The 85/1.4 makes clients cry...

Thanks for taking the time, but I wasn't soliciting critiques in this thread... merely reporting on my client's reaction to an image. The picture was the product of a fine lens, a good camera, and my humble efforts. The client's reaction was largely due to her relationship with her child, but I was gratified that my picture triggered such a warm response.

As far as your comments are concerned, outlining your subjective preferences isn't significant or helpful to improving my work. This is a photographers' forum, and the best advice is that which is accompanied by an example produced by the critic that demonstrates the technique. As the saying goes, a picture is worth a thousand words.

Some offer suggestions in an attempt to help, while others use the forum to "count coup", by offering critiques and comments that demonstrate their cleverness and superiority. It's hard to differentiate at times, particularly if the poster isn't writing in their native language, so I apologize if I've misinterpreted your intent.

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Warm regards, Uncle Frank
FCAS Founder, Hummingbird Hunter, Egret Stalker
Dilettante Appassionato
Galleries at http://www.pbase.com/unclefrank

SteveDoubleU said:

Same exact picture but replace them with Jeffery Dalmer
and his lawyer and I bet she wouldn't have cried....don't bother to
respond, I still remember your over the top histerical reaction to
someone mentioning a blown highlite in another of your masterpieces.

Click to expand...

This thread was about a clienet's reactions, but somehow I've triggered a very emotional response from you, too. Sorry, Steve. If you had an email address linked to your profile, I would have made my remarks in private.

Curious... why is it that the folks who are self-proclaimed critics never seem to list an email address?

--
Warm regards, Uncle Frank
FCAS Founder, Hummingbird Hunter, Egret Stalker
Dilettante Appassionato
Galleries at http://www.pbase.com/unclefrank

Uncle Frank said:

This thread was about a clienet's reactions,

Click to expand...

...and innappropriate for this forum, why don't you take it to the lighting forum? Maybe because you'd be torn to shreds over there?...

After seeing the multitude of negative and positive comments towards the OP's pics, I decided to do some searching on some pro's websites in my home area to compare his composition, creamy background, and colors to theirs. I probably looked at 10 or so sites, taking note of how they composed their outside portriats. What I found is that the OP's shots have a much creamier background than ANY I found in the galleries I searched.

So I learned that lens doesn't matter. Pros do it and sell it with less-creamier backgrounds. It's all about colors, really - just colors. 85 1.4 or not, good photographers can get the shot and make people cry. There - just saved myself a couple thousand dollars!

PC writes:

Wow, I am ssurprised you have such a strong reaction to a sincere and personal view of a fellow board member. So much as to put down his or her wrtting as not a native? Just because his or her name contains "Wang", "Cheang", "Chung", "Lee", and not "Smith" doesn't mean he or she is any less native than you are.

Every image posted here will most likely draw some responses. If you don't want any response, just don't post an image or warn us with "PLEASE DO NOT RESPONSE" statement in your post. I think we are "native" enough to understand the warning.

I am a native of planet earth

Paul

Paul Cheang said:

PC writes:

Wow, I am ssurprised you have such a strong reaction to a sincere
and personal view of a fellow board member. So much as to put down
his or her wrtting as not a native? Just because his or her name
contains "Wang", "Cheang", "Chung", "Lee", and not "Smith" doesn't
mean he or she is any less native than you are.

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Hi, Paul. Please turn down the gain on your bigot detector. I made an assumption based on location, not surname. Marc identifies himself as a Singaporean in his profile. I've been to his country, and while English is taught in schools and widely used, it isn't the first language for most of the inhabitants.

Paul Cheang said:

Every image posted here will most likely draw some responses. If
you don't want any response, just don't post an image or warn us
with "PLEASE DO NOT RESPONSE" statement in your post. I think we
are "native" enough to understand the warning.

Click to expand...

OK, Then "PLEASE DO NOT RESPONSE" to my posts, Paul.

