Please comment/critique these 2 shots

[Steve S]

Am doing a series of sports related shots for Gizzy's senior pic. Would like some feedback on these 2. Shot with D2X/50 f1.4 Thanks.

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[greyflash]

Steve, I like the 1st one the best. The pose is more relaxed and he seems comfortable. The lighting is better here as well.

 

[Kevin Scott]

I hate to critique someone else's portraits cuz I know how hard it is to do, but I will make a couple of comments, based on what I see.

I like #1 with the exception of the area around the board. It's very confusing to the eye, with the image on the board, the boot on the board, and the bent knee behind it. I think it's a great concept but I think it needs to be less distracting. My eyes are roaming around that center area trying to figure out what everything is. Not sure what to suggest as it's a kind of awkward prop. Love the fact he's sitting on the back of the boat, though.

I like #2 alot. My only nit is the bench in the background is distracting. Otherwise I like this one.

Since the board is shorter than he is, could you have it completely vertical and have him rest his bent arm on it with his one leg bent across the other? Might work. Just thinking out loud.

 

[Kevin Scott]

One other thought: I'd try to keep the board as a secondary item in the pic. The senior should be the primary point of focus with the prop being a supporting, not competing component in the shot.

 

[DanWhite]

I have to agree with Kevin. Also, Both shots seam to be directly into the sun, Try getting him back-lit and use a bit of fill to increase the contrast on the front of the face and body. This will open up his eyes and make him a little more relaxed. In the first shot you have a lot of shadows on the torso, a reflector can open them up a bit and soften them.

 

[Steve S]

Thanks all, my reply to you all....

Thanks Gordon, Kevin, Dan. I think were going to do a reshoot, since these were taken right off the end of my pier :wink: Gizzy here, is my lake cottage neighbor's son, so reshooting is a piece of cake, since we worked off the end of my own pier :wink: I obviously had to get in the water, always keep my camera rig (with an RRS Perfect Portrait Pkg + SB800 mounted), raised in my right hand when not shooting, and fight the incoming waves from Fri evening's boat traffic, but that was about the only difficult part of this shoot. The water temp's 84 deg :wink: The most difficult part of the shoot is knowing so little about posing, esp someone with a wakeboard.

Kevin, You're right about the board being such a distraction. We gotta figure out how to include it in the shot without it competed for the center of interest (COI).

Dan, in fact he was almost completely perpendicular to the sun's position, and were shot at 6:45 local time. However, we had just came outside from being indoors, and started shooting immediately, and his eyes might not have been adjusted to the brightness yet. Also, my son was just off camera pointing a gold reflector into his face. I'm sure that didn't help, since he mentioned the glare from it bothered him. Maybe he wasn't directing the reflector properly? Orienting him with his back more to the sun is going to be a problem, since there are so many distractive elements all around us, such as everything on the neighbor's pier, etc.

 

[eng45ine]

Steve, the other guys had some great points, so no sense remarking on the same issues. I like the first image very much and you can tweak the particulars as you see fit. In the second image, I think shooting him from the side straight on makes him look skinny because the board is too dominant. If you re-do the shot, I think you might consider having him twist at the waist to show more width in his chest. That's just my 2 cents!!!

 

[DanWhite]

Re: Thanks all, my reply to you all....

Dan, in fact he was almost completely perpendicular to the sun's position, and were shot at 6:45 local time. However, we had just came outside from being indoors, and started shooting immediately, and his eyes might not have been adjusted to the brightness yet. Also, my son was just off camera pointing a gold reflector into his face. I'm sure that didn't help, since he mentioned the glare from it bothered him. Maybe he wasn't directing the reflector properly? Orienting him with his back more to the sun is going to be a problem, since there are so many distractive elements all around us, such as everything on the neighbor's pier, etc.

Steve, if you have a white reflector that will do wounders, keep the light soft but yet kick up the fill.

 

[Steve S]

Thanks Frank & Dan,

both excellent ideas. I have some great ideas for a reshoot, thanks to you all, and even his dad who looked at them this morning, and suggested a slightly different location adjacent to the pier. We can float the boat out away from the pier, and shoot towards either the open water or the distant seawall. The whole pier thing isn't working as well as the back of the boat. Yes, Dan, I do have one of those multi-sided disks, and I'll use the white side next time.

 

[alex from holland]

as said before by other people, it's always difficult to comment on other pictures. But here's my 2 cents.
On both pictures i find the background a bit disturbing.

A possibility for the first one, just try to face the back of the boat to the open water. take a little less DOF so there will be no more distracting things at the background.

Nice kid BTW.

 

[Steve S]

Good idea, Alex

We're gonna try doing just that next time. Gotta rid ourselves of all that distracting bg, and turn that board sideways so less of that wild paint job is competing for attention in the pic.