Cris_L's 52 - Update - Week 23 and 24

Hiya Chris, 2 really nice portraits there, but number 2 is my favourite also. Lighting may be a bit too much on the arm, it starts to sink in with the background a little. Also the skin tones in the 2nd shot look warmer?
 
Hi Dawn, yes the highlights are what I'm referring to. I have also had to lighten the shadows a bit as they were too harsh. This would of been a lot better had I used a bigger light source. I've actually ordered a shoot throu brolly to try instead of my soft box.
However lighting can be too soft in my opinion, often we see no shadows etc and this lead to an uninteresting image, some light falloff is good!

For these shots I'm happy with the skin tones on the wrist and face, the has been very very little pp so they are natural shots. Had they been for a models portfolio I may have wanted the shin tones closer.

What I don't like is that my rim light was in the wrong position, I didn't really need it for the White bg and it's ended up causing unwanted light on her neck. Never mind!

Thanks for your comments, if I can help with you portraiture please feel free to ask!


drodd said:
Hiya Cris,

Both gorgeous photos for this week and Katie looks stunning as ever with such a natural pose.

Even though I like both images, my fav has to be the second image, perhaps because it has a bit of 'cheekyness' to it.

I still have a lot to learn about portrait photography, so when you say the lighting in the second is a tad too harsh, could you please expain to me why you think that is? I would love to learn from the portrait images I see here on your thread and other who are doing portraits too.

Is it the higlights on the forehead, cheeks and side of face near the neck that you are referring to harsh light?

Even though I don't have the experience to crit portrait pics, the one thing that was quite noticable on the second image is the skin tone of wrist to face. Naturally the wrist will have a different tone to skin tone of the face .... is that acceptable in portrait photography, or would it be preferable to try to get the two tones as close to each other as possible? :thinking: See I have so much to learn .... I think I could benefit from perhaps doing some self study on this subject and spend more time looking through TP threads relating to portrait photography.

Anyway, enough of my rattling on .... sorry.

Job well done and I look forward to seeing more of your work.

Cheers

Dawn :)
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michael23 said:
Hiya Chris, 2 really nice portraits there, but number 2 is my favourite also. Lighting may be a bit too much on the arm, it starts to sink in with the background a little. Also the skin tones in the 2nd shot look warmer?
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Cheers michael, I agree with your comments..wish I never bothered with the rim light now!
:thumbs:
 
Hi Chris,
You might be throwing a wild card but they are two great portraits. I also prefer number 2 and look forward to seeing more of your photos.
 
Cris_L said:
<snip> Thanks for your comments, if I can help with you portraiture please feel free to ask!<snip>
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You are welcome and thanks, I am sure I will have lots of questions, so any help will be greatly appreciated.

Cheers

Dawn :)
 
Hi Cris, its been a while since I visited your thread. So, back to week 5. Hard workout or Hard Ass Girl, either way its a great interpretation of the theme. Its good that you have decided to add another dimension to the 52 challenge by including people in all your shots. Katie is a natural, hard in this shot, gentle looking in your "wildcard" week.
It would appear you arent hanging about with the wedding plans having finally put a ring on her finger. Good on yer.
I was admiring the colour shot of "Hard" then I scrolled down and saw the b&w which for me added a bit more grittiness and hard,
Great shot Cris and Katie, congratulations to you both on your engagement, and this series that is your 52 .

Martin
 
Marts said:
Hi Cris, its been a while since I visited your thread. So, back to week 5. Hard workout or Hard Ass Girl, either way its a great interpretation of the theme. Its good that you have decided to add another dimension to the 52 challenge by including people in all your shots. Katie is a natural, hard in this shot, gentle looking in your "wildcard" week.
It would appear you arent hanging about with the wedding plans having finally put a ring on her finger. Good on yer.
I was admiring the colour shot of "Hard" then I scrolled down and saw the b&w which for me added a bit more grittiness and hard,
Great shot Cris and Katie, congratulations to you both on your engagement, and this series that is your 52 .

Martin
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Thanks Martin, yep we're looking at next summer for the wedding..seems so far awy but I'm sure it will soon come round. The tog will have his work cut out on the day..at least kate will be well used to posing by then lol.
 
Ok, the theme is a tricky on for me again this week but I'd like to introduce you all to my mums pride and joy Fudge the toy poodle. believe me, if you saw what a big girls blouse he is and how she treats him you would understand why I've submitted him as delicate!

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Hiya Cris,

I have been waiting in anticipation to see what you came up with for this week's theme, and once again you have delivered a fantastic photo.

Fudge looks like he is loving the photo shoot and is quite the poser and sooo :D He is very cute and I can see why your mum luvs him.

You have done really well here with lighting, especially the catchlight in the eyes. A lovely sharp image and I am sure your mum would love to have this one framed. Could be a nice present for Mother's Day.

As I have said previously, I always look forward to seeing your photos as I can learn so much.

Cheers

Dawn :)
 
Cris_L said:
Thanks Dawn,

fudge has a brother..Alfie

5451102079_ca22284062_b.jpg


this on is already on my mums wall!
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Hiya Cris,

Another brilliant shot, they both look so comfortable being photographed and this is such a cute pic.

