one of the aspects I like more doing street photogragphy. I do not really like stolen images (even though sometimes i take some) I far prefer having some kind of relationship with the people I photograph (sometimes there are very interesting stories to be heard!).
Thanks for the kind comments guys,
ciao
Nico
Wayne R. Scott
Half fast Leica User
My portrait was the very first photo I have taken with a 16" Wollensak Vitax Soft focus Portrait lens on an 8x10 camera. The lens has 5 settings for soft focus but I chose no diffusion for this photo. The lens is simply huge and there is no retaining ring to hold it onto the lens board. I used some painters tape on the back side of the lens board to hold the lens. As I was setting up the camera the lens tipped forward in the lens board due to the weigth of the lens and the lack of holding power of the tape. This gave me a small amount of unintentional lens tilt which resulted in the foreground effects.
It was late afternoon on a very cloudy windy dreary day 12/27/2006 and the photo is in my backyard, the background is actually a harvested cornfield with some timber in the far background. You can just barely make out the timber line as the dark horizon line above her head.
The exposure was f4 at about 1/10 second on Arista EDU 100 film. I asked her to look into the camera and not move or blink because of the longer exposure time required. I actually moved the camera a little when placing the film holder into it to take the photo, I had intended to have her face more to the right side of the frame.
After developing the negative I made a contact print and scanned the print to post here. There is no Photoshop work done on the photo, I did not dust spot the print or retouch the negative. The tone and background Bamooka is just from the vintage lens, circa 1919.
Thanks for the session guys, if got me motivated to go out in the miserable weather and shoot a couple of shots. I still have not developed the second photo I took in that session
Wayne
It was late afternoon on a very cloudy windy dreary day 12/27/2006 and the photo is in my backyard, the background is actually a harvested cornfield with some timber in the far background. You can just barely make out the timber line as the dark horizon line above her head.
The exposure was f4 at about 1/10 second on Arista EDU 100 film. I asked her to look into the camera and not move or blink because of the longer exposure time required. I actually moved the camera a little when placing the film holder into it to take the photo, I had intended to have her face more to the right side of the frame.
After developing the negative I made a contact print and scanned the print to post here. There is no Photoshop work done on the photo, I did not dust spot the print or retouch the negative. The tone and background Bamooka is just from the vintage lens, circa 1919.
Thanks for the session guys, if got me motivated to go out in the miserable weather and shoot a couple of shots. I still have not developed the second photo I took in that session
Wayne
Warren T.
Well-known
Thanks for your critiques of my picture. It was a candid portrait that I took during a session at a local health fair. I volunteered my time that day to help photograph the annual event. Kim is the youngest daughter of a close friend of mine. I happened to bump into Kim at this fair. She was hanging out with her friends who were manning one of the booths at the fair. Kim is at the age where she is transitioning from a tomboy-ish girl into a young lady, and I could tell that she was trying to get the attention of one of the boys there. She is not into wearing makeup yet, but you can see her inner beauty beginning to surface. I tried to capture a moment where her expression would reflect this circumstance, and this stage in her life. I believe it resulted in the most feminine picture that I've ever seen of Kim .
I did use the on-camera flash to illuminate her face because the she was standing in a dark, shaded area.
--Warren
.I did use the on-camera flash to illuminate her face because the she was standing in a dark, shaded area.
--Warren
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raid
Dad Photographer
Mine is one of many images I have taken of Dana sitting on a chair beside a window in her room. I share your concerns about the crop. It was a horizontal image simply for the fact that I was testing lenses, and for testing purposes I find horizontal photos allow the camera to stay level and make it easier for my eyes to see the aperture settings on the lenses and so on. The part that I cropped showed highlights from the window area, and I wanted to eliminate that portion. Of course, it would have been nicer to have a vertical image here.
Thanks for your inputs. It is an enjoyable critique session.
Should we now go back for seconds?
These are the rules.............
Raid
Thanks for your inputs. It is an enjoyable critique session.
Should we now go back for seconds?
These are the rules.............
Raid
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Warren T.
Well-known
Raid, if you wish to discuss some more, please go ahead .
--Warren
.--Warren
raid
Dad Photographer
Warren: Please, go first!
Raid
Raid
Warren T.
Well-known
Raid, I actually don't have anything more to say at this point .
So, that's why I suggested that if you had something more to discuss, you should go ahead. Maybe you'll spark a new point of discussion.
--Warren
.So, that's why I suggested that if you had something more to discuss, you should go ahead. Maybe you'll spark a new point of discussion.
--Warren
Marc-A.
I Shoot Film
Sorry guys, I’ve been overwhelmed with work (too many essays to mark for the January examinations!:bang: ). I am really exhausted. Anyway, thanks a lot for your comments.
Now, a few words about my picture: the guy at the foreground is professors of philosophy of law at the Sorbonne; the other one is also professor of philosophy but in another university. We were in Brussels for a conference of law/philosophy of law … not very exciting, I know. But the best part is the pub part!!! Those guys drink a lot when they don’t work, and with the beverage come the jokes . Wayne, I appreciate your comment: “Each time I look at this photo my eye is always stopping on the man to the left in the photograph, then I look to the right to see what it is that he is looking at that so amuses him”. Indeed, the guy I was actually shooting in this picture is the one in the background; I like his face and he’s a nice guy. I’ve got also a picture of him smoking the pipe (see bellow) … I like his style "gentleman-farmer" , though I couldn’t be dressed like him and behave like him; I can remember that night the guy in the foreground and others were mocking me for wearing a t-shirt FCUK and a pair of jeans … hey, that’s me :angel:
Anyway, we were having a drink and the mood was very relaxed, as it was unusually warm in Brussels that night. I focused the guy at the foreground because he was leading the conversation. It was pretty dark, and I have bad sight, so that explains why the focus is not spot on (Nico and Warren: you’re absolutely right about the focus). I didn’t shoot wide open in order to catch the other guy on the left; but the aperture was wide enough to separate “the two men from the busy background. The outline of the people in the background is creamy and adds to the atmosphere” (Thanks Raid for your developped comment). The shutter speed was certainly very low as I shot TriX @ 400iso.
Take care,
Marc-A.
Now, a few words about my picture: the guy at the foreground is professors of philosophy of law at the Sorbonne; the other one is also professor of philosophy but in another university. We were in Brussels for a conference of law/philosophy of law … not very exciting, I know. But the best part is the pub part!!!
Those guys drink a lot when they don’t work, and with the beverage come the jokes . Wayne, I appreciate your comment: “Each time I look at this photo my eye is always stopping on the man to the left in the photograph, then I look to the right to see what it is that he is looking at that so amuses him”. Indeed, the guy I was actually shooting in this picture is the one in the background; I like his face and he’s a nice guy. I’ve got also a picture of him smoking the pipe (see bellow) … I like his style "gentleman-farmer" , though I couldn’t be dressed like him and behave like him; I can remember that night the guy in the foreground and others were mocking me for wearing a t-shirt FCUK and a pair of jeans … hey, that’s me :angel: Anyway, we were having a drink and the mood was very relaxed, as it was unusually warm in Brussels that night. I focused the guy at the foreground because he was leading the conversation. It was pretty dark, and I have bad sight, so that explains why the focus is not spot on (Nico and Warren: you’re absolutely right about the focus). I didn’t shoot wide open in order to catch the other guy on the left; but the aperture was wide enough to separate “the two men from the busy background. The outline of the people in the background is creamy and adds to the atmosphere” (Thanks Raid for your developped comment). The shutter speed was certainly very low as I shot TriX @ 400iso.
Take care,
Marc-A.
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