I AM CHRISTINE

[kei1309]

13

What about this?

the high contrast and shadows are drawing my eyes to her arm pit.. and your watermark isn't helping one bit. did you notice that her pit is at the 1/3 line, as well as that dark shadow?

also one more thing. that shadow makes her body look amputated in many ways, and that elbow disappearing/hand appearing looks very odd.

and is it just me or do i get the feeling that her head's floating due to the shadows as well.

you might want to have more control over your lighting. sometimes hard lighting and too much shadows ruin what you're trying to bring out, which in this case, is the face, am i right?

 

[ominblue]

the high contrast and shadows are drawing my eyes to her arm pit.. and your watermark isn't helping one bit. did you notice that her pit is at the 1/3 line, as well as that dark shadow?

also one more thing. that shadow makes her body look amputated in many ways, and that elbow disappearing/hand appearing looks very odd.

and is it just me or do i get the feeling that her head's floating due to the shadows as well.

you might want to have more control over your lighting. sometimes hard lighting and too much shadows ruin what you're trying to bring out, which in this case, is the face, am i right?

Okay, got what you mean. Agreed with you on the armpit thing which now I see, also feels weird to me. Then the shadows you said were cutting off parts of her limbs, I agreed on that too. However, I dont have the feeling of her head is floating.

Yup, I do like on the suggestion on control of lights and shadows part which I will take note on it.
Thanks

By the way, do bear with me for a while as I still have a few more of this series...

 

[nitewalk]

the high contrast and shadows are drawing my eyes to her arm pit.. and your watermark isn't helping one bit. did you notice that her pit is at the 1/3 line, as well as that dark shadow?

also one more thing. that shadow makes her body look amputated in many ways, and that elbow disappearing/hand appearing looks very odd.

and is it just me or do i get the feeling that her head's floating due to the shadows as well.

you might want to have more control over your lighting. sometimes hard lighting and too much shadows ruin what you're trying to bring out, which in this case, is the face, am i right?

I find that the head floats as well. The shadows around neck area is probably what gave this impression.

 

[one eye jack]

13

What about this?

The framing looks alright but remember if you render a picture in black and white it becomes dramatic and moody.
Now from the 5 skills of drawing,the perception of relationships and edges because only a single light source the shadows become harder
and from a high angle casting a shadow over Christine's chest,not flattering to her profile (perception of edges).

The choice of clothing is not suitable because it's a floral print and not fiqure hugging.It does'nt blend or harmonise well with the environment of black and white (perception of relationships).A plain tank top would show more of her round shoulder and back which is flattering to a woman.

Lines whether horizontal or diagonal can be used to lead the viewer's eyes in this case diagonal lines form an apex like the tip of a triangle
like an arrow's head (a directional sign).One to the face which is good and the second one formed by upper arm and shadow to the armpit.
If you had another fill light to light up her chest or the underside of her arm then this would not happen (perception of edges).

Her head and hair is not well defined (perception of edges).An accent light or rim light to profile her head/hair would look better and make the picture more complete (perception of the whole).If you aspire to be a professional or be good at portraiture,small details make or break a picture.There is a strand of hair over her right eye and the bit of hair on her wrist breaks the flow of the diagonal line.Is that a shadow at the corner of her lower eyelid of her right eye or is it eye shadow or a mole? Anyway photoshop can remedy this.There is a bit of a gap of hair at the right ear exposing a bit of ear and neck,cover it with more hair for cleaner lines.You are lucky that your lighting at the right angle produces catchlights(reflections of light source preferably at 10 or 2 O'clock) at the irises of both eyes which make the face more alive.You can increase the contrast of the catchlights if the effect is not strong enough.

As an exercise use a piece of paper/envelope to crop out the lower one third of the bottom to a square frame.Now with only one apex it draws the eye to the face and overall tonal balance is even don't you think? Overall I don't find the picture contrasty at all,it's even which is good.Making a portrait is not so easy huh? Not like people telling you to shoot,shoot,shoot.