You are really very good at taking photos :thumbs:

Cheers

Dawn :)
 
Hi, some great shots here. Sorry I missed them earlier.
Loved the HARD shot, great model, nice pose, and brave to use one light, but if I may offer, you could have been even braver still. This shot is crying out for a bolder lighting set up. I honestly think the beauty dish was a wrong choice, as it has done what it is designed to do, and bather the model in very nice light. I think the shot needed some directional light, maybe a gridspot, so there are some strong shadows, which would help convey hard. It would also help control the background wall which is a little too flat (in a light sense!)
I know women should never have hard shadows, but rules are there to be broken, and I think as a boxer it would work.

The next photo (wildcard) of the model is very pleasing. She is attractive and the smile and eyes speak volumes. The lighting is good, with great catchlights, but you have either cropped in PS or in camera across her joints! (The wrist and shoulder). If you could only have left a bit more on the bottom of the shot, and cropped across the upper arm, bustline, and forearm it would be compositionally more pleasing.

The second model shot has a better crop across her forearm, but she has hotspots on her brow, nose and cheek. A few minutes in PS will sort them out.

As for the two pooches, love it! :-)

Rgds

Adie
 
Hi Cris,
You always manage to come up with a novel take on the theme and this is no exception. Fudge is a great subject. Very well shot, great lighting and the slight reflection adds more feeling and depth to the image. Don't forget your personal challenge though, weren't all your 52 gonna feature people ? Only messing, well justified and you can be forgiven for this exception. lol. and some might say Fudge is a person.

Great work Cris

Martin
 
Webby962 said:
Hi, some great shots here. Sorry I missed them earlier.
Loved the HARD shot, great model, nice pose, and brave to use one light, but if I may offer, you could have been even braver still. This shot is crying out for a bolder lighting set up. I honestly think the beauty dish was a wrong choice, as it has done what it is designed to do, and bather the model in very nice light. I think the shot needed some directional light, maybe a gridspot, so there are some strong shadows, which would help convey hard. It would also help control the background wall which is a little too flat (in a light sense!)
I know women should never have hard shadows, but rules are there to be broken, and I think as a boxer it would work.

The next photo (wildcard) of the model is very pleasing. She is attractive and the smile and eyes speak volumes. The lighting is good, with great catchlights, but you have either cropped in PS or in camera across her joints! (The wrist and shoulder). If you could only have left a bit more on the bottom of the shot, and cropped across the upper arm, bustline, and forearm it would be compositionally more pleasing.

The second model shot has a better crop across her forearm, but she has hotspots on her brow, nose and cheek. A few minutes in PS will sort them out.

As for the two pooches, love it! :-)

Rgds

Adie
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Thanks for the. Detailed critique, some great pointers there and I'll try take them on board for next time. I've just started using a shoot throu to try reduce hot spots a bit. She's not a model though, she's my lass....a great sport though!

michael23 said:
I could just cuddle those dogs! They are lovely pictures, like everything about them. Well done :thumbs:
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Thanks Michael, the dogs would gladly have a cuddle too!

Marts said:
Hi Cris,
You always manage to come up with a novel take on the theme and this is no exception. Fudge is a great subject. Very well shot, great lighting and the slight reflection adds more feeling and depth to the image. Don't forget your personal challenge though, weren't all your 52 gonna feature people ? Only messing, well justified and you can be forgiven for this exception. lol. and some might say Fudge is a person.

Great work Cris

Martin
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And thank you too Martin, I'm kinda stretching the theme i think this week but it's close enough...there will more than likely be more pet portraits to follow in coming weeks!
 
Cris...being more a cat man myself, i saw your initial two shots and thought what an awesome job you did photographing them.... BUT then along came Sidney...and that is THE picture!... i can't see my Toots even interested in posing for a photo..any shot i've got of her she seems to have the expression of FO or else..!!... these shots demonstrate you have great control over the animals attentions... i will hastily review your thread ..pronto!! :thumbs:
 
Hiya Cris!
Great, Great pet photos! I am amassed how photogenic all of the are. I think you have captured the nature of the animals very well too. The dogs are sitting obediently as told and Sidney has this a bit suspicious look. I like how all of the animals look toward the camera, especially Sidney. Have you tangled some toy in front, because it looks ready for attack?
Again great photos!

Rayna
 
SamuelSlade007 said:
Cris...being more a cat man myself, i saw your initial two shots and thought what an awesome job you did photographing them.... BUT then along came Sidney...and that is THE picture!... i can't see my Toots even interested in posing for a photo..any shot i've got of her she seems to have the expression of FO or else..!!... these shots demonstrate you have great control over the animals attentions... i will hastily review your thread ..pronto!! :thumbs:
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Thank you!! Well believe me when i say many many shots went in the bin! Alfie wasnt too keen on posing although fudge seemed quite happy.

The shot of Sidney was a 1 in a million lucky shot. I'm very proud of it but as I say it was more luck than anything else!

