Friday Photo Critique #67

Friday Photo Critique #67

on Jan 14th 2011 with 19 comments

Friday Photo Critique is our weekly community project, where we publish a photograph submitted by one of our wonderful readers, then ask you all to offer constructive feedback on the image. It’s a great way to learn more about photography, express your viewpoint, and have your own image critiqued!

Quick Ground Rules

  1. Play nice! We’ve deliberately chosen photographs that aren’t perfect, so please be constructive with any criticism.
  2. Feel free to offer any type of advice – composition, lighting, post-processing etc.
  3. You can also link to photographs that you feel offer a great example of this type of image shot exceptionally well.

Without further ado, here is this week’s candidate for Friday Photo Critique!

The Photograph

Photo Critique

Photo Details & Inspiration

Full EXIF data can be found here. Here is a lighting diagram. In summary:

  • Exposure: 1/80
  • Aperture: f/29
  • ISO: 100
  • Focal Length: 70mm

I was looking for a slightly moody/bored look in this photo. There is a very slight smile, but the subject is not facing or looking at the viewer, as though there is something far more interesting happening in the far right (or maybe left..) of the room.

I usually associate moody photos with a black background, however I watched to achieve the effect on a white background, my lighting was setup for this.

Photographer: Joel Vardy

Please let us know what you think in the comments – how would you have approached the scene or taken the photo differently? A massive thank you to everyone who commented last week.

The most constructive and helpful comments will be featured on the site. Interested in submitting your own photo? You can do so here!

David Appleyard is davidappleyard on Themeforest
 
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David Appleyard is a designer and writer based in the UK. He manages Tuts+, along with having founded several design websites including Design Shack and PixelsDaily.  

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  • http://www.chasingphotography.com Chase

    Joel, heres my take on the photograph, these are just my opinions.

    First composition. Shes somewhat lost in the frame. The image would be a bit more appealing if you cropped in tighter. Or you could go the complete opposite if you wanted moody and made her small in the frame and darkening the background. I would personally have cropped in tighter so she fills the frame.

    Exposure. The subject is underexposed = a bit too dark. I understand going for moodiness, so you may not have wanted to have “brightness”, but proper exposure doesnt mean happy. In photography, its all about light. Shadows define, light illuminates. You have some great shadows on the right side, the angle of her face is good. With proper exposure you would have created more mood (better distinction between light and dark).

    Sharpness. Make sure to focus on your subjects eyes. Her lips and nose seem to be whats in focus. Always the eyes.

    Speaking of eyes, two things if you have photoshop. I would clone out the bright highlight in her eye and create a catch-light in her iris, that always brings life, mood and the appropriate attention to your subject.

  • http://www.spiveyphoto.com Mike Spivey

    Joel mentions moody shots are normally against a black background. I agree and this would have been better against a dark background. The imperfect masking of the hair would show up a lot less, too.

    I don’t have a problem with the subject looking up but you should never show the whites of her eyes below the iris. Chase is right about the catchlight on the white part of the eye.

    The only time I’ve ever used f29 was shooting waterfalls without an ND filter to get a long shutter speed. I’m not sure why it would be used for a portrait. Anything beyond f16 (many say f11) will be soft. Maybe that was intentional, but…….

    Some peeps would complain about the top of the ear showing.

    • Ziggy

      Hi,

      Im still learning and was wondering about your comment how f29 would come out soft. I was under the impression that a higher aperture = smaller hole = sharper image, no?

      • mark T

        Lens flare. Yes depth of field is theoretically increased at higher fstops, but look into this subject online and you will see what a (Sweet spot is) and that you will want it rather than using higher fstops and oversharpening in post.

        • Sebastian Sandqvist

          Ziggy, with a higher f-stop (small opening) you get an increased depth of field, meaning more in-focus look for the parts of the image that are not in the main focal plane. You do not necessarily get a sharper image from it.

          But.. many lenses will be a bit soft when the aperture is very open (ie. f/2.8). Definitely look into the “Sweet spot” as mark T suggested.
          There are also down-sides to having too closed an aperture (f/16-ish and above). like… softness.

  • pamela

    1. The subject is underexposed. You may want to bump your ISO or give the subject more light.
    2. The composition isn’t terrible, but it’s not very interesting. Cropping in may have added a bit more interest.
    3. The catch light in the right eye is a little off. Subjects that have catch light at 10 or 2 in the pupil tend to look more “alive”. Here, you have placed the catch light in the white of the eye and it gets lost with that placement.
    4. The way the key light was used makes the subject seem very one-dimensional. Increasing the distance of the subject to the background, adding some shadow or placing some light on the subjects hair may have made the image more interesting.
    5. Focus on the eyes. This image is a little too soft.

  • http://www.humanart.cz/portfolio/rychi Rychi

    1) Aperture: f/29 is too much. in this high number the picture’ll be soft. I think the best is 8 or 11.
    2) Half face is in the shadow. You can try some reflector.
    3) Background is brighter than subject. I think it could be reversely.

  • http://www.caronphoto.com Michael

    I’m just learning, so take my comments regarding the lighting accordingly.

    I was really surprised looking at the lighting diagram that with an umbrella from her left side you have such darkness on the left side of her face…maybe intentional but I really felt there was only light from her right/front side.

    Also, if you had two lights on the background, I think it would have been great to try and keep the background white. When I opened on my phone, her left side background looked gray and the right hand background white. On my PC monitor, it’s not so prominent but I think the photo would work much better trying to keep a pure white background and it looks like you had the lights to do it (whereas my two strobes could not).

