Portrait with Zeiss

[adakshi]

Hope you like them. A700 and 135mm is not a perfect match focal length wise, too much working distance.

Thanks
Ayan

[David Kilpatrick]

Correct body angle, good head angle, not bad for lighting but you broke a rule by cutting the hands off that way. They should have been arranged (takes some experience) to appear within the shot, and also angled to avoid over-emphasis - or they should have been excluded, along with forearms. My avatar shot is an example we did making fun of the 'rules' mind you. Anything you do which is extreme is generally acceptable, it's just-missed things which are negative aspects in portraiture.

David

[adakshi]

Correct body angle, good head angle, not bad for lighting but you broke a rule by cutting the hands off that way. They should have been arranged (takes some experience) to appear within the shot, and also angled to avoid over-emphasis - or they should have been excluded, along with forearms. My avatar shot is an example we did making fun of the 'rules' mind you. Anything you do which is extreme is generally acceptable, it's just-missed things which are negative aspects in portraiture.

David

Thanks a lot David and apologize for replying late. Will you count these better?





Thanks
Ayan

[David Kilpatrick]

I do count those as better. For a posed portrait, it is generally better to have the person engage with the viewer - eyes to the camera, not necessarily smiling or staring right at the lens. Candid portraits with the gaze out of shot work well, and so do compositions where the viewer has an idea of the subject's concentrated gaze on a distant point. Just looking out of frame without any sense of purpose is probably weaker than looking towards the lens.

With this subject, he's got the same shirt/belt problem I have - I could do with losing a few pounds! Given a sitter who has a tummy bulge, it can be better to seat them at a desk or table, leaning forward a little, and resting arms on the table. This completely hides the problem, in this case it is a minor point but the upper shot is better than the lower one - you have cropped just clear of the belt bulge area, in the lower one it's included, and that is not so flattering.

Resting on a table/desk also gives more scope for positioning arms and hands, and for setting the scene. The table top can have items on it. It might be, for example, someone's spectacles removed and placed on the table next to a book, while they look at the camera. This looks natural, as if the sitter has been interrupted when reading, and put the book down to give attention to the viewer (camera). Or it could be something connected with an interest. Even just holding a pen in one hand can solve the problem of 'what to do with hands' in a portrait.

The most highly valued portraits are often 'environmental' too. This is a style which originated in the USA (Arnold Newman, and others) where the sitter is taken to a carefully chosen background scene which connects to their life, work or interests. This could be out of focus, but still recognisable. The foreground (usually a desk, table, workbench) again may have on it items which tell a story about the subject. This is following a long tradition in European portrait painting of the setting and 'props' being important, but in photography the subject is generally more prominent than in paintings.

I like the differential focus, the natural lighting, and the overall composition, colour, and feel of the photograph. Certainly you only need to work on the detail and the 'message'. The best photographs tell a story - even when they are just portraits. Sometimes the clothing, expression or pose is enough to tell the story. Sometimes you need a background and foreground - a setting - to tell the story instead.

David

[adakshi]

I do count those as better. For a posed portrait, it is generally better to have the person engage with the viewer - eyes to the camera, not necessarily smiling or staring right at the lens. Candid portraits with the gaze out of shot work well, and so do compositions where the viewer has an idea of the subject's concentrated gaze on a distant point. Just looking out of frame without any sense of purpose is probably weaker than looking towards the lens.

With this subject, he's got the same shirt/belt problem I have - I could do with losing a few pounds! Given a sitter who has a tummy bulge, it can be better to seat them at a desk or table, leaning forward a little, and resting arms on the table. This completely hides the problem, in this case it is a minor point but the upper shot is better than the lower one - you have cropped just clear of the belt bulge area, in the lower one it's included, and that is not so flattering.

Resting on a table/desk also gives more scope for positioning arms and hands, and for setting the scene. The table top can have items on it. It might be, for example, someone's spectacles removed and placed on the table next to a book, while they look at the camera. This looks natural, as if the sitter has been interrupted when reading, and put the book down to give attention to the viewer (camera). Or it could be something connected with an interest. Even just holding a pen in one hand can solve the problem of 'what to do with hands' in a portrait.

The most highly valued portraits are often 'environmental' too. This is a style which originated in the USA (Arnold Newman, and others) where the sitter is taken to a carefully chosen background scene which connects to their life, work or interests. This could be out of focus, but still recognisable. The foreground (usually a desk, table, workbench) again may have on it items which tell a story about the subject. This is following a long tradition in European portrait painting of the setting and 'props' being important, but in photography the subject is generally more prominent than in paintings.

I like the differential focus, the natural lighting, and the overall composition, colour, and feel of the photograph. Certainly you only need to work on the detail and the 'message'. The best photographs tell a story - even when they are just portraits. Sometimes the clothing, expression or pose is enough to tell the story. Sometimes you need a background and foreground - a setting - to tell the story instead.

David

Wow, thanks a lot David, the best explanation, tips I have ever seen in any forum.
Actually these(2nd set) are not posed, my father in law was playing with my friend's kid, so he was moving fast. I just managed to get some snaps. I tried my best to have good angle, natural pose(he becomes stiff if conscious) and non distracting background. The part I liked is how the lens handles busy background and for some reason I feel I get better metering (exposing more towards right) with fast lenses. Don't know how a lens can affect metering(unless it heavily vignets).

Thanks again for these tips, I'll remember while shooting.

Ayan