This week, we took portrait images outside. The point of this exercise was to ignore any lighting equipment we would use in the studio, and to simply use available light outside to take our pictures. We had to take 3 images; one full frame, one 2/3’s and one head and shoulders shot. We were advised to go to a location on campus where there’s no direct sunlight shining on the model, otherwise they’d be squinting and would have harsh light and shadows on their face, making for a bad image.
To be honest, after looking at the pictures at the end of the session, I wasn’t overly happy with many of them.
The ‘best’ full frame photos:
These are the most successful full frame photos my group (Rebecca, Rhianna and I) got. I have cropped and straightened the images as the line in the concrete background was positioned randomly in the photos and felt distracting. The first image is with the temperature reduced, resulting in the cooler toned and muted image. The second image is with the temperature still reduced but has a bit of a warmer tint compared to the other. I feel this brightens up the image a bit and makes the colours that bit more exciting. I think the body language is the best feature in these images – it’s more intriguing that simply standing straight, arms by side and adds character. I also like the direction at which I am looking in these images and the fact I managed to keep a straight face which makes a better image.
To improve, both photos are too out of focus. If you zoom in just a little bit, it’s not sharp at all. The background is also very bland. There are visible textures in the images which is interesting but there’s nothing going on in the background.
The ‘best’ 2/3 images:
These are the better images from the whole shoot. I like the brightness of the colours in the first image- again, the background is a bit bland but I think it works in this image. During editing, I erased a line in the wall on the left which I think has made the image look a lot neater and visually better. The image is also fairly sharp when zoomed in, in comparison to the full frame images.
I also like the second image. Again, the body language stands out to me.. hand on hip says a lot about a character as it shows their confidence, even if the photographer has directed them to do that pose. The focus is also decent and I like how her hair colour stands out- the warm tone of the background brings out the ginger in her hair. I think the lighting works well in these images as the shadows are soft because of the diffused light.
The ‘best’ head and shoulders image:
We only really managed to get one successful head and shoulders image. The focus in this image is good. I used a 50mm lens which detects the focal point close up easily. I think the image would improve if the model was looking directly into the lens, however. I’ve also had to crop the image as there was too much empty space above her head when I took the photo.