Do you think this portrait is unnatural?

vett93 said:

The softbox was on the model's left and the sun was on the model's right.



--
"Keep calm and take photos"
Photography enthusiast, from 12mm to 500mm

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vett93 said:

The softbox was on the model's left and the sun was on the model's right.



--
"Keep calm and take photos"
Photography enthusiast, from 12mm to 500mm

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Jeff2013 said:

Unnatural, yes, but commercially acceptable. You could warm the flash in PP just ever so slightly and reduce the flash exposure by 1/3 of a stop. I usually reduce the “Rembrandt” nose shadow just slightly in CC2018 to reduce contrast, along with a slight High Pass softening filter for the face. Your background light ratio is perfect. For a final professional touch, I would add dimension to the face with dodging and burning on a neutral grey layer.

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jouni123 said:

I had to stop and think, what could it mean, picture is unnatural. If I know person very well and I see picture of him with expression that I have never seen on his face. He don't look like he is, I hardly recognice him, that could be unnatural for me. I have never seen this person in life, for me she don't look unnatural, she looks like, this is not her best side.

As a portret this feels little unnnatural, background is so blurr, I am not sure if there is sea or something else.

There are 3 classic ways to take picture of person: Whole, breast and face. To take a portret you can vary angle and expression. I have seen photographers take portrait on the street of wellknown person, they can take between 200 - 400 pictures just to get one good one. I have never taken so many. If I had to take picture of person for paper, i should take at least 20. Simple difference between amateur and professional photographers is, if I ask someone take picture of me, I give my camera to person ans say, can you take some pics of me here, take many: amateur take 1 or 2 pictures, professional will click at least 5 - 10 times.

This was just my 2 cents, jouni

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vett93 said:

Jeff2013 said:

Unnatural, yes, but commercially acceptable. You could warm the flash in PP just ever so slightly and reduce the flash exposure by 1/3 of a stop. I usually reduce the “Rembrandt” nose shadow just slightly in CC2018 to reduce contrast, along with a slight High Pass softening filter for the face. Your background light ratio is perfect. For a final professional touch, I would add dimension to the face with dodging and burning on a neutral grey layer.

--
Jeff
Florida, USA
http://www.gr8photography.com

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Any pointer on how to use dodging and burning to add dimension to the face? Thanks.

--
"Keep calm and take photos"
Photography enthusiast, from 12mm to 500mm

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vett93 said:

jouni123 said:

I had to stop and think, what could it mean, picture is unnatural. If I know person very well and I see picture of him with expression that I have never seen on his face. He don't look like he is, I hardly recognice him, that could be unnatural for me. I have never seen this person in life, for me she don't look unnatural, she looks like, this is not her best side.

As a portret this feels little unnnatural, background is so blurr, I am not sure if there is sea or something else.

There are 3 classic ways to take picture of person: Whole, breast and face. To take a portret you can vary angle and expression. I have seen photographers take portrait on the street of wellknown person, they can take between 200 - 400 pictures just to get one good one. I have never taken so many. If I had to take picture of person for paper, i should take at least 20. Simple difference between amateur and professional photographers is, if I ask someone take picture of me, I give my camera to person ans say, can you take some pics of me here, take many: amateur take 1 or 2 pictures, professional will click at least 5 - 10 times.

This was just my 2 cents, jouni

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Thanks for the comments, Jouni and Paul. One thing that looks unnatural to me is that it does not look like an outdoor environmental portrait. Rather, as Paul pointed out, it looks like a studio shoot.

Maybe I used too wide an aperture? Maybe I need to warm up the flash lighting? I definitely need to use a high angle as Mordi pointed out. Thanks all for the pointers.

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vett93 said:

--
"Keep calm and take photos"
Photography enthusiast, from 12mm to 500mm

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Mordi said:

I don’t think it’s particularly “unnatural,” but shows a lack of sensitivity to the subject, and knowledge of how to make her look a whole lot more attractive than she appears here.

First of all, the camera angle is WAY too low. She’s overweight, and your angle simply overemphasizes it - her torso dominates the frame - closest to the camera, and as brightly lit as her more distant face. One can see through her shirt to her bra, and the dark fold just calls attention to her breasts.

With subjects like her, the best results will come from frame-filling with the subject’s face. Because your camera angle was so low, her chin/neck become prominent.

Overweight subjects are best shot from a high angle, with attention to their eyes (looking up slightly - even a trifle “cheating” above the lens axis). By shooting down on her, and having her look up, you will “lose” her ample neck and produce a more personal, flattering image. That angle tends to have the effect of tightening facial skin and make the portrait more flattering

When I know I will be shooting women who are not models, I like to bring along a woman who can diplomatically deal with some cosmetic issues likely to be challenging in the final portrait. This subject’s hair is not at all flattering. Few women with thin hair look best with a central part. By moving the part and fluffing the hair - a role a woman partner can easily propose and handle - and shooting down to reduce the thin hair prominence - can make her hair look more flattering. Same with lighting and/or post processing.

Subjects who are not naturally attractive simply increases the challenge of the photographer before s/he pushes the shutter release. I’d strongly suggest you spend some time looking at the portraits of photographers like Karsh, Halsmann, and others renowned for making even unattractive celebrities look their best.

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lakkot said:

So does that guy who makes those Russian holiday sunset photos where people have the sun between their fingers, so I don' see what your point is. You still have to explain how would your processed look be less "unnatural"

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