 

[Rashkae]

In addition to what the bros above have said, here are the first 5 thoughts that popped in my mind when I saw that pic:

1. Why is her left eye chopped in half?
2. Where is her neck? Her raised shoulder hid it, the shadows do the rest. It looks like her arm is holding a floating head
3. The shadows make her boobs look like eggplants
4. The skin wrinkles at the armpit are unflattering
5. The watermark draws attention to the eggplants

 

[ominblue]

The framing looks alright but remember if you render a picture in black and white it becomes dramatic and moody.
Now from the 5 skills of drawing,the perception of relationships and edges because only a single light source the shadows become harder
and from a high angle casting a shadow over Christine's chest,not flattering to her profile (perception of edges). Understood

The choice of clothing is not suitable because it's a floral print and not fiqure hugging.It does'nt blend or harmonise well with the environment of black and white (perception of relationships).A plain tank top would show more of her round shoulder and back which is flattering to a woman. Good Point!

Lines whether horizontal or diagonal can be used to lead the viewer's eyes in this case diagonal lines form an apex like the tip of a triangle
like an arrow's head (a directional sign).One to the face which is good and the second one formed by upper arm and shadow to the armpit.
If you had another fill light to light up her chest or the underside of her arm then this would not happen (perception of edges).

Her head and hair is not well defined (perception of edges).An accent light or rim light to profile her head/hair would look better and make the picture more complete (perception of the whole).If you aspire to be a professional or be good at portraiture,small details make or break a picture.There is a strand of hair over her right eye and the bit of hair on her wrist breaks the flow of the diagonal line.Is that a shadow at the corner of her lower eyelid of her right eye or is it eye shadow or a mole? Anyway photoshop can remedy this.There is a bit of a gap of hair at the right ear exposing a bit of ear and neck,cover it with more hair for cleaner lines.You are lucky that your lighting at the right angle produces catchlights(reflections of light source preferably at 10 or 2 O'clock) at the irises of both eyes which make the face more alive.You can increase the contrast of the catchlights if the effect is not strong enough.

As an exercise use a piece of paper/envelope to crop out the lower one third of the bottom to a square frame.Now with only one apex it draws the eye to the face and overall tonal balance is even don't you think? Overall I don't find the picture contrasty at all,it's even which is good.Making a portrait is not so easy huh? Not like people telling you to shoot,shoot,shoot.

Thanks for pointing out all the bad points I've made and MADE me understood WHY and how! :thumbsup:
Yup Portraiture is profound to learn. Shooting human is not as easy as I think. U open up a lot for me.

In addition to what the bros above have said, here are the first 5 thoughts that popped in my mind when I saw that pic:

1. Why is her left eye chopped in half?
2. Where is her neck? Her raised shoulder hid it, the shadows do the rest. It looks like her arm is holding a floating head
3. The shadows make her boobs look like eggplants
4. The skin wrinkles at the armpit are unflattering
5. The watermark draws attention to the eggplants

Noted n will bear in mind.

 

[ominblue]

14

another 1

 

[one eye jack]

14

another 1

This is not the correct use of one light technique especially for black and white picture.Since hair and background is the same
tone, the body outline/form is not distinguishable.I believe you are using a spotlight which have a narrow coverage.In order
to use one light technique the light must also spread to the background so that the form (head and body) stand out.Preferably subject is close to background.BTW one light technique is not flattering on women but suits men to give a brooding look.

Besides the camera angle makes face and body look broad.A better way is to use light modifiers or reflectors/umbrellas for the key/main light or softboxes to illuminate the background and sides of the body/face to give texture.Alternatively kicker lights to background or back of the subject to bring out the form.Why leave half the frame empty? Most faults due to insufficient lighting.

For the previous comment of floating head,it is a valid type of pose used for heavy set people with thick neck or double chin as it hides them effectively.

