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Watermill - portrait - E-M5 + 75mm

Started Apr 21, 2014 | Photos thread
Jim Salvas
Jim Salvas Veteran Member • Posts: 5,671
Re: Watermill - portrait - E-M5 + 75mm
1

The 75 is w great lens for portraits and viewing this at 100% shows how sharp it can be. However, there are just too many things wrong to make this a good portrait.

First, the watermill, which occupies about 75% of the frame, is out of focus. If it's important enough to be such a major feature, it should be in focus. Truth is, the actual subject is the man, but is relegated to the corner and his face, which is the most important area, is tiny in comparison to the whole.

Second, he is looking away from both the watermill and the viewer. It is difficult to shoot a good portrait of someone not looking at the camera, because it can look so staged. This just looks stiff, when such an angle should look candid and casual. To top it off, he seems to be uncomfortably squinting in the  harsh light.

A much tighter shot, with the subject directly engaging the viewer would be much better. Think of the eyes first, because  that's what people will see first.

I hope this helps a little.

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Jim Salvas

 Jim Salvas's gear list:Jim Salvas's gear list
Olympus PEN E-PM2 Olympus E-M1 Olympus PEN-F Olympus M.Zuiko Digital 14-42mm 1:3.5-5.6 II R Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 40-150mm F4-5.6 R +11 more
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