  • http://www.shaneparkerphoto.com Shane Parker

    Everything has already been covered, so I’ll just say; “Ditto” and leave it at that :)

  • 7

    As others have mentioned, the whole thing appears underexposed. To my half-trained “I’m on the internet so I MUST know what I’m talking about, right?” eye, I’d guess a full stop or a little more. I’d wager on the teeny tiny little hole you shot through (f/29?! why??) to be part of this. The smaller you make your aperture, the harder your lights have to work. Open up to the sweet spot of most lenses (as someone else suggested) around f/8-11 and you’ll do better, plus you’ll have a sharper image (that’s the reason for the sweet spot! Just as an image gets softer the wider your aperture gets, so it does the other way, once you pass the ‘sweet spot’.)

    As for the catch light, if you want to get an optimal catch light, just think of where you want the catchlight to be on the eye, and position your lights accordingly. If you’re *really* good you can even get a decent catchlight in a light colored room, with a single speedlite bounce to one side over your shoulder!

    It sort of looks like (and sounds like from your description) that you wanted to achieve a low-key look with a light background. If you wanted to do that, dedicate a light or two to lighting only the backdrop, to blow it out completely. The subject being “dark and moody” with a blown out background would just look like you forgot to light your subject, though. I’m not sure the “dark and moody” thing works the way you want it to with a light background. Keep trying though, if you nail it, it could be awesome.

    • 7

      After looking over your diagram (Should have done that before posting originally), it looks like something is amiss. The way the light falls in the photo doesn’t seem to match up with the diagram at all… your key looks to be coming from directly behind camera, maybe a bit camera left. I’m not seeing any effect from the umbrella and not much from the right hand backdrop light. (darkness on the right side of the white backdrop, as compared to the left). Shed some light on this for us, maybe? (no pun intended)

  • Mark T

    ALMOST THERE! DONT STOP! I get what you are trying to do. Use 3 lights at minimum for this. 2 for the background and 1 for subject. Your background is graduated having some off white on the right side of the frame. I use two lights equally lit in the back to make it even with no oddities in light levels. I shoot with 2 lights on subject, one for main light and another for fill and a catchlight in the eyes. My background is usually 1 to 1.5 stops brighter than subject. The subject is also no less than 10 feet from background to keep from getting wraparound light on subject from background. I check this by shooting two tests with background lights on and lights off. If the subject has no difference being lit by the main and fill light then It works for me. Again, I use a minimum of 3 lights and usually work with 4. I also shoot any where from 1/125th to 1/250th at F16 and not usually more than f22 to reduce lens flare. Take your focus points to one and focus on the eyes. Multiple focus points can average and dull an image slightly if not checked. Get it right first in camera with no auto adjustments and post should be easy. Good Luck and KEEP SHOOTING

  • mark T

    I meant lens diffraction. Yes depth of field is theoretically increased at higher fstops, but look into this subject online and you will see what a (Sweet spot is) and that you will want it rather than using higher fstops and oversharpening in post.

  • ryan

    OOk…

    So, first – f29, a bit much. After a certain f/stop, you begin to get softness due to (what I understand is) lens defraction.. (might be the wrong term). As others have stated, most lenses are very happy stopped down 2-4 stops from their maximum (or, the smallest number) aperture. These are “full stops”, so generally an f/4.5 lens would hit their “sweet spot” around f/8 or f/11.

    If you were at this setting because that’s how you had to control light, you’re probably using light incorrectly… however, seeing your setup, Im going to assume (dangerous, I know) that you have experience with your lighting system, and you have taken other pictures using this set-up.

    Now, as for my suggestions…

    I would have used a longer focal length lens and took a few steps back. It looks like her face got a bit elongated, and is somewhat unflattering. Try around 85mm (IMO).

    I think the sharp contrast in the shadows makes more of a sinister look than a moody/bored look… but her expression doesn’t fit either of these, so it leaves me a bit confused.. When you’re bored, you don’t smile. When you’re disinterestd, you aren’t looking up… it seems the direction to the model was a bit off in the visual expression of the intended emotion/situation. She looks like she’s being scolded, or playing coy or innocent… but she’s a bit old to be acting as such; again, confusing..

    As for the lighting, I think a reflector immediate right to create a softer glow in the shadow area would provide a cleaner finish, and probably end all the “you’re under exposed” comments..

    I do agree, however, that the key light reflection in the white of her eyes is really really distracting… softbox would help, or moving the keylight a little further away and more in line with her line of sight would probably help as well.

  • http://www.sylvainclement.Fr Sylvain

    I mainly agree with the comments about underexposure of the shot and the inadequateness of f29 aperture which can soften the image due to diffraction. Generally speaking the optimal aperture with respect to sharpness is around F6-F11 depending on the lens.

    One more consequence of the very small aperture, is that all the dust dpots on your sensor are now visible (look in the bottom-right quarter of the image). Hopefully, it’s easily corrected in post processing. In your case the spots are rather small and slightly visible and thay probably won’t be distinguishable at wider aperture (F11).

  • http://about.me/petimorgan Peti

    i don’t have anything technical to add, but the direction she is looking in is distracting to me – if she was looking across, rather than up, it wouldn’t feel so ‘posed’. I agree that the background could be dark if you were going for moody :)

  • http://www.flickr.com/photos/hugo_gomez87/ Hugo

    I’m just learning, but I’ve taken portraits with white backgrounds, using 2 light in front of the girl, 2 lights at her back, and 1 light else esclusively for the background, and the results have been amazing, remember that you must to focus the nearest eye of the girl.

  • Tim Maguire

    I like the picture. The way the face fades to shadow is intriguing.

  • http://www.HenryAlva.com Henry

    Depending on what this shot is going to be used for I would have shot it with some sort of background maybe outdoors, It seems to empty in some way. The way the background is so light and yet the right side of her face is so dark doesn’t look right to me. Maybe adding a kiss of light on the back right or her face, even if only to outline her face with light. The way her shoulders are aligned also makes it look a bit off…