ugh... portraits in colour... i have met my waterloo... for my get pushed challenge set by @so_lo_webb...
i am yet again confirming that portraiture is absolutely and completely inaccessible to me... i have taken something like 500 shots of my 3 boys (poor patient lads that they are) over the past two days and universally hate every single one of them... i should never have let him wear the hat, but it seemed like a good idea at the time... sigh.. tomorrow we go back to black and white... :)
for the newbies out there, the concept of the "get pushed" challenge is to try something different photographically speaking... to stretch your skills... if you're interested in reading more info on this challenge, check out this link:
@cmc1200 tx Caryn... it's a pretty goofy hat ;p i was wanting to include more of it, but the only way to do that ends up having his eyes dead centre and the whole shot looks so unbalanced... drove me nuts... i'll look thru the shots again and see if any are at least somewhat crop-able so as to showcase the cat...
Portraits are hard. The only time I ever get a great composition, it's out of focus or some other disaster! I quite like this one @northy but I bet you nail it in the end!
I like this -- I don't know why you don't think you do portraits well as both of these show kids with a ton of personality and isn't that what a portrait should do?
I am determined to work through my dread of the portrait - and here this week I haven't been pushed to do a portrait and actually shot some I was happy with today, go figure! You got great catch lights and wonderful focus.
@taffy tx Taffy... my boys have personality in spades... i do have some totally loony poses, but i think that without some sort of context they just aren't meaningful... although i have an idea about using them that i need to work on a bit...
@northy Well, it's easy for me to offer up advice as you may have noticed I think I maybe have one or two portraits total across my albums. I just don't do well with people except by accident! Others or selfies!
I think you did a lovely job! And kudos to the boys for posing for one. I really want to get better at portraits but can't seem to find willing subjects. I especially like how the light catches his eye :)
I see where you are coming from about the hat. But I love the portrait, beautifully lit with great catchlights in the eyes. I might have re-taken with the cheek not squished up so much.
this turned out really great, m. i like it. what exactly do you not like about it? the lighting looks great, at least to my eyes. and i want a hat like that! :-D
@northy I think you are hard on yourself. I like it. A lot. You have great personality in the eyes and great exposure. Enjoy your return to black and white. I am sure you will have even more creativity.
I am working on my challenge too. Pesky work keeps getting in the way!
@summerfield i dunno... it isn't a great portrait of him, and it just doesn't feel at all like my work... i'd kinda like it to be at least one or the other, if not both :)
I really like this, but I know what you mean about portraits. I never really feel that I capture the 'essence' of the person like some people do. I have been asked to shoot a very casual wedding in June and am already traumatised at the prospect
@summerfield bahhaaaaa! y'well - my first struggle was in NOT turning it into black and white... i've actually done some googling on portraits and have some ideas for more edgy approaches that i'll have to try one day... right now, my kids aren't interested ;p
@northy - early morning on monday the 13th! the weather's stressing me though. i don't mind how cold it will be as long as there are no storms or blizzards to strand me anywhere between here to san francisco. just 5 hours of smooth flying is all i'm praying for. :-)
Haha...love reading all the comments...I think you nailed it well...my portraiture "sucks the big one" to quote my kids! (though they haven't said it about my photos, just a term they liked)
Snap! I am crap at portraits but keep on trying to get it right. I think you're being too hard on yourself though. This is a great portrait. Fab focus on the eyes. I like the colour. But maybe leave the hat off next time ;o) xx
I like the capture! I paint portraits freehand in oils, watercolours and on adobe. I am trying to improve my technique in photography but it is a slow process.
January 6th, 2014
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I am working on my challenge too. Pesky work keeps getting in the way!
when are you leaving town, btw?
https://www.flickr.com/photos/northy44/8575447697/in/set-72157632898788874