SilentGoddess said:
Hiya Cris!
Great, Great pet photos! I am amassed how photogenic all of the are. I think you have captured the nature of the animals very well too. The dogs are sitting obediently as told and Sidney has this a bit suspicious look. I like how all of the animals look toward the camera, especially Sidney. Have you tangled some toy in front, because it looks ready for attack?
Again great photos!

Rayna
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Cheers Rayna, yes we had a toy in front of Sidney...he was literally just about to pounce so it was lucky timing..I'd never do it again!

Madhouseof5 said:
I saw the dog shots and thought they were great, until I saw Sydney and I don't even like cats, lol! Wonderful shots
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Thaks again....I'll puty the one up of bertie in a min, my misses thinks it means her "son" is famous..:bonk:
 
Hiya Cris,

Even though I have already commented on your week 7 theme, I couldn't resist popping past to see your kitty pics too, wow they are fantastic. Congrats on having the photo of Bertie published in the January Photoplus, I bet you were well chuffed with that achievement.

Perhaps you could start a thread where you can post all these fantastic photos and add to it as you take more. It would be great to see what other photos you have taken of pets/animals.

Look forward to seeing what you come up with for Week 8.

Oh and thanks for sharing these photos with us.

Cheers

Dawn :)
 
Thanks Dawn, yeah I might just do that. I'm finding that this thread gets more comments/views than threads in the individual sections though...strange.

Andy, thanks for taking the time. I'm chuffed by your kind comments..this shot really was luck more than skill i have to admit!
 
Your good ;)


:clap:


MD:thumbs:
 
Cris_L said:
<snip> Thanks Dawn, yeah I might just do that. I'm finding that this thread gets more comments/views than threads in the individual sections though...strange. <snip>
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Hiya Cris,

You are welcome..... I don't mind you posting your photos here, infact enjoy looking at them because I can learn so much from your expertise.

I know what you mean though about getting more comments/views than on other individual thread sections. Sadly I don't get much time to frequent those as much as I used to as I find my TP life is now occupied by trying to keep up and support fellow members of this years Photo52 :lol:

Although I do try to pop past some others when I have a spare moment (which seems to be seldom now). If only I had more time :help:

Now I am waiting in anticipation for the announcement of WEEK 8 theme.

Enjoy your weekend.

Cheers

Dawn :)
 
Hi Cris.

FINALLY found your thread amongst the millions of 52s - and you've set yourself one hell of a challenge by getting a portrait in each week. Louise Knight started with the same idea last year but doing SPs. Might be worth a look if you ever start struggling for inspiration.
I suppose that at least the portrait remit lets you bring animals into it, which gives you some more scope. I'm not a cat-person, but your shot of Sidney is absolutely superb. Not a thing I can fault with that - just simply stunning :clap:

Anyway onto your "real" 52 shots. :thumbs: I love the fact that you're using different b/gs and experimenting with different styles for your portraits. (I don't really like the white b/g style which is why I rarely venture into the people and portraits part of the forum) You're lucky to have a willing model at home too.

So far it's the gym shot that stands out for me.
I like this a lot - the lighting & pose are very effective and fantastic attention to detail in the water droplets on her arms.
Like Paul, I prefer the colour version, but I don't quite know how to express why. I suppose the B&W just feels a bit flat to me, where the colour seems full of life.

I'm also a big fan of Fudge's portrait for delicate.
He has absolutely gorgeous eyes and you've really brought out the colour in them. Just two little niggles for me . . . I'd have preferred it if you'd removed the blue collar first and there's just a touch too much foreground reflection for my taste - I think I'd crop it just a little.

Really looking forward to seeing this thread develop and now the 52s are getting to a more manageable number hopefully I'll pop in more often.

ps : Huge congratulations to you and Katie on your engagement.
 
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Thanks Sarah, your themes are certainly making me think and get creative! I just hope I can stay motivated for another 45 weeks!

I'm not a big fan of White bg stuff myself, variety is good and I like coloured bgs...there will be a few of them coming out in this thread!

I can't find week 8s theme..anyone know?
 
Hiya Cris,

Yep, week 8s theme is Chaos ..... so I'm interested to see what you come up with for that one :)

I think I am going to have to blag this one and use a photo I took last year, as I am a bit stuck on this one..... we will see.

Cheers

Dawn :)
 
Superb 'Style' Chris ...................... I knew you'd got it when we met lol
 
Thanks Malcolm, I'm a bit behind at the minute due to building a small studio in my back garden. Will catch up though, I'm not dropping out of the 52 this early!
 
Hi Chris, I love the dog shots. I was wondering if you wouldn't mind telling me about your setup. I have a handsome Beagle and I like what you've done with the white background but the really interesting bit is the glossy floor. I'd love to be able to achieve that setup if you wouldn't mind giving me some tips.
Cheers
Jonathan
 
Hi Jonathan, of course I don't mind explaining. The set up used in those shots was a White paper background with a single flash head with bg reflector to blow it White. One light on the subject with a softbox. On the White paper I placed a sheet if Perspex bought from a hardware store, this is what has provided the reflection. I'm sure your beagle would look fantastic on this type of shot...I look forward to seeing it.

Drop me a pm if you need to know any more.
 
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