Well here is my new attempt at something new and different from my normal style for today…
I would love to hear feedback on what people think… photographers and non photographers alike…
Trying to branch out and look into different editing and shooting techniques…
Overall I like it.
I kind of have mixed feelings with her arm and hand blown out on the right side of the frame. On the one hand it pulls your eye away from her face as our vision tends to go to bright things first. On the other hand, because of the framing it does create a boundary so my eye does bounce back into the frame.
+Bruce Feingold my issues with technical issues like framing, rule of thirds, lighting etc.. is I never learned it… one of these days… I should at least open a book …..
To me (non photog) this is the type of picture I might buy and hang in my home. It has interest because of what +Bruce Feingold described and it has a nice "being human" sense to it. If you can get subjects to open up this way you could develop a nice portrait reputation.
I like it +Brent Burzycki the light and shadow look good. It's a nice bright image and the focus is on her eyes which are beautiful. I just read your previous comment and i am the same way I have been doing Senior portraits and I find it challenging. I never learned those rules either 🙂
I'll bet the model approves, it is flattering 🙂
+Lawrence Klamecki that's a huge compliment….thanks
+Tom McGowan I am not sure those rules are really needed… or if many are stuck in them.. honestly I am not sure +Bruce Feingold 's comment was really even telling me that – more that i know I have an issue with it – Rules that is – but it is also very interesting to look at those rules and try some shots and gauge the interaction with the image etc… or acceptance of the shot….if you do it is interesting to see that many people actually like the result so the rules must not all be BS 🙂
I agree and i noticed I was doing it subconsciously in some of my earlier shots it just looked good to me 🙂 +Brent Burzycki
So I'm looking at this photo and I'm reading +Bruce Feingold comments. I can understand what he is talking about because technically that's what I have learned. Now mind you both I am in no way the photogs you two are….but I do like pretty pictures! So seeing it on my monitor which is only 30" it's but blowing up on my big screen it's stunning. I think the blown out limb is actually like Bruce says…framing. This is a departure from your usual work…I like it. Actually if this were a portrait that I was paying for my GF and this was the result…I'd be quite pleased
My attention is immediately to her face and eyes I can't say why maybe because she is in between the dark on the left and the light on the right??<> 🙂 +Brent Burzycki
+Terrell Woods I totally agree. My GF would be thrilled by something like this that captures her personality. And she's a stickler about her photos! Brent, you should keep playing with different models in B&W and practice getting them to open up like you've obviously done here.
+J. Rae Chipera So the real question is – Are all of us photographers just ruined becase we all forget to look at a photo for just being a photo and all these other factors always cloud our view of the shot?
+Lawrence Klamecki +Tom McGowan +Terrell Woods
+J. Rae Chipera wow – I am glad I am not the only smartypants on G+….
🙂
This is why I love G+ +J. Rae Chipera just pointing that out makes me see something more!…and I can see how that would improve the portrait
+Brent Burzycki & +J. Rae Chipera you two need to form a comedy act!
+J. Rae Chipera ….sometimes the best kind, 'cause usually it has a wee bit of truth in there somewhere
I really like those eyes. Great photograph.
Thanks +Patric Yuen
And +J. Rae Chipera truth hurts most people cannot handle it and have no backbone…
+Brent Burzycki firstly, I like the image.
It appears though that you wanted to ask a bit of critiquing on it, so the only thing I would say is that the arms on the side of her head are so blown out white that it fights the rest of the image I think.
It is not a composition issue IMO, it only had to do with the tonality of the arms being so bright compared to the rest of the image. I think maybe the hard edge of the arm between the two boundaries also exaggerates the tones. I think I may have tried to use the "burning" tool to darken the area a bit and see how that felt to you.
Again though, I like what you caught in her face very much.
While I like the image overall: it's a very emotive portrait with her eyes connecting with the viewer which makes you feel like you're looking into her soul. But for me, the blown out hand/arm is distracting and competes for attention with her eyes.
I like it. The catch light is interesting; but then, only photographers notice catch lights! I think you really added depth with the shadows and lighting and tones.
+Brent Burzycki Nice departure – dig the lighting and B&W toning on this!