It was a cold and bright with hazy sunshine on the day we went to G-Live. I decided to take photographs in front of the external walls of the building:-
- I liked the photographs in front of a plain wall that I had taken of my niece, Lizzie
- I did not want the colour cast from the tinted glass that affects the interior light in the building.
One area of the wall we used had a mottled brown colour and the other had a creamy textured surface. I took sequences of full length and head and torso photos, some from directly in front of my subject and some from the sides to get a variety of light and shadows.
G - Live selection 1
Nikon 18-200mm at 42mm: Iso 400 f5.6 for 1/80th
I preferred the photographs taken from the sides as the converging lines of the wall give a feeling of depth. In the photographs taken from the front, the floor and the edges of the wall tiles run parallel to the edges of the frame producing a rather "flat" perspective.
G - Live selection 2
Nikon 18-200mm at 34mm: Iso 400 f5.6 for 1/125th
The photographs against the cream wall have more impact than those against the brown wall, which I think is a result of the greater contrast between subject and background. I noted that Irving Penn used similar high contrast in some of his studio black and white portraits, such as his portrait of The Duchess of Windsor.
G - Live selection 3
Nikon 18-200mm at 62mm: Iso 400 f5.6 for 1/250th
This photograph stood out from other the head and torso portraits as it catches an expressive moment as we were chatting together.
I decided not to include G Live Selection 1 in the photographs submitted for this assignment as I consider that this is the least effective of these three portraits. I have therefore limited my critical assessment to Selections 2 and 3
Critical assessment of G-Live selection 2
The contrast between the dark clothes of the subject and the cream walls gives this picture a strong visual appeal. The subject is central in the frame but the converging diagonal lines of the wall provide asymmetry in the composition. The lines also give a feeling of depth, drawing the viewers eye into the picture.
The light is highly diffuse so that the shadows on the side of the face and on the wall are soft and subtle. There are no undesirable reflections in her glasses and her eyes and the surrounding area behind her glasses are clear and bright. There is only the slightest hint of a catchlight in her eyes.
Val is standing in a relaxed posture with her hands in her pockets. Her gaze is almost directly at the lens with a neutral expression. Her feet are twisted around towards the camera one behind the other. I should have asked her to move these into other positions, e.g with the back foot slightly to the side or hooked behind the front leg. This might have added some shape to the lower half of her coat which is hanging down from hip level. The folds and texture of her coat are just discernible.
I feel that the image portrays Val as a well-dressed confident woman.
There are a few stains on the ground and a dust spot from my camera on the wall near the ground which I would have cleaned up had I noticed them.
Critical assessment of G - Live Selection 3
It is Val's expression that makes this picture. Whilst her head is central in the frame, the sideways posture means that her shoulders are asymmetrical; her left shoulder is prominent but her right shoulder is not visible. The asymmetry of the lines on the wall is barely noticeable and there is little feeling of three dimensional space.
The lighting is still very diffuse with only the softest of shadows. The light is falling fairly centrally on her face. Her eyes are clear and bright with slight catchlights in her eyes or on her glasses.
Her expression is friendly and engaging and her face dominates the picture. A viewer is not drawn to look at other parts of the photograph for any length of time. This would be a type of portrait that would be pleasing for family members or friends.
Techniques
Having tried photography at this location and other similar places in earlier exercises, I am now taking better portraits in terms of composition, lighting and postures.
There are various things I still need to improve upon:
- It would have been better to try out some other hand and leg positions as these may have resulted in some good images.
- I need to be more careful when cleaning up pictures before printing as I missed some blemishes in the Selection 2 portrait.
Studio at Ripley
The studio was equipped with a set of daylight corrected low energy photographic lamps, as well as a set of studio flash lamps. I chose to use the low energy lamps as this would make it easier to judge the lighting effects, reflections in my wife's spectacles and so on. The lamps were fitted with softbox diffusers.
There was a choice of backcloths, black, grey and white. I thought that white would be more suitable for fashion style photography and black might be too moody, so I chose to use the grey backcloth.
I wanted to take some head and torso portraits so I suggested that my wife rest on a stool with her hands resting in a "Mona Lisa" like position. I also took some head and shoulders portraits in each position. We were working with a key light facing the subject, placed a little to the side of the camera and just above head level. A less powerful fill light was facing the subject on the other side of her face and just below head level.
I selected one head and torso portrait and one head and shoulders portrait.
Studio - selection 4
Nikon 18-200mm at 38mm: Iso 200 f6.3 for 1/60th
Critical assessment of Studio selection 4
This is a relatively formal style of portrait with the subject resting on a stool. The subject is central in the frame, but there are subtle asymmetries. She is resting sideways with one leg extending to the side and her torso is slightly twisted so that one shoulder is more prominent than the other. Her hands provide a visual focus in the lower part of the frame to balance the main visual interest of her face.
The light is diffuse with soft shadows. The lower intensity of the fill light means that there is a distinct shadow on the right hand side of her face and nose. I feel the relative levels of light and shade are about right.
Her eyes are brightly illuminated and there are no distracting reflections from her glasses. There are catchlights from both lamps in her eyes. The frames of her glasses create shadows but these are not obscuring her eyes. Nevertheless, I think I should have lightened these shadows in Lightroom as they are so close to her eyes.
Her dark sweater and trousers give only the slightest hint of form. in LightroomThis dark silhouette provides a strong contrast to the face and hands which I feel is appropriate in this picture.
