Took these of a friend of mine, what do you think? Improvements?

Personally I would have liked to see more directional light. It seems really flat, there are no shadows at all to give any type of dimension. Her necklace seems a bit crooked as well, that is something I'm always realizing later in shots, that I've missed some detail or clothing that is out of place. Trying myself to get better about noticing things and fixing them on the shoot.

Just my 2 cents.

Nice series ForceGhost for a fist attempt.

I think it would help to do a tighter crop on all the photos.
I also would like to see some shots of here smiling and different facial expressions.







Take care,
Chuck Cassidy,
D300S, 50mm 1.4D,
18-200mm VR, 70-300mm VR,
www.aperturefocus.com

I agree with the previous comments. The shots are a bit flat and drab. You can add a little contrast in processing to give a little life to the shots. As for the poses, you went almost to extremes. She's looking either directly into the camera, or totally away. You'll be happier if her head is pointed slightly to one side, with her eyes engaging the camera. One way of thinking of this is that you usually don't want to see both ears, but you usually want to see both eyes. There's nothing wrong with the looks you've shown us, and my suggestions are certainly not rules, but they're good places to start.

I love your friend's complexion, and her face is very interesting (in a good way.)

Cheers guys! I didn't direct her at all so will do this time!

Cheers,
FG

hey hey pretty good for your first try ! You got a good start!

good start - I do not usually direct people- I mean I do try to encourage them to be natural - I give just overall directions - In my opinion you can really fully direct only professional models - they know how to look good in every situation. when did try to direct amateurs it always came out not natural ....

Originally Posted by coolpinsky gooIn my opinion you can really fully direct only professional models - they know how to look good in every situation.

I'm not trying to start an argument (YMMV) but IMO this is just not true. Well, it's true that it's your opinion . Most people over the age of five are pretty easy to direct. You just have to know what it is you want them to do. "Look straight at my hand. Now, without turning your head, look at the lens." Snap. Done. "Place your right foot in front. Now point your toe at me." Snap. Done.

I agree, trying to coax a particular facial expression is as likely to fail as not, but basic direction gives your subject the impression that you know what you're doing and can help them feel more confident. That will get you better facial expressions.

Originally Posted by Icebear I'm not trying to start an argument (YMMV) but IMO this is just not true. Well, it's true that it's your opinion . Most people over the age of five are pretty easy to direct. You just have to know what it is you want them to do. "Look straight at my hand. Now, without turning your head, look at the lens." Snap. Done. "Place your right foot in front. Now point your toe at me." Snap. Done. I agree, trying to coax a particular facial expression is as likely to fail as not, but basic direction gives your subject the impression that you know what you're doing and can help them feel more confident. That will get you better facial expressions.

+1

Just a quick question, Without cheating the Meta can anyone guess what lens i used?

Hmm I would guess that given that almost everything except the lips are out of focus or soft that it was an 85/1.4 shot at 1.4 - but I'm a rookie so there you have it.

You can most certainly direct people that aren't models. Trust me, I know. My wife is no model. Actually, as soon as the camera comes out she goes completely stiff. It's the most hilarious thing to see actually and I think I do a pretty good job of directing her to do what I want. Well, except for giving me back rubs. I also believe that you can get people to look natural on camera and give natural expressions. Is all about making them feel relaxed.

Actually, Diva recently posted links to an online workshop Sue Bryce did on Creative Live. You can still purchase the workshop and IMO, it's worth every penny. She does Glamour photography, which may not be for everyone but her techniques for posing and getting people to connect with the camera are amazing and she does a great job of teaching those techniques. I paid for the workshop and have been watching it over the past week or two. I'm going to try some of the techniques out soon and I will post some shots. I just haven't been in the mood to shoot.

OH... and my guess is a 50MM.

600mm

i think 1&3 are too similar and 2 misses focus...

BUT i think 1 is great and really showcases her gorgeous eyes! I think the light is pretty. i'm on a crappy monitor but i appears that the exposure could be brought down a tad.

can i ask about the lighting you used

Wave01, click the full size link under the image, you'll see the setup in her eyes.

It appears that you were using a two light setup for these shots. If I'm wrong, forgive me.

If I'm correct about the two lights, just for the heck of it, the next time you do a shoot like this, meter one light for 5.6 for a main, then meter the second light a touch under 2.8 for a fill and see how you like the results.

If I'm wrong and it was just plain natural light, try turning her face so more of the ambient is falling on one side of her face and less on the other.