 

[ominblue]

This is not the correct use of one light technique especially for black and white picture.Since hair and background is the same
tone, the body outline/form is not distinguishable.I believe you are using a spotlight which have a narrow coverage.In order
to use one light technique the light must also spread to the background so that the form (head and body) stand out.Preferably subject is close to background.BTW one light technique is not flattering on women but suits men to give a brooding look.

Besides the camera angle makes face and body look broad.A better way is to use light modifiers or reflectors/umbrellas for the key/main light or softboxes to illuminate the background and sides of the body/face to give texture.Alternatively kicker lights to background or back of the subject to bring out the form.Why leave half the frame empty? Most faults due to insufficient lighting.

For the previous comment of floating head,it is a valid type of pose used for heavy set people with thick neck or double chin as it hides them effectively.

My original idea for this series was low key shoot (try out) n they are all done in outdoor open area with no backdrop at all. I used a single speed light source attached with just a mini beauty dish. But what u said is true enough too to make me realize that all distinguishes are gone.
As for y the half frame empty, is just my thought on using the rule of thirds composition. Also wanna create a little mystified feel in the whole picture.
However, I do agree that this kinda b/w single light source don't really work on women, after reading your input, I started to see it.
Thanks.

 

[one eye jack]

If it is low key then you should use more lights to outline the body as mentioned in the previous post.Hope to see good demonstration of proper lighting of subject next time.

 

[JasonB]

13

What about this?

Agreed with Kei, floating face/head.

Plus the high contrast make her breast shape look very odd.

It also appear that her armpit shoot out words that form curvsy words

The arm band looks like her hand and her forearm are separated items.

Her right ear looks like it melted.

What is the black black thing in her corner of her right eye? Eye-faeces?

Her pose look like a variation of face-palm or checking ownself for fever.

The lighting accents her weak points; broad face making her look fat.

 

[JasonB]

14

another 1

A little better than the previous pic but still lotsa of problems. There is no need to crop the elbows and top of the head, including those will not weaken the composition but will stronger it.

The face looks like eerie floating mask pasted on a black wall.

Yakuza slashed off her fingers and only left 1.5 fingers?

Her left elbow looks like a piece of mushroom growing out of her hair.

Overall she look like having masculine broad shoulders and her pose is rather manly.

Seems like the watermark is growing bigger and bigger and since its occupying important places on the pics, it is probably the most important element on the pic above everything else.

 

[one eye jack]

A little better than the previous pic but still lotsa of problems. There is no need to crop the elbows and top of the head, including those will not weaken the composition but will stronger it.

The face looks like eerie floating mask pasted on a black wall.

Yakuza slashed off her fingers and only left 1.5 fingers?

Her left elbow looks like a piece of mushroom growing out of her hair.

Overall she look like having masculine broad shoulders and her pose is rather manly.

Seems like the watermark is growing bigger and bigger and since its occupying important places on the pics, it is probably the most important element on the pic above everything else.

If you want to be recognised as a critic then behave like one.Give polite critisms and offer alternative solutions and suggestions but I suspect you just want to rant like most others.You have a credibility issue when you are unable to communicate in proper and effective english.

eg. A little better than the previous pic but still lotsa of problems. There is no need to crop the elbows and top of the head, including those will not weaken the composition but will stronger it.

You use a combination of informal and formal style like the word "lotsa" and grammatical error like "including those that not weaken the composition but will stronger it." Stronger should be strengthen.Do you think people will take you seriously?

 

[ominblue]

If you want to be recognised as a critic then behave like one.Give polite critisms and offer alternative solutions and suggestions but I suspect you just want to rant like most others.You have a credibility issue when you are unable to communicate in proper and effective english.

eg. A little better than the previous pic but still lotsa of problems. There is no need to crop the elbows and top of the head, including those will not weaken the composition but will stronger it.

You use a combination of informal and formal style like the word "lotsa" and grammatical error like "including those that not weaken the composition but will stronger it." Stronger should be strengthen.Do you think people will take you seriously?