--
Warm regards, Uncle Frank
FCAS Founder, Hummingbird Hunter, Egret Stalker
Dilettante Appassionato
Galleries at http://www.pbase.com/unclefrank

What i see is that you made the subject at ease and relax. You give too much credit to a piece of glass ( dont get me wrong that 85 is fantastic)
but the photographer did what any piece of glass could not.

Yep, your a good seller. If you have said that you took this one with a throw away camera, you could have make people empty stores....

nice job.

did you made a test shoot, to make the family more relax in front of the camera? or did you know them from before the shoot?

continue to sell... ehh.... take pictures

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In Photography
What you see in not always what you'll get

the 85/1.4 makes people talk alot on dpreview too!!!

CorTremDesign said:

did you made a test shoot, to make the family more relax in front
of the camera? or did you know them from before the shoot?

Click to expand...

I took test shots, talked to them, told jokes, had them stand on one foot... and anything else I could think of to relax them. I hate it when they say "cheese" :- .

--
Warm regards, Uncle Frank
FCAS Founder, Hummingbird Hunter, Egret Stalker
Dilettante Appassionato
Galleries at http://www.pbase.com/unclefrank

A happy family!

Mom must see in this picture that her little girl has been growing up too fast right before her eyes but you were able to "freeze" time, alittle, for her.
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Charles

Great shots UF. You struck a chord with your subjects and that's what really counts.

We've shared some dialogue on this and other boards a number of times. I never cease to be amazed at some of the posts, good and bad, on this forum and others.

Here's what I keep finding out the more and more I shoot concerts, portraits, or shots of people's kids....

Many times what's "technically" correct, or more "by the book" and "should've used 4:1, 3:1 or 2:1 ratio" or "Rembrandt lighting" or "Classic Hollywood" or "open loop" or "closed loop" etc.. for this face type or that body style or fat arms, thin arms... whatever....

Many times what we, as photographers, envision to be a fantastic shot won't get a second look from a client. The shot we think we should have deleted will sometimes elicit huge responses from clients and they just love the shots.

Keep the audience in mind and did you achieve the objective intended....

Prime example:



I did this on purpose, obviously, when I shot this image...

Technically speaking, from a photographic point of view, this isn't necessarily a good shot. You'd think the artist was the main subject of the image, but the light competes and perhaps even drowns out the subject....unless the light IS the subject.. hmm....

Well, this was shot during a Gospel Music Channel television show taping... The client loved the image. The gobo's in the spot create a fantastic effect for the shot of a Gospel Artist performing! A copy of this image was blown up, framed, and hangs in the artist's office.

There's a lot to consider and like art hanging in galleries, not everyone likes everything, but if you touched the heart of the person you shot the image for, then not much else matters now does it?

Food for thought for others...

Julio

http://www.pbase.com/loansharkx

Did you kick SteveDoubleDipStick's dog or somethin'? You can hardly make a post these days without incurring his wrath and -- ahem, cough cough -- "expert" advice. I think he's stalking you! Might be a love thing. hehheh

Nice shot of mom and daughter -- I'm liking that one.

Phil

UF:

I love the first one too. I see the indoor portraits with the professional lighting and fake backdrops and I HATE them. I really do. I guess it is all such a matter of personal taste. I would take a blown highlight in a photo like yours any day over a chalky indoor portrait -- or even one of those highly stylized outdoor shots I have seen.

I have never seen one of your photo shoots that struck me as unnatural or chalky. You take the folks outside and shoot entirely beautiful shots! I love your work.

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http://marieboyer.smugmug.com/

here is a a daylight portrait with a very cheap old lens , which costs about one twelth the price of the 85mm f1.4 and its only f2.8

nt
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Regards
Paul L.

Nice! Which lens is that?

afraid of criticisms?

I think you just p*ssed off a lot of people not everybody is "native" english speaker here and your comment was just a bit strong. nevertheless, i like your pics.

Casual pics in my opinion. You´ll see dozens like this on every amateur photo forum. How much did you charge? And why do you post pics of your customers in these forums?

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