A Shot from a Portrait Shoot

I don't currently have access to the vast majority of my stuff, seeing that I am on a Windows laptop and my externals are both formatted for Mac and, quite frankly, I refuse to do anything that would risk losing my thousands of pictures. I do, however, have this one from a portrait shoot I did this year.



It was shot using only natural light, my 60D with 18-135 mm attached, and was only altered slightly in GIMP to enhance colors a little bit. Excuse the poor quality, it was downloaded off of facebook. The original is much sharper.

That was from my third portrait shoot ever, and only my second individual one.

Err... I'm extremely broke, so I do the best I can with what I have. Had my camera and lens over a year now and, as much as I'd love a new lens or a flash, I most likely won't be getting either for months, if not years.

I was going to say that the image seems to have alot of noise but it could just be the facebook download causing it. Its a nice looking portrait though.....especially for only your 3rd time trying.

john_m wrote: I was going to say that the image seems to have alot of noise but it could just be the facebook download causing it. Its a nice looking portrait though.....especially for only your 3rd time trying.

Can't help much on a lens other than to suggest a used one from someplace like KEH.com. However, I can help with the flash and suggest a non-dedicated one. There a TONS of them out there and they can be had very cheaply (+-$35-40 new, less than that used) Now, you'll have to run these in manual but that only makes you a better photog with all the practice. AND, there are diffusers that you can use for your onboard flash that will help a lot. You can MAKE 'em from used plastic milk containers! You can go here and get a GOB of ideas! www.diyphotography.net/taxonomy/term/154

This was shot with a home-made snoot on a $25 Vivitar 3700 flash with a bridge camera.

gjtoth wrote: Can't help much on a lens other than to suggest a used one from someplace like KEH.com. However, I can help with the flash and suggest a non-dedicated one. There a TONS of them out there and they can be had very cheaply (+-$35-40 new, less than that used) Now, you'll have to run these in manual but that only makes you a better photog with all the practice. AND, there are diffusers that you can use for your onboard flash that will help a lot. You can MAKE 'em from used plastic milk containers! You can go here and get a GOB of ideas! www.diyphotography.net/taxonomy/term/154

When I say extremely broke I mean that spending more than $5 in a month isn't happening. Trying to save up for a new Mac isn't helping matters any. I'm currently unemployed, without access to my photos, and caught in limbo.

adivineeternity wrote:

gjtoth wrote: Can't help much on a lens other than to suggest a used one from someplace like KEH.com. However, I can help with the flash and suggest a non-dedicated one. There a TONS of them out there and they can be had very cheaply (+-$35-40 new, less than that used) Now, you'll have to run these in manual but that only makes you a better photog with all the practice. AND, there are diffusers that you can use for your onboard flash that will help a lot. You can MAKE 'em from used plastic milk containers! You can go here and get a GOB of ideas! www.diyphotography.net/taxonomy/term/154

When I say extremely broke I mean that spending more than $5 in a month isn't happening. Trying to save up for a new Mac isn't helping matters any. I'm currently unemployed, without access to my photos, and caught in limbo.

Sorry. Just trying to help. C Ya

Sucks to have no job/money. Hope you get work soon.

Nice shot,

I would just like to see the garage / shack in the background removed... especially since it is coming off / out of her head. I keep getting drawn to and focusing on that and it takes me away from the beautiful young lady who should be and is the subject of this photo.

adivineeternity wrote:

gjtoth wrote: Can't help much on a lens other than to suggest a used one from someplace like KEH.com. However, I can help with the flash and suggest a non-dedicated one. There a TONS of them out there and they can be had very cheaply (+-$35-40 new, less than that used) Now, you'll have to run these in manual but that only makes you a better photog with all the practice. AND, there are diffusers that you can use for your onboard flash that will help a lot. You can MAKE 'em from used plastic milk containers! You can go here and get a GOB of ideas! www.diyphotography.net/taxonomy/term/154

When I say extremely broke I mean that spending more than $5 in a month isn't happening. Trying to save up for a new Mac isn't helping matters any. I'm currently unemployed, without access to my photos, and caught in limbo.