Thanks one eye jack bro. That's y I never reply to his posts ever. Not a few can comment n construct like u. More are like his style. How do we learn n get enlighten if all members are like his style or similar? That is y I reply to only those who are more professionally commented in my thread. Thanks for voicing out for me

 

[kei1309]

i smell the stench of self-righteousness here.

don't think for one moment that just because your standard of english is superior, that someone else is poorer at photography. tell that to Uncle Catchlights. his standard of english might not be that good, but his tips are spot on. are you going to tell everyone that Uncle Catchlights is not reliable as well?

i agree with some of JasonB's statements in other threads because they're relevant.

TS might be inflating your ego with his praises... but seriously, does that mean that everyone with a high standard of english should be trusted to give a good critique?

:think:

 

[one eye jack]

i smell the stench of self-righteousness here.

don't think for one moment that just because your standard of english is superior, that someone else is poorer at photography. tell that to Uncle Catchlights. his standard of english might not be that good, but his tips are spot on. are you going to tell everyone that Uncle Catchlights is not reliable as well?

i agree with some of JasonB's statements in other threads because they're relevant.

TS might be inflating your ego with his praises... but seriously, does that mean that everyone with a high standard of english should be trusted to give a good critique?

:think:

About my comment about the implied standard of english commensurate with the ability to critique is meant in the general sense.I do know that a non speaker of english or chinese educated individual can have logical and sensible train of thought.

It is the intent and the words used that is in question.

eg. JasonB post#51

Agreed with Kei, floating face/head.

Plus the high contrast make her breast shape look very odd.

It also appear that her armpit shoot out words that form curvsy words

The arm band looks like her hand and her forearm are separated items.

Her right ear looks like it melted.

What is the black black thing in her corner of her right eye? Eye-faeces?

Her pose look like a variation of face-palm or checking ownself for fever.

The lighting accents her weak points; broad face making her look fat.

post #45

Rashkae said:

In addition to what the bros above have said, here are the first 5 thoughts that popped in my mind when I saw that pic:

1. Why is her left eye chopped in half?
2. Where is her neck? Her raised shoulder hid it, the shadows do the rest. It looks like her arm is holding a floating head
3. The shadows make her boobs look like eggplants
4. The skin wrinkles at the armpit are unflattering
5. The watermark draws attention to the eggplants

For locals eggplant is known as brinjal.

Can these words be used in the spirit of fair comment? Is there a better phrase or word?
What about yourself dear sir ,

i smell the stench of self-righteousness here.

Very strong language indeed.

BTW I don't need my ego to be stroked for I know the ego is false as many spiritual seekers have found out for themselves.

Omniblue may not speak and write good english but he shares his work and come in the spirit of learning and self improvement.That is proper intent.I can't say that this is true for the above comments by members.I let others judge for themselves.This is as far I will go,further comment is pointless.

 

[JasonB]

Thanx for the gentle reminders. Will work on my politeness. Perhaps the harsh critic idea wasn't that suitable as everyone have different tolerance for critique.

Waiting to see more pics.

 

[Rashkae]

Rashkae said:

For locals eggplant is known as brinjal.

Can these words be used in the spirit of fair comment? Is there a better phrase or word?

The phrasing and wording is exactly as intended - I listed down my first 5 thoughts in a literal fashion, to give an idea about the impact or impression the image makes. If you think there's no value in that in a photographic critique, then you might prefer grading math papers.

And so what if the local Indians call it brinjal? Everyone that I know here calls it eggplant.

 

[kei1309]

forget it...

you're obviously clueless.

and before this degenerates into a kopitiam thread...

 

[nitewalk]

Why on earth does it even matter if it is brinjal and eggplants? If one does not know what is an eggplant, he or she can always find out from google. What matters is the critique or opinion and the beneficial value behind it. Everyone has their way of putting things and I don't see how that wasn't a fair comment, may not be acceptable to some, but there is something conveyed in that comment.