The backcloth is lit by the key light and fill light and there is no separate lighting of the background. The light level gradually changes from top to bottom which, at the time, I did not feel was a problem. The grey colour however is quite sensitive to colour casts especially in the more shadowy areas. It was difficult to get reasonable tonal consistency between photos. I think it would have been better to separately light the backdrop and have a lighter more even grey colour. I should also have tried the black and white back cloths which may have resulted in more striking images.
Studio - selection 5
Nikon 18-200mm at 130mm: Iso 200 f6.3 for 1/60th
Critical assessment of Studio - selection 5
The head and shoulders portrait I selected is quite conventional. This one however stood out as the strongest from the variety of photos with other poses and lighting arrangements.
Her head is turned slightly to the side and is tilted to the left a little. The key light and fill lights were in the same positions as in Selection 4 above. The shadows are soft but sufficiently distinct to reveal form.
Her eyes are brightly lit with catchlights from the key lamp. There are no reflections or shadows from her spectacles in this position. I have lightened the shadows on her face in Lightroom to soften the texture of her skin.
Her expression is neutral and attentive, without the engagement of Selection 3 above. This portrait seems reminiscent of portraits displayed by companies of their staff and managers. Val looks "business-like", ready to listen and to deal with things.
The issues regarding the grey background are the same as for Selection 4, but the smaller area means this is less important for this portrait.
Techniques
It is interesting to compare the prints of these studio lit photos with the flash-lit portraits of my wife that I took in January for the Best of a Sequence project:
- The flash lighting is slightly harsher, even though the flash was diffused by bouncing off a wall and ceiling. The illumination level provided by the low energy studio lights is slightly lower so that I had to use a wider aperture (f6.3 instead of f8).
- Including the hands in the head and torso portrait has a positive impact.
- It is easier to check for reflections and shadows around the eyes with the continuous lamps.
- The background in the studio was not much better than using a plain wall at home.
I stopped taking photographs when I had exhausted the possibilities I could think of for pose, position, framing and lighting. I did not at the time think about changing the background from grey to black or white. I should remember next time to try at least a few shots with different backgrounds when these are available.
At home
I took photographs of my wife relaxing on a sofa and sitting in a rocking chair by a window. After reviewing the results, I have picked a full length portrait and a head and shoulders portrait when she was sitting by the window.
We also went to the cafe to take some photographs as I had planned. The photos taken at home were better however and I have not picked any of these photos.
Lounge - selection 6
Nikon 18-200mm at 70mm: Iso 400 f6.3 for 1/20th
Critical assessment of Lounge selection 6
This photograph shows a relaxed moment as Val is sitting reading. Unlike the previous pictures, I merely asked her to look up and she is not posed specifically for the photograph.
Her dark trousers and the legs of the chair are silhouetted against a light background in the lower half of the frame. Her head and torso are in the upper half of the frame and in reasonably soft sidelight.
The shadows on her face and shoulders were quite dark and I have lightened these in Lightroom so that more detail is visible. A small window on the right, outside of the frame, is also lighting up the shadowed side of her face. The area around her eyes is shaded but I think that the light catching her left eyebrow and lower eyelid give sufficient definition to this area.
After her face, it seems to be the books on her lap that the viewer is drawn to. The hands are not prominent: one hand holding a book is largely in shade and only a small part of the other is visible behind the books.
There is a large area of garden visible through the window which is cluttered. I have toned this down in Lightroom, but I think it may have been better to partly draw the curtain across to reduce the size of this area in the frame. The internal background is relatively minor, although I thought it was worthwhile to darken a few bright spots in Lightroom.
Lounge selection 7
Nikon 18-200mm at 130mm: Iso 400 f6.3 for 1/20th
Critical assessment for Lounge Selection 7
I took this head and shoulders shot at the same time as Selection 6. The light is quite diffuse as the windows are north facing. Her eyes are reasonably bright even though she is looking away from the window. There are catchlights in her eyes and the shadows from her glasses are unobtrusive. As with Selection 7, a small window on the right is also lighting up the shadowed side of her face. The close crop excludes most of the background.
It is interesting to compare this portrait with Studio Selection 5. The areas of light and shade in the window light are far more complex. The studio lit portrait is far more even, but less interesting. There is not much difference in expression between the two pictures, but the one in window light seems to be more personal and to show more personality. The studio lit portrait seems less expressive.
Techniques
In the process of selecting a photo of Val relaxed in a seated position, I noted that a horizontal or square frame with her legs stretched to the side was the most effective. She looked less relaxed in a vertical frame with her legs towards the camera or cropped out.
I needed to use a tripod in the lounge as the shutter speed was slow even at Iso 400. I should have considered using a low level of fill flash. This would potentially have increased the light around her eyes and lightened the shadows on her face, meaning I would not have needed to use Lightroom as much. It may also have had the effect of reducing the apparent brightness of the garden outside.
Conclusions
Doing this first section of the course has made me realize that I rarely take photographic portraits of people. Whilst I have gained useful experience in carrying out the projects for this course, I really need to continue getting experience. One way would be for me to look for opportunities for photographic projects. I have a couple of opportunities coming up in the next few weeks:-
- I plan to arrange a portrait session with my nephew and his wife. I have taken photos of the other family members and I thought that a mounted print would be a nice gift to thank them for acting as a model.
- There may also be an opportunity next week to take photos at a training session of our local Town Guides in Guildford.
Looking at portraits is also a useful way to learn. In March, my local photographic society is holding a portrait competition for the first time. I also noted that portraits feature prominently in the RPS International Print Competition prize winners that I was looking at yesterday evening. I am not sure, however, that I will be able to get to Barnsley to see this year's exhibition of original prints.
I would also like the opportunity to see how other photographers take portraits. I am sure that there are workshops which cover this subject both inside and outside a studio environment.
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