Join a local photo club... sometimes they can help. I lost quite a bit of my photo equipment & props in a flood a few months ago & my club has stepped up & offered to let me use their studios when they are not already booked & I have borrowed lights, props & more. They also help with lots of great advice.

Joiemagic wrote: Nice shot,

I would just like to see the garage / shack in the background removed... especially since it is coming off / out of her head. I keep getting drawn to and focusing on that and it takes me away from the beautiful young lady who should be and is the subject of this photo.

I fully agree with you on this one, but my photoshopping (or GIMP, in my case) skills are pretty useless for anything beyond color enhancement. I try to avoid stuff like that from the start, normally, but it was hard enough finding a spot like that to begin with.

Maria21 wrote: Join a local photo club... sometimes they can help. I lost quite a bit of my photo equipment & props in a flood a few months ago & my club has stepped up & offered to let me use their studios when they are not already booked & I have borrowed lights, props & more. They also help with lots of great advice.

I'll have to keep an eye out for things like this. There most likely aren't any anywhere near where I am now, but I'm hoping to move soon so I can get somewhere that won't make my life what it currently is.

Also, I'm so sorry about floods. I've got some experience in that area as I helped muck and gut houses in Minot, ND over the summer and it was depressing. I actually acquired an old lens (not sure what mount) from that, but I'm not sure if it can be restored or cleaned up or anything. Got to talk to a lot of homeowners during those four weeks of work, though, and I feel great about the work I did up there. Ironically, that's where I was for the shoot I got this shot out of.

It's a nice shot and the experience sounds like a good one for you, just be aware of things in your background on your next shoot and you will produce some stunning work.

adivineeternity wrote: I fully agree with you on this one, but my photoshopping (or GIMP, in my case) skills are pretty useless for anything beyond color enhancement. I try to avoid stuff like that from the start, normally, but it was hard enough finding a spot like that to begin with.

Hope you don't mind, I took out the garage for you.

From the original, it looks like if you had taken a small step to your right you could have eliminated the garage completely, or at least not had it coming out of her head... unless it is longer than I think it is... Still it is a great shot...

It's a nice portrait of the subject herself. It seems like sometimes when composing a shot that the background isn't always taken into consideration - I think the eye tends to look at the subject and not the background so much. I think it helps to be aware of moving your eye around to look at everything that's in the viewfinder that will show up in a photo.

Joie is right, sometimes a step or two in one direction or the other can make a difference in what background shows up in a photo. I took photos for marketing for a local team and learned how to make empty seats in the stands 'disappear' (sponsors can't be shown those! LOL).

Getting the photo composed well while you're shooting can make it so you don't need to edit much afterwards.

Hope things change for you and you aren't in limbo too long.

It does look infinitely better without the garage sprouting from her head. Strangest tumor ever?

Went out and did some shooting today, but not of people. I'll be posting a thread in general photography later this week after my new laptop (!!!!!!) gets in with the best from that. I did my best to be very conscious of angles and what was going on in the background.

Yes my immediate thought on this image was the garage,
but it seems that's been taken care of.
Now remove the sidewalk and the other red distraction &
road in the bkgrd.
I would crop her to the elbow as well.

I am not a portrait photographer yet I know what I see.

I believe all this retouching & cropping shouldn't occur
in the first place.
Do it IN CAMERA !
The brick wall's perspective leads my eye right out of the picture.

I hope you get to work with this lovely model again.
If so, choose better backgrounds or take her in studio.

You act like I had a choice. I don't have a studio or access to one. I'm not even close to being a professional (I lack several key things, like quality equipment, money, and talent). Chances of getting to work with her again are slim, since I may not even ever see her again.